Kuku Piaz (Persian Onion Frittata)
October 13, 2020 | By Nilufar Kayhani | 2 Comments
Whenever my grandmother would visit from Iran, she’d make Kuku Piaz for me and my siblings to eat for lunch. Kuku is the Farsi word for this frittata-like dish. This dish uses less egg than a traditional Italian frittata, making it thinner and with a higher vegetable ratio. The most important aspect of this dish is forming a golden brown crust on both sides of the egg. I was taught to let it get extra dark brown – it adds a great flavor and texture.
Everyone has their own spin on this dish. This is the recipe I’ve developed for myself using inspiration from my family. Though this recipe uses only onions (aka. Piaz in Farsi), I recommend using potatoes or any leftover vegetables in your fridge. I also recommend cooking this in a nonstick pan to achieve a golden crust and to flip easily.
This dish can be served hot or cold – for lunch, breakfast, or even as an appetizer.
Kuku Piaz (Persian Onion Frittata)
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons yogurt, sour cream, or other dairy
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1⁄2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 jalapeño, chopped (optional)
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- In a well-greased pan on medium heat, add your chopped onions. Season well with salt and cook for 8 - 10 minutes until onions are soft and translucent. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl mix your eggs, dairy, and seasoning. For extra heat, add in the jalapeño and cayenne.
Once the onions are done, add them into your egg mixture and mix. - To your pan, add 3 - 4 tbsp. oil so the bottom of the pan is covered in oil. Bring up the heat to medium-low, add in your egg mixture, and close the lid. The oil should bubble up around the sides of the egg mixture. Cook until the eggs pull away from the sides of the pan, the center has mostly stiffened, and you can see a golden-brown crust (about 10 - 15 minutes). Shake your pan every few minutes to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
- Flip the eggs by inverting the pan onto a plate using oven mitts, and then sliding the eggs back into the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes uncovered until a golden brown crust develops on the bottom.*
- Remove from the pan and serve with warm flatbread.
Notes
*To flip the eggs, you may choose to invert your pan on a plate with the help of oven mitts. I personally slide the eggs onto a plate, so the uncooked side is facing up. I then use a second plate to flip the eggs, and slide the eggs back into the pan to finish cooking. I find it easier to flip a plate onto a second plate, rather than flipping a hot pan.
What size/kind of a pan would be ideal for this recipe?
Hi Fiona! I used a 10 inch pan for this recipe to create the thin frittata.
Any size pan would work well, you might need to adjust cooking times! Hope that helps.