4 great places to get the Persian herb frittata dish kuku in and around L.A.
Is there such a thing as a classic kuku sabzi? The Persian frittata — sabzi means herbs — is typically made with bunches of finely minced dill, parsley, cilantro and beaten eggs as a binder. But it has its variants. Tareh, which resembles the ends of scallions, often finds its way into the mix, as do sautéed leeks. Some chefs throw in a bit of shanbalileh, or fenugreek. Others chopped lettuce leaves. Sometimes it comes in green pie-shaped wedges, sometimes small squares the size of a cafeteria brownie. Kuku sabzi can be decorated with walnut halves or barberries, but it’s also served unadorned.
For all of its dizzyingly subtle permutations, there’s one thing everyone agrees upon, which is that kuku sabzi — which is also spelled koo-koo or sabzy — represents fertility (eggs) and should be so filled with fresh herbs that it tastes like a big bite of spring. In Iranian households, it’s one of the dishes traditionally offered on the Persian New Year. But in Los Angeles, it’s available year-round. Here are four favorite places, each just a few steps from a produce section or Persian market so you can buy ingredients and start working on your own modification.
Attari Sandwich Shop
The kuku sabzi at this Westwood Boulevard institution distinguishes itself with its zero-gravity fluffiness. It’s sold in slices or tucked inside a toasted French roll along with pickle chips, shredded lettuce, slivers of tomato and shreds of raw parsley to brighten the flavor. Grab a bottle of minty doogh (fizzy yogurt drink) from the cooler, sit near the burbling fountain, and with your kuku hoagie and Persian pop music thumping over the sound system, you’ve got a perfect lunch. 1388 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 441-5488, atarisandwiches.info
Elat Kosher Market
This sprawling market is famous for its cart-crashing clientele and the 2,000 pounds of Persian-style cucumbers it reportedly sells every day. But in the northeast corner is chef Tony Tashakovi’s tiny open kitchen, where he turns out an array of stews, rice dishes and vegetables. His kookoo sabzi is dense, juicy, sold in small rectangles and, judging from his beautiful Instagram feed, sometimes stuffed into bell peppers. It’s anyone’s guess what’s in it. “My recipes are secret,” he says. 8730 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 659-7070, elatkoshermarket.com
LaZiz Grill
There are sidewalk tables available for dining, but LaZiz Grill is really more of a deli counter, located inside Super Sun market on Westwood Boulevard. On the takeout menu are grilled-to-order kebabs and homey Persian stews such as gheyme bedemjan. LaZiz’s kookoo sabzi has its very own spin, incorporating chopped mint leaves instead of dill, giving it a cool aftertaste. It also contains tareh, which can be purchased in small bundles in the produce section. 1922 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 474-2436, www.laziz-grill.com
Wholesome Choice Market
The kuku sabzi at this supermarket and food court contains fresh spinach instead of dill, is the vibrating color of plastic Easter basket grass and is sold in big slabs. It’s the base of a dish called koo-koo zereshk, which is sort of like a savory jelly roll made of kuku sabzi, yogurt, walnuts and barberries. An outpost of Wholesome Choice in Irvine is 405-close and there’s another in Anaheim as well. If you can’t wait to get home, there’s a dining area. For the mince-phobic, bags of dried mixed herbs are sold in an aisle adjacent to the food court. You should also probably pick up some of the Persian flatbread known as sangak, still warm from the oven and made to order near the front doors. 5755 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, (714) 779-7000; 18040 Culver Drive, Irvine, (949) 551-4111, www.wholesomechoice.com
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