Najmieh’s Fresh Herb Kuku

This wonderful recipe for a traditional Nowruz (New Year’s) dish in Iran is adapted from Food of Life by Najmieh Batmanglij. Kind of a Persian-style frittata, it is packed with chopped fresh dill, parsley, spring onions, cilantro and walnuts — a perfect vegetarian main course for the holiday that announces the start of spring. If by some miracle you don’t eat it all, it’s also excellent served room-temperature the next day.

READ: “Author Najmieh Batmanglij is the ‘revered goddess of Iranian cooking’”

READ: “Hope for a new day for Iran’s women by cooking these dishes for Nowruz, the festival marking the start of spring”

We cooked the kuku in a 10-inch skillet, as called for in the recipe, and suspect it would also work beautifully in an 8-inch skillet.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

For the garnish

1 tablespoon oil, butter or ghee

1/3 cup (50 g) barberries, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, then drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon grape molasses or sugar

For the Persian spice mix (advieh)

1/2 teaspoon ground dried rose petals

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For the batter

9 tablespoons oil, butter or ghee, divided

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

6 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

20 grinds of black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup finely chopped Spring onions or scallions (white and green parts)

1 cup (40 g) finely chopped Italian parsley

1 cup (40 g) finely chopped cilantro

1 cup (40 g) finely chopped dill

1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves or 1 cup (40 g) chopped fresh (optional)

1/2 cup (60 g) coarsely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For serving (optional)

Lavash bread

Drained yogurt

Instructions

1. To make the garnish: In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat, then add the barberries, grape molasses or sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes until the barberries are caramelized (be careful, as they burn easily). Transfer them to a small bowl and set aside. Clean the skillet to use for the onions.

2. Make the advieh (Persian spice mix): Combine the ground dried rose petals, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet over medium heat, add the onions and sauté until lightly golden. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Wipe out the skillet (no need to wash).

4. Make the batter. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the baking powder, advieh, salt, pepper and turmeric; beat lightly with a fork. Add the garlic, lettuce, spring onions or scallions, parsley, cilantro, dill, fenugreek (if using), walnuts, flour and sautéed onions, and fold them in gently using a rubber spatula (do not overmix).

5. Heat the remaining 6 tablespoons oil in the skillet over medium heat until it is shimmering. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the batter and cook, covered, until it has set in the center (about 15 or 20 minutes). Uncover the pan and cook the top under a hot broiler until a tester comes out clean, about 2 to 4 minutes.

6. Use a flexible spatula or thin knife to make sure the edges are not adhering to the pan, then transfer it to a round serving dish. It may be easiest to place a platter over the skillet and invert it, and then invert it again onto your desired serving dish. Garnish with the caramelized barberries and serve hot, or at room temperature, either on its own or with lavash bread and drained yogurt.

Recipe note

This recipe was tested using olive oil for the garnish, for cooking the onions and for cooking the kuku. We used sugar rather than grape molasses for cooking the garnish, and spring onions and dried fenugreek leaves in the batter.