Persian Kuku with Saffron Potatoes and Herbs Recipe
Spring is the unofficial season of brunching, don't you think? One of my favorite dishes for brunch is this kuku, which is like the Persian cousin to the Italian frittata except that the eggs are a supporting player more than a star. Kuku is one of the main dishes made for Nowruz or Persian New Year, which happens the first weekend of Spring. Therefore let's cheers to the New Year with this Persian Kuku with Saffron Potatoes and Herbs recipe!
1pound cookedsmall red or buttercream potatoescooled and diced
1cup thinly slicedfresh chives
1cup finely choppedfresh cilantro leaves and stems
1cup finely choppedfresh dill
1cup finely choppedfresh Italian parsley leaves
1/4cup finely choppedtoasted walnuts
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
For The Yogurt:
1cupplain Greek yogurt
5sprigsfresh mintleaves picked
1/2lemon
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To Make The Kuku: Pour 1 tablespoon of boiling water over the saffron and sit aside until ready to use. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large (10-inch) cast iron or nonstick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with the 1 teaspoon of salt and a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper, stir to coat then cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the coriander and turmeric to the pan and stir to coat. Cook until the mixture is fragrant about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, potatoes, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, walnuts, baking powder, and saffron threads and liquid. Add the onion mixture to the eggs and whisk to combine.
Wipe out the pan and return it to the stove over medium-low heat then add the butter. When the butter foams, add the egg mix and cook until the edges just set, about 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula and run it around the edge of the kuku so it doesn't stick to the pan. Cover and cook until the the mixture is totally set, about 8 to 10 minutes more.
Make The Yogurt Sauce: Meanwhile, stir together the yogurt, mint, the zest and juice of the lemon and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon, as desired.
Serve The Kuku: When the kuku is set, remove it from the heat and keep it covered another 5 minutes. Cut the kuku into 6 to 12 pieces and serve, topped with the mint yogurt.