Ash-e reshteh

Name: Ash-e reshteh
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Persia
Ingredients: 200 g green or brown lentils, rinsed; 200 g canned chickpeas, drained; 200 g canned kidney beans, drained; 200 g spinach, roughly chopped; 100 g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; 100 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped; 4 spring onions sliced; 150 g reshteh noodles or linguine, broken into short lengths; 2 large onions, thinly sliced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi); 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.5 tsp ground black pepper; 1.5 litres vegetable stock or water; 4 tbsp neutral oil; 150 g kashk (Persian fermented whey) or thick sour cream; 2 tbsp dried mint; 2 tbsp butter or oil for frying the mint

Persia's ancient herb-and-noodle soup: thick with lentils, chickpeas, and spinach, finished with kashk, fried onions, and dried mint

Origin: Persia

From the journey of Lentils.

Ash-e reshteh is one of the oldest dishes in continuous production in the world, eaten in Persia for at least three thousand years. Ash means soup or stew in Persian; reshteh means noodle or thread. The dish is cooked for Persian New Year (Nowruz) because the noodles symbolise the threads of fate (eating them is said to help you succeed in whatever you're trying to untangle. It is also cooked when someone is leaving on a journey: eating the noodles will ensure their safe return. The finishing elements) kashk (a fermented whey), fried onions, and dried mint: are as important as the soup itself.

Ingredients

Legumes

200 g green or brown lentils, rinsed
200 g canned chickpeas, drained
200 g canned kidney beans, drained

Greens

200 g spinach, roughly chopped
100 g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
100 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
4 spring onions sliced

Noodles

150 g reshteh noodles or linguine, broken into short lengths

Topping

2 large onions, thinly sliced
150 g kashk (Persian fermented whey) or thick sour cream
2 tbsp dried mint
2 tbsp butter or oil for frying the mint

Base

4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 litres vegetable stock or water

Spices

3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.5 tsp ground black pepper

For cooking

4 tbsp neutral oil

Method

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute, then add the turmeric, cinnamon, and pepper. Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, spinach, parsley, coriander, spring onions, and dried fenugreek. Simmer for a further 20 minutes until the soup is thick and fragrant.
Add the noodles and cook for 10–12 minutes until soft. Season well with salt.
While the soup simmers, fry the onions in the remaining 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat for 20–25 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
In a small pan, melt the butter and fry the dried mint for 30 seconds until fragrant and sizzling. Remove from heat immediately.
Ladle the soup into deep bowls. Spoon kashk over each bowl, scatter with crispy fried onions, and drizzle with the mint butter. Serve immediately.

Notes

Kashk is the key ingredient that cannot easily be replaced (a thick, tangy, fermented dairy product that is the ancestral cousin of yoghurt. It is available in Iranian grocery shops and increasingly online. The dish is thicker and more intensely flavoured than any Western soup; it is properly a 'ash') a category of Persian thick, hearty soups that are their own food category.

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control