Persian Ash Reshteh (Herb Noodle Soup)
A thick, beloved Persian new-year soup loaded with legumes, fresh herbs, reshteh noodles, and finished with crispy fried onions and kashk (whey). Plan ahead: soak dried beans overnight.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried chickpeas (soaked overnight), drained, rinsed
- 1/2 cup dried kidney beans (soaked overnight), drained, rinsed
- 1/2 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed
- 1/4 cup yellow split peas, rinsed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
- 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 oz reshteh noodles (or linguine, broken in thirds)
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup kashk or sour cream (for topping)
- 2 tsp dried mint
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
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1
Heat half the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add half the 2 large thinly sliced yellow onions and cook, stirring often, for 25-30 minutes until deeply golden and caramelized. Remove and set aside for topping.
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2
Add the remaining olive oil to the pot. Add the remaining yellow onions and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp ground turmeric and cook 1 minute.
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3
Add the 1/2 cup drained, rinsed dried chickpeas (soaked overnight), 1/2 cup drained, rinsed dried kidney beans (soaked overnight), 1/4 cup rinsed yellow split peas, and 8 cups vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook uncovered for 40 minutes.
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4
Add 1/2 cup rinsed green or brown lentils and continue simmering for 20 minutes until all legumes are very tender.
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5
Stir in 4 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach, 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, and 2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (methi). Simmer 5 minutes.
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6
Add 4 oz reshteh noodles (or linguine, broken in thirds) and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. The soup will be very thick; add water if needed. Season with 1.5 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper.
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7
In a small dry pan, briefly toast 2 tsp dried mint over medium heat for 30 seconds.
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8
Ladle the soup into bowls. Drizzle with 1/2 cup kashk or sour cream (for topping), top with the reserved caramelized onions, and a pinch of toasted dried mint.