Koukou Sabzi
Guide
- Prep time: 50 minutes
- Cooking time: 35 minutes
- Difficulty: 2/5
Overview
Koukou are a class of Iranian dishes common across most of Iran. Koukous are savoury dishes that are generally served as appetiser or main. In English (well Italian) they are closest to Frittatas.
Sabzi means ‘herbs’ and traditionally the herbs used in this Koukou are: chives, parsley, dill and coriander. Some people add a little bit of fenugreek as well for its distinctive aroma. The ratio of herbs is subjective and depends on taste, though for most chives would comprise at least 40% of the total.
For those living outside Iran, your local Iranian grocery would most likely have dried Koukou herbs already mixed and packaged, which would significantly cut down the required preparation.
Ingredients
- 1kg of fresh herbs, or 50g dried herbs
- 5–6 eggs (depends on size)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 3–4 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 cup walnut kernels, chopped into small pieces
- 1 tbsp barberries, rinsed and drained
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Warm sangak bread from your local Iranian shop, or some sort of pita bread
- 3–4 Tomatoes, sliced
- Olives to serve
Preparation
If using fresh herbs, wash the herbs and chop very finely. In a non-stick pan, heat some olive oil and gradually fry the herbs until they reduce in size and their water evaporates. It’s ok for the herbs to change colour a bit, but you don’t want them to go dark green. Once done, set the herbs aside.
If using dried herbs, mix 75g of herbs with boiling water, rest for 45 minutes at room temperature. Drain and set aside.
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the egg whites thoroughly with a mixer.
- In a large bowl, mix the herbs, garlic, the egg yolks, the flour, baking powder, walnut kernels, barberry, turmeric, 2 tbsp of olive oil and the salt and pepper. Once mixed well, gently add the egg whites to the mixture while stirring.
- Generously grease the bottom and the sides of an oven-safe pan with the remaining oil. Pour in the mixture, using a spoon or a spatula to ensure an even surface. Cook in the oven for about 35 minutes.
- Serve with Sangak bread (or any flat bread such as pita), olives and fresh tomatoes on the side.
Notes
- Koukou Sabzi has a dry texture, thus it is generally served with some form of fresh salad, olives or yoghurt on the side. You can try Shirazi Salad for an authentic Iranian cuisine.
- Instead of the oven, this dish can also be made on a non-stick pan on low-to-medium heat. Make sure to cover with the lid, cook for about 30 minutes, flip onto a plate and gently slide back on the pan, cook for another 5 minutes or so until both sides are crispy.