This is my simplified version of a traditional Persian egg dish called Kuku, a thick omelette/frittata with herbs and spices. The traditional kuku takes about 30-40 minutes to cook which is perfectly fine for a leisurely breakfast during the weekends and holidays but is just way too long for a weekday breakfast. So I’ve gone and simplified it to a good old omelette!
The traditional Kuku contains barberries and walnuts. I’ve left out both these ingredients because barberries are not easy to find for everyone and walnuts in an omelette are not to everyone’s liking! Having said that, barberries can easily be substituted with dried cranberries, which, in the West, are easily found in major supermarkets and in health shops. Click here to read more on Barberries, or Zereshk, a much loved Persian ingredient.
For the real Kuku recipe, you’ll find it in my Middle Eastern cookbook, due out sometime in the second half of next year!
How to serve this Herbed Omelette?
Just as you would any omelette, really. For breakfast, the usual suspects are perfect here: toast, crumpets, English muffins, or just as is, for a low carb meal. I even make this simplified Kuku as a side for main meals when there’s nothing exciting for dinner! And a herbed omelette is perfect as a high protein, low carb lunch for those of you who watch your carbs and protein.
This recipe serves 4, you can increase or decrease accordingly. You can also opt for making 4 individual omelettes, instead of a larger one.
You can also play around with the herbs in the omelette. I’m using what is traditional, apart from dill, which always reminds me of gripe water! If you like dill, go ahead and use it, and any other favourite herbs of yours.
Fancy a spicy omelette? Add some chopped up chillies, we do!
The weekend’s here, the perfect time to try out this easy herbed omelette! Have a good one, and leave me a comment to tell me what you have planned!
PrintHerbed Omelette, a simplified Persian Kuku
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
Ingredients
- Enough toast or crumpets for 4
- Butter for the toast or crumpets
- Olive oil for frying
- Some tomatoes and cucumbers if anyone fancies them
The Omelette
- 8 eggs
- 2 tbsp milk or cream
- Half tsp turmeric
- Quarter tsp ground cumin
- Quarter tsp ground coriander
- Half tsp salt
- 1 tsp butter, cold and chopped
- 1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 large handful fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
- 4 stalks spring onions (scallions), sliced thinly
- 1 stalk fresh mint, leaves removed and chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Crack and place the eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork or whisk to break up.
- Place the turmeric, cumin, coriander and salt in a small bowl along with the milk or cream and form a paste. Tip: If adding powdered spices to omelette, form a paste with some liquid first, otherwise, you’ll just end up with lumps of the spice in you egg.
- Add this spice paste to the eggs and whisk to mix.
- Add all the other ingredients, including the 1 tsp of cold chopped butter and whisk to mix thoroughly.
- If you’re not comfortable making a large one, cook your omelette in 2 batches. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan and pour the egg mix in.
- Using a spatula, mix and move the eggs around slightly to let it cook better and for the runny part to get to the pan and cook.
- Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking until it’s almost set. Use your spatula and flip one half of the omelette over to the other end to form a crescent.
- Serve up onto a large plate, cut into 4 and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
This looks really delicious. I don’t mind having barberries, maybe I can sink my teeth into this when I get the chance to buy all the ingredients.
i love omelette will try this out this week! perfect for a weekend brekky with my fam!
Wow, love how the omelet is full of spices. I heard about barberry as a medicinal herb.
I love omelettes because they’re versatile. You can pretty much add whatever ingredient you want and you’re good to go. I think this one’s worth a try! It looks so good.
I love spiced omelette, it adds so much flavors to the egg and making it a new and exciting dish. Will check this recipe again tonight and will copy 🙂
I am so sure that my children will love this recipe. They are huge omelette eaters!
This omelette sounds healthy, I want to try it for our breakfast tomorrow.
Oh, this is a must-try. My son loves omelette for breakfast and he likes it to be perfect!
Oh, I am so new with this cuisine but sounds like lovely. I want to try this soon.
It does look good. I think I’d have to have the walnuts though Yum 🙂
Looks delicious! Next Sunday, I will try Kuku instead veggie omelette.
I have to add this recipe to my list! Looks so delicious and my husband would love it!
This looks amazing. Also love that it seems easy enough… even for me!
Gosh, I’ve never heard of barberries until now. This looks very tasty!
I love all of the fresh ingredients in this recipe. It looks amazing!
I do love omelets. This one is making me hungry.
That looks really good. I’m not a big fan of omlettes because they come out so thin, but a thicker one like that is more my style!
This looks like a great recipe for breakfast. Persian food sounds really interesting and I am going to browse for some more ideas.
Thank you, Lynn, it truly is one of the world’s oldest and greatest cuisines!