Name: Kookoo Sibzamini
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Persian
Ingredients: 700 g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; 2 eggs, about 100 g; 1 small onion, about 80 g, grated; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper; 15 g fresh parsley, chopped; 4 tbsp vegetable oil

Kookoo Sibzamini

A Persian potato kuku: mashed potatoes mixed with egg, turmeric, onion and herbs and pan-fried into a thick, golden cake.

40 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

It looks like a thick omelette and eats like a savoury cake, and it is a dish for the end of autumn, when potatoes are cheap and heavy and the nights are cold. Kookoo sibzamini is a Persian potato dish that sits somewhere between a mash, a fritter and a frittata.

Boil the potatoes until soft, drain them very well and mash them while hot. Wet potatoes make a runny cake, so let them steam dry for a couple of minutes. Mix in the egg, grated onion, turmeric and salt. Keep the mix thick. It should hold a shape on a spoon, not drip off it.

Cook the cakes slowly in a well-oiled pan, over a medium-low heat. A high heat browns the outside before the egg in the middle sets. Press each cake down gently with a spatula so it cooks evenly.

Turn once, when the underside is deep golden and releases from the pan without sticking.

The Method for Kookoo Sibzamini

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Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes until soft. Drain well, steam dry for 2 minutes and mash.
Squeeze the grated onion in a cloth and mix with the potatoes, eggs, turmeric, salt, pepper and parsley.
Heat half the oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Spoon in 4 mounds of the mix and press flat to about 2 cm thick.
Cook for 5 minutes on each side until deep golden. Repeat with the rest of the oil and mix.

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A Few Pointers

Steam the potatoes dry after draining.
Squeeze the grated onion before using it.
Keep the heat medium-low so the middle cooks through.
Flip with a wide spatula to keep the cakes whole.

Serve It With

Plain yoghurt · Flatbread · Pickled cucumber · Fresh herbs

Keeping and Reheating

Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Eat cold or reheat in a pan.