Kookoo with potato

This is a fast and easy Iranian dish great for supper – at the table, or “for the road”. All my non-Iranian friends love this “Persian pancake”, as they call it. Normally it is made mainly with potatoes, and eggs, but I do add one or two other ingredients.

For six relatively hungry people, you would need the following:

• 1 kg regular potatoes;
• 4 eggs;
• 1 small onion;
• 1/2 cup milk;
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley and chives;
• pinch of turmeric; salt, powdered black pepper (desired amount),
• and a lot of cooking oil.

NOTE: Some use baking powder to make koo koo tender. I think it adds an unpleasant taste and elastic feel to it though! Milk and onion (or even onion alone) does a wonderful job making it tender and crunchy. Herbs, however, could easily be skipped without damaging the result. It is just a matter of taste and innovation!Method: Cook potatoes and grate them all, grate onion too. Beat eggs in a separate bowl until foamy, and add them to the potatoes. Add milk, chopped herbs, turmeric, pepper, and salt and beat the new mix for a few more minutes. In a pan, pour a generous amount of oil and let it get really hot, but do not burn it.

Drop two or three sauce spoon of the mix in to the pan in a small circle (see the pic), and fry till golden, then turn and fry the other side. It takes a few minutes for one piece to be ready for removing, and of course you could make several round drips at the time. So, the whole procedure should not take more than 1 hr. (20 min preparation, 40 min cooking). Some pour the whole mixture in the pan and cook it with closed lid, in an “omelette” style. That would sure be easier and less time consuming, but not as tasty – I bet!

Next time I make the other type of koo koo (sabzi) with a mixture of fresh herbs, I will share it here too. That is the one which should be cooked omelette style in a pan or in the oven.