Kuku Sabzi, the famous Persian herb frittata packed with fragrant herbs is so fluffy, light, delicious and nutritious. Great for lunch, brunch, as a side dish or anytime. Try the easy appetizer style too.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position the rack in the middle of oven.
Add olive oil or butter on a parchment paper lined 8-inch baking dish and place in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine baking powder, advieh, salt, pepper and flour. Add two eggs and stir well to incorporate the spices. Then add the remaining eggs and whisk them well.
Add the grated garlic, finely chopped herbs, dried fenugreek and half the barberries to the whisked eggs and stir well into a smooth and even mixture. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Pour the egg-herb mixture in the heated baking dish and scatter the remaining barberries and chopped walnuts on the top.
Bake it uncovered for about 20 minutes. Remove the dish from oven, spread butter, ghee or olive oil on the top and return it to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown on top.
The center needs to be well set but tender. Don't overcook the kuku. Let it cool for 5 minutes.Tip: Alternatively you can bake the kuku in a muffin style. That will need about 15 minutes of total baking.
Stovetop: To cook it on the stove, heat oil in a 8 to 9 inch skillet and pour the herb-egg mixture. Spread it evenly, cover and cook over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes until set. Flip it on a plate and slide it back into the skillet and cook it other side until golden, adding butter as needed. Alternatively you can cut the kuku into wedges and flip them.
Run a knife around the herb frittata to loosen from the pan. You may serve it in the dish or invert it onto a plate and slide it on a serving platter with the top of kuku facing up.
Use 8 eggs if you prefer it a bit eggy like a frittata. I use 6 eggs for traditional kuku and 8 eggs for muffin style to keep them more moist.
For the appetizer style kuku, you can add some crumbled feta or goat cheese. Add two-thirds of it into the mixture and the rest on the top. The muffin style and addition of cheese is not traditional in Persian cuisine.
Dried fenugreek leaves are available at Indian, Persian and middle eastern grocery stores.
Barberries (zereshk) and advieh are available at Persian/middle eastern grocery stores or online. Advieh may be substituted with a ‘mild’ middle-eastern or eastern Mediterranean spice blend.
To clean the barberries, remove the tiny stems and place them in a colander and immerse in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes. Let all the sand settle in the bottom of bowl and rinse thoroughly.
If you like to add a sweet & sour touch, some barberries can be sautéed with butter or oil and with sugar or honey and sprinkled on the top before serving.
Storage and Leftovers: Keep in refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or freeze up to two months. Thaw and reheat loosely covered in an oven or in a skillet.
Make ahead: Prepare the herbs and refrigerate. Whisk eggs with all other ingredients except baking powder. Combine eggs, herbs and baking powder just prior to cooking.
To make brown butter or ghee check out the baklava recipe.