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Ash reshteh is the queen of Persian soups. Beans, lentils and chickpeas cook down with a mountain of green herbs, then flat noodles go in to thicken it all. The top is finished with kashk, fried onions, garlic and mint oil.
It is the dish Iranians make for Nowruz and for nazri, the food given away to neighbours on religious occasions.
At a glance: serves eight. About three hours, plus overnight soaking. Medium.
Ingredients
- ½ cup each dried chickpeas, red kidney beans and white beans, soaked overnight
- ½ cup green lentils
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 500g mixed fresh herbs: parsley, coriander, dill and spring onion greens, finely chopped
- 200g spinach, chopped
- 200g reshteh (Persian flat noodles) or linguine
- 1 cup liquid kashk
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbsp dried mint
- Vegetable oil, salt and black pepper
Method
- Simmer the soaked pulses in plenty of water for about an hour. Add the lentils and cook for another 30 minutes.
- Fry one onion with the turmeric until golden and add it to the pot. Add the herbs and spinach and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Break the noodles in half and add them. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until soft, adding water if the ash gets too thick. Season.
- Meanwhile fry the second onion until crisp. Fry the garlic until golden. Warm the dried mint in a little hot oil for a few seconds only.
- Stir a few spoonfuls of kashk into the soup. Ladle into bowls and top with more kashk, onions, garlic and mint oil.
Mint oil burns fast. Take the pan off the heat before adding the mint.
Make a big pot. Ash reshteh freezes well without the toppings.
Where to buy the ingredients. Outside Iran, you can order kashk, reshteh noodles, dried mint and turmeric online.
Serve hot with the toppings on the table for everyone to add their own. Iranians traditionally eat ash reshteh on the last Wednesday before Nowruz, Chaharshanbe Suri.
