The Persian kuku is similar to a quiche, but is a little more dense. This recipe for Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives (Kookoo Sibzamini) is a twist of the traditional Persian version and uses sliced potatoes instead of mashed.
I do not pride myself of being a connoisseur of Persian foods. My mother cooked the stews we loved when we were growing up, but we didn’t branch out and try the other wonderful Persian dishes.
Typically, we’d try new things when we went to visit my mom’s side of the family in California or when my grandparents would visit us from Iran. Just like many other families, food and cooking is central in our lives.
My grandmother was an amazing cook. When I think of her, I remember her in the kitchen cooking and the smells emanating from her kitchen and down the hall outside as we approached her apartment.
Now that I have my own family to cook for, I find myself going back to my mom, aunt and uncle to learn to cook some of our family’s favorite meals. I also have added my mother-in-law to my consulting group, although her family is from a different part of Iran.
But, I still tend to cook like my Daii Parviz. I look at a recipe and make it my own.
Why you should try this recipe
This is what I did with this Kookoo. Persian Kookoo (or kuku) is similar to a quiche, but more dense and not as eggy. I have shared with you the recipe for potato kuku before, which typically with mashed potatoes.
There are many types of kukus with different ingredients made with eggs. For Persian New Year, Norouz, we serve Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb Quiche). It is made with six different herbs and is extremely aromatic and delicious.
With traditional potato kookoo, you boil the potatoes first, peel them and then mash them. For this version, I used slices of fingerling potatoes instead of mashed potatoes.
I added chives from my garden as well as aromatic saffron, then baked it until it browned. The result was a fabulous. I shared this for lunch with my friend on a pool play date and paired it with a green salad.
So easy and delicious!
Ingredients you need
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- Fingerling potatoes: Because you are baking the potatoes with the eggs, you want to use small potatoes and slice them thinly. You can use fingerling potatoes or small red or yellow potatoes. If you are using larger potatoes, cut the slices in half or quarter them.
- Chives: You can also use green onions or another herb like fresh basil.
- Saffron: Saffron threads are crushed into a powder using a mortar and pestle. Then hot water is added and the saffron is steeped. The longer it steeps the deeper the color. You want a nice orange-crimson mixture.
- Kitchen staples: milk, eggs, salt and pepper.
Tools to Use
Step-by-step directions
1. In a small bowl combine crushed saffron and hot water. Let it steep for 10 minutes before using.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, chives, milk salt and pepper.
3. Scrub fingerling potatoes clean and cut in thin slices. Stir in saffron liquid into the egg mixture then mix in with the potatoes.
4. Spray 9-inch ceramic pie dish with cooking spray and pour in the egg-potato mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
5. Let it cool for 15 minutes prior to serving. Or, cool completely and serve at room temperature.
Recipe tips and FAQs
Here in the US, we associate egg dishes for breakfast. Of course you can serve this for breakfast, brunch or even as a light meal. I like to serve this potato kookoo with a green salad and some sabzi khordan (fresh herbs), but you can also serve it with shirazi salad or mast o khiar.
My grandmother always made herย kookooย in a pan on her stove. My mother-in-law still makes herย kookooย this way, too. You press theย kuku sabziย mixture into a greased pan and cook until the bottom is browned and set. Then, like a quesadilla, you need to transfer theย kookooย to a plate in order to flip it over and brown the other side. Iโm a no fuss kinda cook and prefer baking myย kookooย in a 9-inch pie dish in the oven. Whichever method you choose, you will create a wonderful dish!
Kookoo Sibzamini (Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives)
The Persian kuku is similar to a quiche, but is a little more dense. This recipe for Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives (Kookoo Sibzamini) is a twist of the traditional Persian version and uses sliced potatoes instead of mashed.
Ingredients
- โ teaspoon crushed saffron
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon hot water
- 6 large eggs
- ยผ cup diced chives
- ยผ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- โ cup ground black pepper
- 1 lb fingerling potatoes
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine crushed saffron and hot water. Let it steep for 10 minutes before using.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, chives, milk salt and pepper.
- Scrub fingerling potatoes clean and cut in thin slices.
- Stir in saffron liquid into the egg mixture.
- Mix in potato slices.
- Spray 9-inch ceramic pie dish with cooking spray and pour in the egg-potato mixture.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
- Let it cool for 15 minutes prior to serving. Or, cool completely and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Serve as a side dish, for breakfast or with a salad for lunch.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1 wedgeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 351mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g
PSย If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a reviewย in the comment sectionย further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
You can also follow me onย Pinterest,ย Facebookย orย Instagram.ย Sign up for my eMail list, too!
Your family sounds like mine, everyone is a great cook. I have a lot to live up to. Persian food is one of my favorite cuisines so I'll be digging through your recipes. This potato quiche looks so mouthwatering, I would love it for dinner. Thanks for having participated in June's YBR:)
How lovely! It sounds absolutely delicious!
That was beautiful and looked delicious! You have a lovely blog and I like the idea of getting families back to home cooked meals!
beautiful quiche looks delicious
Torviewtoronto and Createwithmom
Wow this quiche looks delicious and beautiful!!! I like Persian food and thank you for listing a quite collection here for us to try!
Goodness this looks delightful…beautiful recipe and photos! Sounds like you have a pretty long line of cooks in the family ๐
What a lovely dish! This looks just amazing and full of flavours.
http://spoon-and-chopsticks.blogspot.com/
What a great collection of Persian recipes. I can't say that I have ever knowingly eaten a Persian meal, but you certainly make me want to try them!
What a lovely blog! Stumbled upon it in Dishfolio and that is how I am here ๐ I got some fingerling potatoes lying around. This might be something good to try with them!
I love persian food, this looks amazing. Thanks for linking all the other past recipes too! I am going to take a look, since I have never cooked persian stuff but love the flavors.
That looks great! I don't think I've ever eaten Persian food. I think I'll try your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
That is just stunning! I want to dig right in with a spoon. ๐