You can substitute turmeric for saffron, it's not exact but it can be close.
(just be careful turmeric will stain ANYTHING)
J.

I actually wouldn't use turmeric. It's not used often in Persian cooking. It has a musty taste, more typical of Indian food. Saffron, on the other hand, has a perfumey, floral taste.

Oh, I'm glad you liked it! The onion thing totally makes sense. If it's mild, put it in raw. If not, sauteeing would definitely be good. Scallions would also work nicely.

I'm going to have try this. My DH is Persian and I have lots of saffron, which I hardly use anymore, because most Persian dishes use saffron to flavor rice dishes (alas) or even some Persian deserts.

A tip for those who haven't used saffron before. Saffron comes in threads. I take mine and put a bunch in a coffee grinder (clean well, so it doesn't end up smelling like coffee). Then I store the resulting saffron "powder" in a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Then the "pinch" this recipe calls for, will dissolve a lot better in the water. The water will turn a very bright yellow/reddish color, depending on how much you use. You can also use the saffron water to flavor chicken as you're cooking it. (after browning chicken with onions/garlic, S&P, you just add the saffron water with a small amount of chicken broth or water while it's simmering/cooking through). It really adds a lot of flavor.

Oops. Double post.

I thought I'd mention, Panthea, that I'm still making this. I love it. In the winter I often roast a chicken and then use leftovers in this; now that it's summer I'm buying a lot of rotisserie chickens so that I don't have to turn the oven on. Again, this is how I use the leftovers.

When I first tried it I thought the onion needed to be sauteed, but it was probably just a very strong onion that I had that one time.

Sometimes I add a pinch of pre-mixed "Tagine Spices" (Williams-Sonoma) which contains saffron. It's good that way too.

Anyway, thanks for this and I'm game to try any other recipes you post.

Also want to add my opinion here, this is one of the BEST egg breakfast dishes I've ever had. I've made it 4 times now in te last 2 weeks. I make it without the saffron too. I cant wait to get my hands on some to try it out as the OP listed!

I'm glad you guys like this enough to keep making it! My mom would be proud. I always plan to use leftover roast chicken for this recipe, but between my boyfriend and I--both big eaters--we rarely have leftovers. Hmm... We'll definitely have leftover turkey this Thanksgiving. I'll have to try that.

Omnomnom, when you do try the saffron, make a small batch. I love saffron, but it's just too perfumey for some people.

Bike, I'll have to ask my mom for her Persian Kotlet recipe. Kotlet is a mixture of ground beef (they probably use lamb in Iran), egg, and pureed potatoes that's shaped into small patties and fried. It tastes much different from an Iranian ground beef kabob, if you've ever had that. My mom recently made it with pureed cauliflower and broccoli instead of the potato and it was SO GOOD. I'll post it as a new recipe and then link to it here.

Times two, I jsut wanted to add one more thing to this. I've been making this non stop for breakfasts and snacks. I no longer make the large two serving patties. Instead I make smaller 2-3 bit sized ones. I've done this with just about every meat, as well as canned fish, like tuna and salmon.

As smaller patties I find I can quickly heat a few up in a pan at any time and dip in sour cream for an awesome snack. Here's a pic of my last batch, as yes, I cook the bacon first and fry these babies p in the grease.

Attached Images

yum_cakes.jpg (44.3 KB, 12 views)

I think you could try other seasonings as well. Old Bay seasoning...mrs. dash maybe...

Thank you for the great recipe!

I've actually lived in Iran (as a child) and have this recipe! I made it my first year on Atkins and actually filed it away and forgot about it! Thanks for posting your recipe as mine doesn't have saffron in it. I have some on hand and will try your version soon!

I like to do an Indian egg dish for breakfast also. It always reminds me of this Iranian dish. That recipe is posted on my website.

Oops, I see this is a very old thread. OP may not even be here anymore.

I'm still here--low-carbing but not on the forums often.

Buttoni, that's so interesting! I'll have to check out your site for that recipe.

I recently learned from my mom that making this into small cakes is not traditional! Traditionally the mixture is poured into a frying pan and fried like a frittata until it's cooked through on both sides. I fry it a little longer so it's golden brown, a bit crisp on the outside, and not at all soggy. Then you cut it into wedges and proceed as usual.

I like sour cream and salsa with this, which obviously isn't traditional either.

The leftovers heat up nicely for a quick breakfast or lunch.

Good to see you back Panthea! Got any other traditional recipes to share? This one's a winner.

I don't believe this recipe is on my site, Panthea. I wasn't sure if folks would like such an herb-y dish. I'll see if I can find the one I have and post it here. Haven't made it in years!

Well, I found the recipe, if you can call it a recipe, for Fatimeh's Scrambled Egg Dinner (she was our 65 y.o. maid in Teheran):

Beaten eggs, chopped spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, onion, spices unknown (seriously, I have no idea what spices she put in the eggs, as I was only 10 at the time and not into such things, but possible some fenugreek leaves were included). I have no idea how much of each one, either, but I'd hazard a guess of maybe 2-3 T. of each.

She would put a variety of chopped/ground meat, shrimp, or in them. She only cooked for my brother and I the nights my parents had some dinner function at the U.S. Officer's Club, but it was always a treat, as she was a real good cook.