Ash Reshteh (Persian Herb Noodle Soup) - Middle Eastern Recipe

Ash Reshteh (Persian Herb Noodle Soup)

🌍 Middle Eastern, Iran Difficulty: ●●●○○

Ash reshteh is traditionally eaten on Nowruz (Persian New Year) and before the start of a major journey; the noodles symbolize the threads of fate.

Ingredients

• 200 g reshteh noodles (or linguine broken into thirds)
• 200 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 200 g dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
• 100 g green or brown lentils
• 400 g mixed fresh herbs: spinach, parsley, dill, chives, fenugreek leaves
• 2 large onions (1 for soup, 1 sliced thin for crispy topping)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 100 ml kashk (whey) or sour cream for topping
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• Dried mint and crispy onion for garnish
• Salt

Method

1. Boiling — Boil soaked chickpeas and kidney beans in plenty of water for 1 hour; add lentils and cook 30 minutes more until all are tender. Drain, reserving liquid.
2. Frying — Fry diced onion and garlic in 2 tbsp oil until golden; add turmeric and pepper.
3. Adding — Add cooked legumes to onion base; pour in 1.5 litres water (including reserved legume liquid).
4. Adding — Add chopped herbs; simmer 20 minutes.
5. Adding — Add noodles; cook until tender, about 10–12 minutes.
6. Meanwhiling — Meanwhile, fry sliced onion in remaining oil until very crisp and dark golden.
7. Ladling — Ladle soup into bowls; top with kashk, crispy onion, and dried mint.

Tags: reshteh noodles, dried chickpeas, dried kidney beans, green or brown lentils, mixed fresh herbs: spinach · Source: Brittani's Almanac