Ash Reshteh
A hearty Persian noodle soup made with fresh herbs, beans, lentils, and reshteh noodles, finished with a sweet-tart drizzle of pomegranate molasses instead of kashk. Comforting, nourishing, and full of bright, savory flavor.
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil divided into 2 tbsp, 4 tbsp and 2 tbsp again
- 2 large yellow onions halved and thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- ½ cup brown lentils rinsed
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 6 cups water
- 1 20.5 oz can of kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 20.5 oz can of garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 16 oz spinach roughly chopped
- 1 bunch parsley hard stems removed, finely chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- 1 bunch dill finely chopped
- 4 oz reshteh noodles or linguini, broken into thirds
- 1 tbsp dried ground mint
- pomegranate molasses to serve, optional
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a third of the sliced onions and all of the garlic, then season with salt. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and have browned in some parts.
- Add the rinsed lentils and turmeric and stir to coat.
- Pour in 6 cups of water and season soup with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over high, then reduce heat to medium-low. Let the ash simmer for 20 minutes, or possibly longer. When bits of foam appears on the surface, skim off and discard. (You can also use this time to prep the spinach and herbs.)
- While the ash is cooking, it’s time to fry the onions Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and add the rest of the sliced onions, stirring constantly, for about 20 to 25 minutes. You want them to be golden brown and slightly crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt.
- Once the lentils are mostly cooked through, add the drained beans, spinach and herbs to the pot. Cook another 30 minutes until greens have fully wilted and beans are creamy. Season to taste and add extra water if the soup has become too thick.
- Using the onion skillet, add the last 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Bloom the dried mint for about a minute, then set aside.
- Upon serving, bring a well-salted pot of water to a boil and cook the reshteh according to package instructions.
- To serve, ladle a serving of soup into a bowl. Top with fried onions and mint oil. I enjoy a drizzle of pomegranate molasses for tartness. But that's totally optional.