Recipes
Ilya Mammadova's delicious "Kuku" recipe
05 December 2023
Don’t look at the funny name of this dish and perhaps not so “charming” appearance. It would seem that what interesting can come out of chopped herbs mixed with beaten eggs? Simple omelet? No, it’s impossible to call this dish an omelet. Rather, it’s an airy egg-green casserole that melts in your mouth and conveys the whole bouquet of flavors of the various types of herbs included in its composition!
Azerbaijan is a country with a huge variety of tasty and healthy herbs, from which it would be a sin not to come up with a completely independent dish, like “Kyukyu”. Sometimes chopped nuts or smoked fish Kutum are added to the main ingredients (herbs and eggs).
Today we will prepare “Kyukyu” based on eggs and herbs. For one round “green meadow” we will need:
- 4 eggs
- 4 bunches fresh herbs (don't stick to specific types; use the one that works best for you. I use onion, spinach, cilantro and dill)
- 50 grams of butter + 20 ml of vegetable oil
- Salt, pepper
1. First of all, you need to rinse the herbs thoroughly: soak them for several hours in cold water so that all the dirt comes off, and to be sure rinse them in several waters. Then shred the herbs.
2. In the same bowl, beat eggs with salt and pepper.
3. Add shredded herbs. Mix it.
Note: Housewives can’t help but like this dish, because few utensils are used (read as “getting dirty”) for its preparation. For example, we washed the herbs in HOMME bowl, and then beat the eggs in the same place. The bowl, thanks to its design, can also be served as a salad bowl. White unbreakable enamel with a bamboo interior lining will ideally complement any modern set and add more coziness to the set table.
1. Heat the pan, add oil.
Note: If you like omelets with an appetizing and tender crust, I highly recommend preparing similar dishes in a cast iron frying pan. In general, everything tastes better in a cast iron pan! It’s not for nothing that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers cooked everything exclusively using them. My frying pan is also from HOMME. Its main advantages are the ideal diameter (it is not too large and not too small in size) and the presence of a wooden handle that does not heat up in use, thereby minimizing the risk of burns.
5. Distribute the mixture in an even layer over the entire area of the frying pan, cover with a lid and cook the kyukyu over medium heat, forgetting about it for about 10 minutes.
During this time, you will have time to set the table.
This is how my serving looked like BEFORE and AFTER.
As you can see, in here I used dishes from completely different collections from HOMME. Always be creative in the serving process and don't be afraid to experiment!
What I used:
✓ Wooden design coaster plates that add great warmth to serving;
✓ The main plates are white in the shape of an open flower.
✓ The absence of sides and flat shape give them a special charm, thanks to which they look great both without food and with food on them.
✓ Small yellow bowls, also in a flower arrangement. The variegated yellow suited perfectly and complemented the calm white color of the main plates.
✓ Stylish woven napkin rings in neutral colors;
Glass candle holders in the shape of a lotus, which can be used both for flat round candles and tall long ones.
✓ Salt and pepper shakers in the shape of Brussels sprouts. Where there is yellow and white, there is always a place for green!
While we were setting the table, one side of the kyukyu had already fried. We divide the kyukyu into 4 equal parts and carefully turn it over with a spatula. Let the second side set/fry in the same way. During this time, you can quickly cut the salad for kyukyu.
Now the dish is ready to be served!
Enjoy your meal!
Ilya Mamedova.