Ash-e Reshteh (Persian Noodle Soup)

  • Total time (without soaking beans) - 2 hours 30 minutes
  • Active preparation - 45 minutes
  • Cooking time - 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Servings: 8
  • Country: Iran
A rich, thick herb and noodle soup Ash-e Reshteh, garnished with kashk, fried onion, and mint oil.

Ash-e Reshteh is a symbolic soup in Iran, traditionally cooked for the New Year (Nowruz) or when someone travels. The noodles (reshteh) symbolize good fortune for the path ahead. It is a very thick soup, considered a meal (āsh) in Persia rather than a soup in the European sense.

Kashk is a fermented yogurt or whey that gives the soup its characteristic tartness. If you don't have kashk, you can use thick sour cream or Greek yogurt diluted with water, though the taste will not be completely authentic.

Ingredients

For the Soup

  • 0.5 cups chickpeas (dried), soaked overnight and drained
  • 0.5 cups red kidney beans (dried), soaked overnight and drained
  • 0.5 cups lentils (green/brown)
  • 10 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 1.5 cups fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro/coriander, finely chopped
  • 0.5 cups fresh dill, finely chopped
  • 0.5 cups green part of chives or leek, finely chopped
  • 2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 120 g Reshteh noodles (or flat linguine/fettuccine), broken
  • 1 to taste salt and black pepper

For the Base and Garnish

  • 3 large pieces onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tbsp dried mint
  • 1 cup kashk (fermented yogurt) or sour cream/Greek yogurt, diluted
  • 0.5 cups vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Step 1: Preparing Beans and Onions

Rinse the chickpeas and beans (which have been soaked overnight) and place them in a large pot with 5 cups of water. Cook until almost soft, about 1 hour. Drain the water and set aside.

In a large stockpot, heat 1/4 cup of oil. Add the thinly sliced onions (2 large pieces) and fry over medium heat until deeply golden brown and crispy. This takes about 20 minutes. Set half of the fried onion aside for garnish (piyaz dāgh).

Step 2: Preparing the Soup Base

Add garlic and turmeric to the remaining onion in the pot. Fry for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the cooked beans and chickpeas, lentils, 10 cups of water/broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for about 45 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.

Step 3: Herbs and Noodles

Add all the finely chopped fresh herbs and spinach. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The soup should be very thick. If it's too thick, add a little water/broth.

Break the reshteh noodles (or linguine/fettuccine) into 2-3 pieces and add them to the soup. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the noodles are al dente.

Step 4: Finishing and Serving

Prepare the mint topping (na'na dāgh): Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a small pan. Add the dried mint and fry for only about 30 seconds until the mint dissolves in the oil and turns dark green. Be careful not to burn the mint!

Stir about 1/2 cup of kashk (or diluted sour cream) into the soup. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot, in bowls, garnished with kashk, fried onion, garlic, and mint oil.