Kuku-ye Asparagi

Name: Kuku-ye Asparagi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Persia
Ingredients: 400 g asparagus, woody ends removed, finely chopped; 6 eggs; 1 small onion, grated; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 0.5 tsp ground turmeric; 0.25 tsp saffron, bloomed in 1 tbsp hot water; 1 tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp plain flour or chickpea flour; 1 small bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped; 1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped; 1 tsp sea salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 4 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil; 200 g thick Greek yogurt or mast-o-khiar, to serve

Persian asparagus kuku: a thick, saffron-scented egg cake packed with finely chopped asparagus and spring herbs, fried slowly in olive oil until the outside crisps to a deep golden crust while the inside remains verdant and tender

Origin: Isfahan, Persia

From the journey of Asparagus.

The kuku (also spelled kookoo) is one of the oldest and most distinctively Iranian forms of cooking: a thick, heavily herb-laden egg cake that is as different from an Italian frittata as Persian poetry is from Latin verse, though they share structural DNA. Where a frittata is flat, delicate, and Italian in its restraint, a kuku is deep, dense, heavily perfumed with herbs, saffron, and dried barberries, and fried slowly in a generous pool of oil until it develops a deeply browned, almost lacquered crust. Kuku sabzi, the herb kuku of fresh greens, is the centrepiece of the Nowruz spring table, the Persian New Year, and its green interior is a direct symbol of spring renewal. Asparagus, which grows wild in the highland regions of Iran as a spring vegetable (called asparaghoos or sometimes marchubeh ('snake bamboo') in Persian), is a natural addition to the kuku tradition. Ibn Sina, the 10th-century Persian physician and polymath, wrote about asparagus (asparagion) extensively in his Canon of Medicine, prescribing it as a diuretic, a stimulant of the kidneys, and a cleanser of the blood: properties that led to its cultivation in Iranian gardens alongside medicinal herbs. Kuku-ye asparagi represents the moment when a medicinal plant becomes a culinary one, when the physician's prescription becomes the cook's preference.

Ingredients

Vegetable

400 g asparagus, woody ends removed, finely chopped

Egg

6 eggs

Aromatics

1 small onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced

Spice

0.5 tsp ground turmeric
0.25 tsp saffron, bloomed in 1 tbsp hot water

Leavening

1 tsp baking powder

Binding

2 tbsp plain flour or chickpea flour

Herb

1 small bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Seasoning

1 tsp sea salt
0.5 tsp black pepper

Fat

4 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil

Accompaniment

200 g thick Greek yogurt or mast-o-khiar, to serve

Method

Finely chop the asparagus: all of the tender portion, not just the tips. The pieces should be roughly 5mm. Place in a colander, sprinkle with a little salt, and allow to drain for 10 minutes. Squeeze gently to remove excess moisture.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl until combined. Add the grated onion, garlic, turmeric, bloomed saffron (including the liquid), baking powder, flour, salt, and black pepper. Mix well.
Fold in the chopped asparagus, fresh dill, and parsley. The batter should be thick: somewhere between a frittata mixture and a pancake batter. If it seems too loose, add another tablespoon of flour.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy, non-stick 28cm pan over medium-low heat. When the oil shimmers, pour in the asparagus batter, smoothing the top with a spatula. Drizzle the remaining oil over the surface.
Cook without disturbing for 15–18 minutes until the edges are set and pulling away from the pan slightly, and the surface looks mostly set with only a small wet patch in the centre. The underside should be deeply golden-brown.
To flip: place a large flat plate or pan lid over the kuku. In one confident motion, invert the pan so the kuku falls crust-side up onto the plate. Slide it back into the pan, raw side down. Add a drizzle more oil around the edges if the pan looks dry.
Cook for a further 8–10 minutes until the second side is golden and the kuku is cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with thick yogurt alongside.

Notes

Chickpea flour (in place of plain flour) gives the kuku a slightly nuttier flavour and a firmer texture that holds together better for slicing. The saffron is optional but adds a beautiful golden colour and warmth to the finished dish. Dried barberries (zereshk) can be stirred into the batter for a tart counterpoint, as is done in kuku sabzi. Serve as a starter, a meze, or a light main course with flatbread and yogurt.

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