I’ve had this twice at my local Persian restaurant Tandis, where they call it Herb Soufflé, so was thrilled to find a recipe for it. If anything this version is even better, thanks to the addition of barberries and walnuts to give a bit of sour/sweet and texture. You could substitute all sorts of things e.g. ham, cheese, whatever takes your fancy. Serve as part of a mezze – I had baba ghanoush, spicy hummus, tabbouleh and a fattoush or bread salad, all served with proper Arab khobez, or flat breads. Around here (Queens Crescent market) you can buy great big bushy bundles of dill, mint and flat leaf parsley, although I couldn’t get chives so I added extra spring onions, and the barberries are from local Lebanese shop Phoenicia. The best bit is if you make these quantities you have plenty left over for salad lunches throughout the week!

Serves 6-8
200g flat leaf parsley
200g coriander
40g dill
40g chives
2-3 tbs olive oil
2 bunches of spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp turmeric powder
8 free range eggs
2 tbs plain flour
2 tbs Greek yoghurt
3 tsp baking powder
1 tbs rock salt
a good twist of freshly-ground pepper
3-4 heaped tbs barberries
100 g walnut pieces, chopped small

Method

Preheat over to 180C, or 160C fan.

Put all the herbs in a magimix or similar and chop finely. It might take a couple of goes.

Heat the oil and gently fry herb mixture with spring onions and turmeric for 5 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.

Mix the eggs, flour, yoghurt, turmeric, baking powder and season with salt and pepper. Use a whisk to make sure it is nice and smooth. Once the herb mixture is cool beat in a couple of tbs of the herb mixture at a time. Stir well until it is well combined. Add the barberries and walnuts.

Line a large ovenproof dish with baking parchment and pour in the mixture. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Test with a knife in the centre: it should come out clean when the egg is cooked.

Let it cool then cut into squares and serve.

Fattoush