Fresh Herb Kükü

Fresh Herb Kükü

Fesh herb kükü served in Carvansarai Restaurant in Baku’s Old City.

In Azerbaijan, kükü (read: kyukyu) is the general name given to dishes in which main ingredients—vegetables, herbs, meat or fish—are bound with eggs, then browned on both sides on a stovetop. It is not to be confused with omelet, as the featured ingredients in kükü are used in far greater amounts than eggs. By its appearance and texture, kükü can be likened to a Persian kookoo, Middle Eastern eggah, Spanish tortilla or Italian frittata.

Simplicity in itself, fresh herb kükü is by far the most popular and the most frequently made kükü of all in the versatile kükü repertoir. In this light summer dish, fresh herbs are mixed with eggs, then the mixture is leveled in a frying pan and cooked in butter on both sides to yield a tender, flavorful interior laced with a golden surface.


Fresh Herb Kükü (Goyerti Kukusu)
 
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If you wish, add some fresh mint to the kükü, and if in season, fresh green garlic (green parts only) as well, decreasing the amount of other herbs accordingly. Sometimes, spinach is added too. Herb-laden tender kükü wedges can be served cold or at room temperature as an appetizer or immediately as a light standalone dish with bread or as a side dish to rice pilaf. You can also make it a part of your breakfast and brunch menu. Don’t forget to drizzle the kükü with thick, creamy garlicky yogurt sauce, for that extra touch of authenticity.
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 2 packed cups chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 packed cup chopped fresh dill
  • ½ cup fresh green onions
  • 5 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter or clarified butter (can substitute olive oil)
  • Garlicky yogurt sauce (mix 1 cup plain yogurt with crushed garlic to taste) or plain yogurt, to serve
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped fresh herbs and eggs. Season with salt and pepper, then stir with a spoon to mix well.
  2. Melt the butter or oil over medium heat in a 10-inch non-stick frying pan. Pour the herb-egg mixture into the pan to fill it completely, leveling it with the back of a spoon. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, 5 to 8 minutes.
  3. Using a knife, carefully cut the kuku into 4 wedges (or 8 if you wish). Gently turn the wedges over to brown the other side. If you need to, add more butter or oil to the pan.
  4. Remove the cooked kuku from the heat and transfer it onto a serving platter. Serve with bread or as accompaniment to rice pilaf.
  5. Separately serve a bowl with garlicky yogurt sauce or plain yogurt, to spoon onto kuku to taste.
12 Comments

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  1. bunu anam hep yapar. cok isterim

  2. Feride, love this kükü! And I also like the word describing this beautiful dish 😉 Will definitely try this !!! Thank you so much for sharing!

  3. That Azerbaijani “omelet” sounds and looks wonderful! What a wonderful combination of ingredients.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  4. I make the Persian version of this with herbs like tareh(not sure what the name is in English), cilantro and a bit of basil and mint. SO good and so easy and quick to make!

  5. Sounds like the perfect Sunday brunch dish!!

  6. I had the Persian version of this dish a couple of years ago and loved it.

  7. i live in iran and i’m azeri. i eat both azeri and persian kuku. they are like together. my mom always cook it. i love it.

  8. Hi Farida.. So nice to go around your site.. Love it.. I have a very good friend from Baku too. Her name is Lika. In fact, I am meeting her for lunch tomo 🙂 I have had food at her place and enjoyed it a lot..

    Love a lot of your recipes. I am going to start trying them one by one.. Love this one too 😀

  9. I love kuku especially when it is thick and got a lot of spinach in it. It becomes really mazing if you add a few crunched walnuts to it. One of the secrets of successfully i.e. thick kuku is thoroughly drying washed greens with towel or kitchen roll and adding few pinches of flour to it. Yummy!

  10. Men sizinle fexr edirem, Farida Xanum!!!!

  11. Thank you for all your comments, friends!

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