March 05, 2009

Kookoo Sabzi


Fresh Herb Kookoo

کوکوسبزی Kookoo sabzi is a fresh herb dish served for lunch/dinner during Nowruz (Persian New Year). This dish is a great one-pan vegetarian meal made of several fresh herbs and just enough eggs to hold it all together. If you bake it in the oven rather than frying it on the stove it absorbs less oil, which is always a good thing for the health-conscious cook! Once you have all the vegetables cleaned and chopped, the rest is very easy.

Fresh Herb Kookoo

Kookoo Sabzi
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems removed, chopped
2 bunches scallions or chives (Iranian tareh), chopped
1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed, chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons barberries (zereshk), rinsed, (it can be found in Iranian/Persian markets)
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
A pinch of red pepper
Vegetable oil 

Method:
  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a fork or a whisk until well blended
  2. Add all the chopped herbs, barberries, walnuts, turmeric, flour, baking powder, red pepper, salt and pepper, mix until combined. 
  3. Add two tablespoons of oil to the mixture, stir well.
  4. Gently pour the herb mixture into a well-oiled baking dish, smooth the surface, and place in a 350 degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the center feels firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting into serving-size pieces. 
Place on a serving platter. Kookoo could be served warm or at room temperature with warm bread and mast o khiar and torshi (pickles).

Enjoy!

39 comments:

  1. hi azita, my grandmother used to put barberries or walnuts but also some lime juice in hers, i am not sure how i feel about that, though. what do you think? my grandmother is no more with us and my mother never learnt this recipe from her. i vaguely remember it, thankfully.
    i really like your method.

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  2. Dear Shayma, love the idea of adding some lime juice to kookoo sabzi. Although I have never tried it before I'm going to add juice of a lime to the batter next time I make it, or perhaps serving some cut up limes next to the dish for those who love their meal with that extra zing. Thanks for the tip! I'll let you know how it turns out.

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  3. maybe some lime zest in the sabzi mix, too? will exchange notes with you! x

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  4. We loved the kookooo subzi! I added barberries in mine, too. Delicious!

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  5. Hello, I really love kukuye sabzi, in the morning, in the evening, cold or warm, with joughurt or without...it's almost the best dish of persian kitchen. Especially the zereshk!!
    Thank you for your recipe.
    I don't like cilantro too much, so I use cress, thai basil or some kind of garlic leaves instead.
    Lots of greetings form Germany!

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  6. Dear Azita,
    I already gave a try to Kookoo Sabzi with walnuts and barberries and this time I did this version. Of course with some small alterations (instead of barberries - cranberries and raisins, a bit more than 2 Tbsps, and instead of one cup of scallions I think I used tareh (or at least something that looks very similar) and I added the juice from half of the lemon).
    It was GREAT! Since I did it for a picnic we ate it cold and almost everybody liked it - something like 15 people at least :-)
    It would be probably so nice to do it with barberries... Someday I buy it somewhere
    Thank you very much for sharing your passion and your recipes.
    Wioletta

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    Replies
    1. Wioletta, thank you so much for trying this recipe and I am so happy that almost everybody liked it!:)

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  7. everything you are having on your side is so good tasting, love if someone is cooking our dishes so tasty and presenting them in a nice, thanks so much I am enjoying every time browsing in your pages.


    Merci dastetoon dard nakone
    Shabi

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  8. Dear Azita, I am having a wonderful time reading your recipes and I have been thoroughly enjoying your blog. It's inspiring and informative and definitely my new go-to reference for Persian specialties. I made the Kookoo Sabzi last night with wonderful results. Beautiful, delicious AND healthy! I'm blogging about it today with a link to your blog to send more interested cooks and readers your way. I invite you to visit www.katiespassionkitchen.blogspot.com. Glad you're sharing such fabulous knowledge and recipes! Thank you! Katie

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  9. Dear Azita,

    I'm planning a Nowruz brunch party in March, and my guests are a mix of Iranian and non-Iranians.

    I have never made kookoo sabzi, so I don't have a "cooking" feel for it. I wanted to know if it is a good idea to make individual ones using a muffin pan or something similar to that, or if it's better to stick to the traditional method and make a big one and cut into pieces. I really like how you make it in the oven - I always mess up frying, because I try to be healthy and use little oil, and my kookoo's are always "non-presentable"!!!

    My other plans for the brunch are haleem, mirza ghasemi, and of course noon o panir. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

    Thank you for your wonderful blog!

    Maryam

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    1. Maryam jan, baking in the oven is the most foolproof way to cook kookoo sabzi. I suggest cutting the kookoo sabzi into pieces. Baked in an oven or fried, either way they are delicious! Your brunch menu sounds wonderful! Thank you and enjoy your brunch!

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  10. Thanks Azita Jan. I'm making this for my non-Iranian friends and want to use dried herbs from Sadaf can. I also wanted to add shredded onions to the mix with zereshk and turmeric. Do you recommend to add onions?
    Thanks
    Ali

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    Replies
    1. Ali, you can use dried herbs for this dish, just soak them a little bit and drain completely before use. Yes, I do recommend using onions.

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    2. Thank you so much!! your website and recipes are awesome!!

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  11. Hi Azita! I love love LOVE your food blog!! Chopping up the herbs is making me hesitant about using this recipe. Can I use a food processor instead??

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ailar jan! Yes, you can use a food processor instead.

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  12. And also, what about using just egg whites for a healthy spin???

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  13. Hi Azita! I made this kookoo today and it turned out very delicious, exactly what kookoo is supposed to taste like and better. I love the walnuts in it and that you bake it in the oven. Your blog is fantastic! I love that you give very accurate measurements and detailed instructions. One of the reasons I keep coming back to your site for Persian recipes. Thank you very much!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you and I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe.

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  14. Hi Azita Jan,

    Love your blog and love your recipes more! You are awesome!

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  15. Hello Azita,
    Thank you for your Kookoo sabZi recipe. I use it every year when I cook our Norooz get together!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! Glad you like the recipe. Enjoy it!

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  16. I saw this recipe on Ariana Bundy's TV show today.A vegetarian relative of Ariana is shown making it on show named ARIANA'S IRAN and it did not have eggs.So I tried to search for detailed recipe on net but all of them have eggs in it. Is there vegetarian version of this recipe too?

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  17. Hello, I love your site and recipes! Wonderful!
    What size baking dish did you use?
    Do you recommend using baking powder?
    Thanks so much!!
    Frankie

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    Replies
    1. Hi Frankie, I used a 10 inch ceramic pie dish. You can add 1 teaspoon of baking powder for a fluffy kookoo. Thank you!

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  18. Hello Azita, Could we eliminate the flour in this recipe for those of us who are gluten free?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, you can eliminate the flour in this recipe.

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  19. I have a question. Can I cook kookoo sabzi in Pyrex?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a Pyrex baking dish and pour in herb mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set. Happy Nowruz!

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  20. Hi Azita - I wanted to make more so I doubled the recipe and I added baking soda. But it came out strange. There was a green spongy consistency at the bottom and all the sabzeh rose to the top. Do you know why this happened?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Mana, next time you may want to use 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead of baking soda.

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  21. Azita! I love your kookoo recipe. I just tried a variation on it which I can't find anywhere else on the internet. I made juice this morning from cabbage, kale, cucumbers and cranberries. I then used the pulp (just over five cups) in place of the traditional greens for kookoo. Everything else I did exactly the same. The result was a spongy kookoo with a more mild flavor that was no less delicious for being "untraditional". I bet that if you played with this method, you could figure out how to make it perfectly. I'd really enjoy a proper "juicer pulp" version perfected by you.

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  22. Hi Azita jan,
    I’d like to use pre-mixed frozen sabzi. Does the amount of herbs you use in this recipe add up to 1 or 2 frozen sabzi for kookoo bags?

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    1. Hi Farzin, my recipe serves six people and I think the amount of herbs I used, adds up to 1 1/2 packages of chopped frozen sabzi.

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