Although my preparation style and flavors beautifully parallel the traditional Ash Reshteh, I have in specific ways, modernized this soup a bit, creating a quasi-Persian Noodle Soup that tastes even better than the authentic one I relish in my favorite Irani restaurants. The unique Persian ingredients in this soup are reshteh, Persian soup noodles, and kashk, a yogurt-like topping. I decided to use what I had available, namely linguine, to replace reshteh and sour cream whipped in a couple of ladles of the simmering soup broth to create kashk. And I must say both substitutions worked like a charm.
Ever since Sameen and Farheen moved away for university almost three years ago, I tend to cook in large batches for myself and store in containers, so whatever I cook must be fabulous and get tastier as it sits in the fridge, knowing I will be reheating and eating it for the next several days, possibly weeks, depending on how busy my work schedule is. It is also true that I only know how to cook in large amounts and for large gatherings! This Ash Reshteh soup lasted me more than a week, and I packed and delivered some to SamFar during their exam week as well! I gulped it down to the last drop and increasingly enjoyed it by the day (heat some water, add spoonfuls of the thickened Ash Reshteh, and simmer on the stove to desired consistency). When I came home one evening and realized that my Ash Reshteh was all gone, I am sure I shed a tear or two-it was that addictive, soul-soothing, nourishing, and delicious. Another large pot will be in the making real soon!
Ash Reshteh (Persian Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
Beans
- 29 oz chickpeas *all canned beans drained and rinsed well
- 15 oz navy beans
- 15 oz kidney beans
Herbs
- 1 bunch cilantro *all herbs rinsed, stemmed and chopped
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch dill
- 1 bunch chives
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 bunch mint leaves
Spices
- 1½ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp turmeric
Other Ingredients
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion *Vidalia onions for sweetness, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic *finely minced
- 2.5 quarts vegetable stock
- 16 oz fresh spinach leaves *roughly chopped
- 8 oz linguine *fresh, if possible, strands cut in half
- 1 cup sour cream *whisked in ladle of simmering soup liquid
For Topping
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion *thinly sliced
- 1 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves *hand crushed to release flavors
- ¼ tsp dried mint leaves *hand crushed to release flavors
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven pot on medium heat. Once oil is hot, add chopped onions and sauté onions for 10 minutes until light golden. Add pinch of salt and minced garlic, mix well and continue to cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Once garlic is golden and aromatic, turn heat to medium low and add chopped spinach and all chopped herbs (cilantro, dill, parsley, mint, chives and scallions). Mix to combine, add Kosher salt, black pepper and turmeric. Mix well. Add vegetable stock, stir, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Now add all rinsed, drained beans and stir to combine. Bring to boil again and then let soup simmer on low heat for one hour, pot partly covered with lid. *Note, as soup thickens, you can add more vegetable stock, as needed, to maintain desired consistency.
- In a glass mixing bowl, add sour cream and one ladle of hot soup and whisk until creamy and smooth. Add half of mixture to simmering soup, stir well to combine and add cut linguine (you can add a splash of vegetable stock here, as needed). Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for a final 15 minutes. Set aside remaining half of whisked sour cream + soup broth mixture (keshk) to use as topping when serving.
For Fried Onion Topping
- While soup is simmering, prepare fried onion topping. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add sliced onions + a pinch of sea salt and fry on medium heat until golden brown (8-10 minutes), mixing as needed. Turn heat to medium low and add crushed dried mint + fenugreek leaves. Stir to combine and sauté for 1-2 minutes until aromatic. Add fried onions topping to simmering soup, gently stir to combine, reserving some of the fried onions mixture to garnish.
- Piping hot, creamy, smooth, chunky and chewy Ash Reshteh soup is now ready to serve. Garnish with some chives and a spoon of the reserved fried onion mixture + sour cream keshk and enjoy! Nosh Farma'aiye.