Kookoo Ghandi - Sweet Saffron Potato Patties

This dish consists of  fried potatoes and eggs, blended with some sugar and saffron. Usually, I like having my meals and sweets separate and each in its own place. However, there are those sweet but occasional dishes such as the sweet rice, beet and yogurt dip and kookoo ghandi that I like to cook once in a while or for special occasions. However, in general we Iranians like our food more on the sour side, adding dried lemons or lemon juice to our soups and stews and most of the time serve pickled vegetables (torshi) with our meals.

Potato was brought to Iran and its neighboring countries in the late 19th century by a foreign diplomat. The Persian/Farsi name for potato is "Sib-Zamini" sib means apple and zamin means the ground/earth.Therefore the name sib-zamini literally means "ground apple" in our language. Potato is widely used in cooking, it adds flavor and texture to the food but in this case it is a dish in and of itself. For the regular Persian Potato Patties (kookoo Sib-Zamini), see the recipe here.

Kookoo Ghandi - Sweet Saffron Potato Patties

Ingredients:

7 medium size potatoes or 3 cups of cooked and graded potatoes
3 eggs
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1/3 teaspoon powdered saffron dissolved in a tablespoon of hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup oil

Method:

1. Wash, scrub and rinse potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot and pour enough water to cover them plus an extra inch of water. Cook for about 30-40 minutes until the center of the potatoes are well cooked. When an inserted knife comes out clean, drain and set aside to cool.
2. Peel and grind potatoes, add salt, eggs, liquid saffron and sugar. Mix thoroughly. 
3. Set aside for 20 minutes before frying.
4. In a non-stick frying pan heat some oil. When oil is hot take a small scoop of the batter and make it into a round or oval shape, flatten and gently place in hot oil. Fry on both sides.

Serve warm with plain yogurt, sabzi khordan and bread.

Enjoy!