December 21, 2008

Ash Reshteh - Persian Bean and Noodle Thick Soup


Persian Bean and Noodle Soup

آش رشته - Ash reshteh is a delicious thick soup made with chickpeas, beans, noodles and lots of fresh herbs. Ash reshteh is probably the most famous ash (soup) recipe from Iran. This hearty soup can be enjoyed all year round and is a perfect soup for a cold winter day. My mother used to make ash reshteh all the time and it's a favorite of mine as well.



Ash Reshteh - Bean and Noodle Thick Soup

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight, drain
1 cup red kidney beans, soaked overnight, drain
1 cup lentils
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 bunch spinach, fresh, chopped
1 bunch scallion or chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
6 ounces dried noodles for ash, you may find reshteh (noodles) in Persian/Iranian grocery stores.
Water

For Garnish:

1 large onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons dried mint
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Vegetable oil or olive oil
1 cup kashk (liquid whey)
2 teaspoons liquid saffron *optional

Method:
  1. Place the chickpeas and kidney beans in a large pot, add 8 cups of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until beans are tender. 
  2. Add the lentils, and cook for another 20 minutes.
  3. Add the chopped vegetables. Stir well, cover and cook for another 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat.
  4. Add the noodles, salt and pepper, cook for 25-30 minutes. Add more water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  5. In a medium pan, heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and cook until golden.
  6.  Add the garlic and saute for another 3-5 minutes.
  7.  Add the turmeric powder, and stir well.
  8. Add the dried mint and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Pour the soup into a large serving bowl, top with fried onion, garlic and mint mixture, drizzle with liquid saffron, and a generous amount of liquid kashk. Serve hot with warm bread and extra kashk on the side.

Enjoy!

50 comments:

  1. What if I have already cooked kidney beans and chickpeas? do I skip step 1? and go to step 2 with the kidney beans + chickpeas +water + parsley + scallions + cilantro all in the pot for 30 minutes?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shy, this sounds wonderful to me. Quick and easy Ash Reshteh recipe!:)
    Enjoy,
    Azita

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will try it this week and let you know how it goes. So excited! My husband and I love Ash Reshteh!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Since I have already cooked my beans and frozen them do I still use 8 cups water or do i reduce the water amount?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shy, add enough water to cover all the beans by 1 inch. You may need to add a bit more water if you're using dried noodles (reshteh).

    ReplyDelete
  6. Do you have a suggestion as to a substitute for the kashk? Sadly I do not have access to a persian grocery store. Love your recipes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You can substitute kashk with thick yogurt or sour cream. Thanks!

      Delete
    2. If you don't have kashk you can even use fresh lemon juice. It also taste good.

      Delete
    3. Yes, but it should also mention that the beans are white kidney shape beans. Thank you

      Delete
    4. The answer is yes, if you have cooked the beans or you have them in can, skip No 1.

      Delete
    5. Nowadays, you can find non-dairy noodle Sadaf brand in some groceries. So, if you don't add kashk, it will consider a vegetarian or vegan thick soup for veggie lovers.

      Delete
  7. Thanks so much for posting your lovely recipes! Do the beans need to be soaked before cooking?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing recipe Azita jan. This is absolutely delicious. I never thought I'd be making this in college, but the directions are easy and the smell is lingering in the building making other college students jealous. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love this osh, one of my favourites and a great recipe, i bet the cilantro (coriander) brings out the sabzi flavours beautifully.
    The only thing i would do different (and this is a personal thing) is not use so much cir. 5 cloves is way too much for me.
    But i know some people that would eat raw garlic with this on the side, so each to their own.

    ps.Your blog is awesome by the way. Beautiful photographs and wonderful recipes :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I was so excited to make this and everything was going great, but it was didn't turn out. You don't mention how much noodles you should use, so I had used 1lb of dried pasta and it turned into a starchy glob. I tried thinning it with water, but then the flavor was diluted. How much noodles do you use? Thank you in advance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristen, I'm sorry to hear the recipe didn't work out for you. I have made the necessary changes. For this recipe you'll need about 6 ounces of (Persian reshteh)dried flat noodles.

      Delete
  11. Azita, I made this last night. I grew up w/my aunts making this ash all the time but haven't really been able to have persian food in about 10 years. Finally, last night, when I tried a spoon of it right before it was done, it was like I went back in time.
    I was sitting on the floor in my ameh's living room with all of my cousins around me, trying not to spill the soup on myself while I balanced the tahdigh in my other hand, guarding it from older kids.
    Your recipe took me right back to my family, and I can't thank you enough. It was delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tarane jan, thank you very much for your kind words and I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

      Delete
  12. i have a question, i don't have any persian reshteh...can i use any kind of flat noodle as a substitute? thank you so much for this recipe!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Azita, For the red kidney beans and chickpeas, is it one cup after soaking or 1 cup dry? It could make a big difference. Love your site :)

      Thanks,
      Negin

      Delete
    2. Negin jan, 1 cup of dried beans and 1 cup of dried chickpeas. Thank you!

      Delete
  13. Finally found a great Persian cuisine website. I found you through Instagram and it has been a blessing! Love what you do and how you do it! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Salam Azita khanoom!

    I want to use dried herbs in my Ash (it's a herb mix from the Persian grocery store). Does it have to be soaked or fried before adding it to the Ash and when do I add it and how much of it for your recipe?

    Thank you very much in advance! Maryam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Salam, you can use one ounce to two ounces of dried herbs. Just soak the herbs in water for about 10 minutes, drain and follow the recipe.

      Delete
  15. Salam, Azita!
    I recently found your blog - it's so aesthetic and appetizing!
    I made Ash Reshteh today and got a lot of compliments from my guests!
    Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

    Sincerely,
    Beata

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello. I had this soup for the first time in my life last week in NYC at a restaurant called TOP, I cant wait to try it at home. Do you think I could use a crock pot?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Can you please specify which types of lentils you have used in this receipe? Many thanks

    ReplyDelete
  18. You plated the soup so beautifully, can you please specify the white liquid that you topped the soup with in the picture

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! The white liquid is kashk (liquid whey) which can be found in most Persian markets.

      Delete
  19. I thing it's better without cilantro

    ReplyDelete
  20. I make the recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi... his vegetable and legume recipe is fantastic, I can't wait to try yours as well!! The two Recipes are similar, but the mint sounds intriguing...

    ReplyDelete
  21. I tried this recipe and thought it was quite nice....but it wasn't until the next day that the flavours came out more and now I can't get enough! I couldn't find the khask so used plain greek yogurt (quite delicious).

    Thank you for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Made your Ashe-Reshteh recipe yesterday & I must say it was FANTASTIC. We had some before I even had time to make the topping for it. Added a teaspoon of light sour cream to every bowl, as allergic to whey. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us all. This is a keeper in my recipe box.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ferryal, I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.:)

      Delete
  23. Could i use canned beans and lentils?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hi , would love to try out this recipe . Tried it at a Iranian restaurant and fell in love with it !
    Can you please tell me which lentils to use ?
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Azita, I have seen several recipes for ash reshteh. Many recipes suggest using lamb or chicken stock, what do you think, is it necessary or not? Thank you,
    Leila

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leila jan, you can use lamb or chicken stock in addition to water if you like, but it's not necessary.

      Delete
  26. Hi, Azita, I'm thinking I can also do this in a pressure cooker to get the beans cooking more quickly. What do you think? Ivy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ivy. Yes, you can cook the beans in a pressure cooker and then add the herbs and noodles and cook the ash reshteh for an additional 20 minutes in order for all the flavors to come together.

      Delete