🇮🇷 Iran

Ash reshtehPersian noodle soup

Name: Ash reshteh (Persian noodle soup)
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Iran
Ingredients: 80 g (1/2 cup) dried chickpeas (nokhod), soaked overnight; 80 g (1/2 cup) dried red kidney beans or pinto beans (lubia chiti), soaked overnight, in a separate bowl; 100 g (1/2 cup) brown or green lentils (adas), rinsed; 4 onions, 1 chopped for the soup, 3 thinly sliced for the topping; 150 ml (2/3 cup) vegetable oil, divided; 2 tsp ground turmeric, divided; 2.5–3 L (2 1/2–3 qt) water or light stock; 1 large bunch (about 150 g) (1 large bunch (about 5 oz)) parsley, leaves and thin stems, coarsely chopped; 1 large bunch (about 150 g) (1 large bunch (about 5 oz)) coriander (cilantro), coarsely chopped; 1 bunch (about 100 g) (1 bunch (about 3.5 oz)) Persian leek (tareh), or chives or the green tops of spring onions, chopped; 1 small bunch (about 30 g) (1 small bunch (about 1 oz)) dill, chopped; 250 g (9 oz) spinach, chopped; 150 g (5 oz) reshteh (Persian salted flat noodles), broken in half; or linguine, plus extra salt; 2 tbsp plain flour (optional), whisked with 120 ml / 1/2 cup water; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, for the topping; 3 tbsp dried mint, for the topping; 200 g (3/4 cup) liquid kashk (fermented whey), thinned with a little warm water; see notes for substitutes; salt and black pepper, to taste

Thick Persian soup of beans, lentils, a large quantity of herbs and reshteh (flat wheat noodles), finished with kashk (fermented whey) and fried onion, garlic and mint.

Origin and history

Ash, the family of thick Persian soups, gave Persian its word for a cook (ashpaz, 'ash-maker'), and ash reshteh is its most familiar member. Thick with herbs, pulses and reshteh noodles, it is traditionally served at Nowruz, the Persian New Year, when the noodles are read as the paths of life and the good fortune of the year ahead. It is also cooked in large pots as nazri, a votive offering shared out in Ramadan and Muharram.

Make it at home

Makes: 6 servings
Total time: 3 h
Hands-on: 45 min

Ingredients

Metric US

80 g1/2 cup dried chickpeas (nokhod), soaked overnight
80 g1/2 cup dried red kidney beans or pinto beans (lubia chiti), soaked overnight, in a separate bowl
100 g1/2 cup brown or green lentils (adas), rinsed
4 onions, 1 chopped for the soup, 3 thinly sliced for the topping
150 ml2/3 cup vegetable oil, divided
2 tsp ground turmeric, divided
2.5–3 L2 1/2–3 qt water or light stock
1 large bunch (about 150 g)1 large bunch (about 5 oz) parsley, leaves and thin stems, coarsely chopped
1 large bunch (about 150 g)1 large bunch (about 5 oz) coriander (cilantro), coarsely chopped
1 bunch (about 100 g)1 bunch (about 3.5 oz) Persian leek (tareh), or chives or the green tops of spring onions, chopped
1 small bunch (about 30 g)1 small bunch (about 1 oz) dill, chopped
250 g9 oz spinach, chopped
150 g5 oz reshteh (Persian salted flat noodles), broken in half; or linguine, plus extra salt
2 tbsp plain flour (optional), whisked with 120 ml / 1/2 cup water
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced, for the topping
3 tbsp dried mint, for the topping
200 g3/4 cup liquid kashk (fermented whey), thinned with a little warm water; see notes for substitutes
salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Drain the soaked chickpeas and beans, cover them with fresh water in a pot, bring to the boil, skim, and simmer partly covered for about 1 hour, until a bean crushes easily between your fingers.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot, fry the chopped onion in 3 tbsp of the oil until golden, then stir in 1 tsp turmeric for a few seconds.
3. Add the lentils and the water or stock to the large pot, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add all the chopped herbs and the spinach, then the drained chickpeas and beans, and simmer partly covered for about 45 minutes, stirring now and then; do not cover fully or the greens will darken.
5. While it simmers, fry the sliced onions slowly in most of the remaining oil until deep golden and crisp (piaz dagh); lift them out, then fry the garlic in the same oil until pale gold (sir dagh) and set aside.
6. For the mint oil (na'na dagh), warm 3 tbsp oil over low heat, stir in the remaining turmeric, add the dried mint and take the pan off the heat after about 10 seconds, before it burns.
7. If you want a thicker ash, stir the flour-and-water mixture into the pot and simmer 5 minutes.
8. Add the noodles a handful at a time, stirring so they do not clump, and simmer for 12–15 minutes until soft; season with salt and pepper, remembering the kashk is salty.
9. Stir in half the fried onions and a spoonful of the mint oil, and a few spoons of kashk if you like. Do not let the soup boil after the kashk goes in, or it may curdle.
10. Rest the ash off the heat for 20–30 minutes; it should still be loose enough to pour, as it thickens on standing.
11. Serve in a wide bowl, drizzled with kashk and topped with the rest of the fried onion, the garlic and the mint oil.

Notes

Total time: 3 h, plus overnight soaking.
Kashk is the defining finish. It is sold in jars in Iranian shops; dried kashk balls are soaked and rubbed into a paste. If unavailable, use thick plain yogurt beaten with a little crumbled feta, or sour cream with a squeeze of lemon: the soup is milder and less savoury.
Commercial liquid kashk can be added straight; homemade or dried kashk should be boiled separately for a few minutes first.
Reshteh are salted, so add salt at the end. Linguine is the usual substitute, but it holds its shape more and gives less body.
The herb mix varies by household and region; the constants are a lot of parsley, coriander and leek greens with spinach. Some cooks add beet greens or fenugreek.
Many cooks make the ash vegetarian, as here; others cook a little lamb or beef in the broth. A spoon of flour, as in step 7, is a common household trick for a thicker, smoother body.
Ash reshteh is eaten as a meal on its own. It keeps 3 days in the refrigerator without the toppings; add water when reheating.

Adapted from Manuela Darling-Gansser, Pardiz (Hardie Grant), via SBS Food: New Year good luck soup (aash-e reshteh) and Eghtesad Online: How to make homemade ash reshteh the nazri way.