This recipe contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, LiT may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, LiT earns from qualifying purchases. See our affiliate disclosure.
Ash sholeh ghalamkar is the heavyweight of the ash family. Lamb, rice, three kinds of beans, lentils, mung beans and herbs are cooked together for hours, then beaten until the soup turns thick and almost smooth.
It comes from Isfahan and is a classic nazri dish, cooked in giant pots and handed out to neighbours. Scaled down, it is a wonderful winter weekend project.
At a glance: serves eight. About four hours, plus overnight soaking. Medium.
Ingredients
- 500g lamb on the bone, or lamb shank
- ½ cup each chickpeas, kidney beans and white beans, soaked overnight
- ½ cup green lentils
- ½ cup mung beans
- ½ cup rice
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 400g mixed fresh herbs: parsley, coriander, dill and spring onion greens, chopped
- Fried onion, mint oil and kashk, to serve
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Simmer the lamb with half an onion and the turmeric in plenty of water for about two hours until very tender. Lift out, remove the bones and shred the meat. Keep the broth.
- Cook the soaked pulses in the lamb broth for an hour. Add the lentils, mung beans and rice and cook for another 45 minutes.
- Add the herbs and shredded lamb and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often and beating the soup with a wooden spoon to thicken it.
- Season, then serve topped with fried onions, mint oil and a drizzle of kashk.
Stir and beat. The name comes from the long stirring that turns the soup thick and stretchy. Do not skimp.
Meat-free. Leave out the lamb and use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.
Where to buy the ingredients. Outside Iran, you can order kashk and turmeric online.
Serve hot with the toppings. In Isfahan it is closely linked with Muharram, when families cook it in large quantities as nazri.
