How to Make Persian Potato Patties | “Kookoo Sibzamini”

My love for potatoes has always been pretty strong. Mashed, scalloped, baked, roasted, and French, I didn’t know that this humble root veggie could get any better – that is, until I married a Persian.

Persians always seem to know how to take things to the next level. From the elaborate, poetic Farsi language (before saying goodbye, my husband will end any run-of-the-mill phone call with ghorbunet, which translates to “I will sacrifice myself for you”), to their dancing, parties, and picnics, Persians certainly know how to kick it up a notch. Food, and specifically the potato, is no exception.

Enter Persian kookoo sibzamini (say that 5 times fast!). It’s basically potato pancakes fried in oil. I didn’t even know it was possible to mash potatoes into patties and fry them! My potato world expanded when my mother-in-law made these for my homeschool kiddos for lunch one day. This was before I met my husband or even knew he existed. Looking back, I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law was strategic in making kookoo as a way to lure me into her family. I can’t prove it for sure, but either way, it worked.

The best way to eat these, according to my husband, is with fresh bread, tomatoes, and yogurt. It is popular for a lunch or a light dinner and is a favorite among children.

• Servings: 2
• Time: 1hr
• Print

A delicious gluten-free, vegetarian dish perfect for a light lunch, a side for dinner, or stuck into sandwiches and lunch boxes the next day

Ingredients

• 2-3 medium potatoes
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp dried dill
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of cooking oil
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Boil potatoes in large pot with skins until fork tender
2. Dump water and allow potatoes to cool, then remove skins
3. Grate potatoes into a large bowl using a cheese grater
4. Add in garlic salt, turmeric, dill, and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed
5. Place potato mixture into the refrigerator for 10-20min to firm up
6. Allow oil to heat in a large skillet
7. Once potatoes are cool, add in the egg and mix with hands or a spatula
8. With your hands, form potatoes into palm size patties and place in the skillet with hot oil
9. When potato patties are golden around the bottom edges, it’s time to flip
10. Remove potato patties from oil with slotted spoon and let cool