Persian Noodle Soup Recipes

ASH RESHTEH (PERSIAN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large cooking pot (5 to 6 quart) and sauté onions over medium heat until golden brown, which may take about 20 to 25 minutes. Add grated garlic after 10 minutes of sautéing the onions. Tip: Make sure to use a mandolin slicer for thin onion slices.
• Turn off the heat and stir in turmeric. Do not let it burn.
• Set aside one third of the onion and oil mixture. Mix the dried mint into it while still hot and save it for garnish.
• Add the beans (chickpeas, kidney and navy), water or stock, black pepper and salt to the cooking pot and bring it to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes or more until the beans are very soft. Then add lentils and cook another 15 minutes.
• Next add all the herbs and greens. Stir and let it simmer for about 30 to 45 minutes until it reaches a soft, mushy and thick soup consistency. Add more water or stock as needed.
• In a small bowl combine few tablespoons of soup and flour, making sure there are no lumps. Stir this back into the simmering soup.Tip: Alternatively you could blend a very small portion of the soup and add it back to give it a creamy consistency.
• Add the reshteh or linguini noodles and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until the noodles are all but done (al dente). Stir lemon juice into the soup as per taste.
• Adjust the consistency, salt, lemon juice and other seasonings to taste. Stir some of the kashk or sour cream and the caramelized onion-mint oil mixture into the soup, saving most of it for garnish.
• Ladle the Persian noodle soup into bowls and top with dollops of kashk or sour cream and the onion-mint oil mixture.
• You may serve some additional lemon slices/vinegar/kashk or sour cream on the side.

PERSIAN NOODLE AND BEAN SOUP-- AASH-E RESHTEH

Steps:

• Combine dried beans and grains in a large bowl, add water to cover, and let soak for 8 hours.
• Wash greens and herbs well. The best way to do this is to soak in cool water and swish leaves around. Let sit for a couple minutes and lift out into a colander and rinse with water. Repeat a couple more times to remove any dirt. Allow to dry well. Chop all in batches in food processor and set aside.
• After 8 hours, pour off water from beans and grains. Transfer beans and grains to a large pot and add water to cover by two inches. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, skim off all the foam possible. Once the beans begin to soften, add garlic and ginger. Season with a couple teaspoons of salt. Once the beans are halfway cooked, add green and herbs. Season with pepper. Prepare onions.
• Cut onions in half once lengthwise and once crosswise to form quarters. Thinly slice into short slivers. Heat oil in a large skillet and fry onions until golden. Strain onions to remove excess oil. Set aside a couple tablespoons for serving. Add remaining onion to pot with beans and greens. If liquid in the pot is running low, add boiling water to keep the mixture loose. Ideally, the water will be two inches higher than the beans in the pot. Simmer beans and greens mixture for 20 minutes. Add noddles to pot and simmer 30 minutes until all ingredients are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add boiling water if mixture is too thick. The soup should be rather thick, but it should remain pourable.
• To serve, top with whey or sour cream, fresh or dried mint fried in olive oil, minced garlic fried in olive oil (do not let it gain color or it will be bitter), and fried onions.

ASH-E RESHTEH (PERSIAN LEGUME SOUP)

Steps:

• Place the chickpeas and kidney beans into a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let stand 8 hours to overnight.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; stir in red onion. Cook and stir until onion has turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low; continue cooking and stirring until onion is tender and golden brown, about 40 minutes more. Stir in dried mint; cook until onions become dark brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Set aside for garnish.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a stock pot; stir in yellow onions. Cook and stir until onion has turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chickpeas, kidney beans, and turmeric; toss to combine. Stir in vegetable stock; simmer soup for 1 hour.
• Stir parsley, cilantro, mint, scallions, and lentils into soup; simmer 30 minutes more. Break linguine into 3 sections, stir into soup, and cook at a low boil until noodles are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir 1/2 of the spinach to the soup until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining spinach and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir flour with 3 tablespoons of the soup liquid together in a small bowl until smooth. Stir flour mixture back into soup. Continue to simmer soup over low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 30 minutes.
• Serve soup with yogurt and fried red onions.

ASH RESHTEH (PERSIAN GREENS, BEAN AND NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• The night before you plan to cook, place chickpeas and white beans in a medium bowl. Add a generous pinch of salt and 2 cups water. Refrigerate overnight.
• The night before or just before cooking, prepare the herbs and greens: Wash spinach, cilantro and parsley, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Run a knife through the spinach to cut leaves into large pieces. Trim the woody ends from cilantro, parsley and dill so that only leaves and tender stems remain. Roughly chop cilantro, parsley, dill, chives and mint leaves into pieces no larger than a quarter. If preparing ahead of time, wrap chopped greens and herbs in plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.
• To cook, set a large (at least 10-quart) Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is tender and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Drain the beans and add to onion along with the lentils, turmeric and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the beans with oil and spices. Add the chopped spinach and herbs, along with stock or water, and stir to combine. Partly cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer the soup for 1 hour, stirring regularly to prevent the greens from sticking and burning. If the soup remains very thick even after the greens have wilted, add another 1 to 2 cups water, as needed to thin it.
• Place 1 1/2 cups kashk in a medium bowl. Add a ladle or two of hot soup and whisk to dissolve, then add the mixture to the pot. The kashk will change the color of the soup from bright to milky green. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then break the noodles in half and add to the pot. Stir gently to mix in the noodles and keep them from sticking together, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are soft and chewy and the beans are completely tender, about 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the garnishes: Set a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add sliced onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until golden brown and caramelized, 16 to 18 minutes. Spread cooked onion onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil; let cool. Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add remaining 1/3 cup oil and warm gently over low heat, then stir in dried mint and remove from heat. Set mint oil aside and allow to steep for at least 5 minutes.
• Place remaining 1/2 cup kashk in a small bowl and thin out with a few tablespoons of water until it's the texture of thin yogurt. Set aside.
• The soup should be as thick as a hearty chili. If it's any thicker, thin it with water, 1/2 cup at a time. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed, accounting for the fact that both the noodles and the kashk are well salted.
• To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Drizzle with reserved kashk and mint oil, then top with a sprinkling of golden onions.

PERSIAN NOODLE SOUP WITH MEATBALLS (ASHE RESHTE)

Steps:

• Wash lentils and black eyed peas; combine in a large kettle with water and salt. Simmer until almost tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add noodles and parsley.
• Make meatballs by mixing beef, onion, cinnamon, pepper, and salt. Blend well. Shape into 1-inch meatballs. Drop into simmering soup and cook for about 30 more minutes, or until meatballs are done and noodles tender. Crush the dried mint and combine with pepper and cinnamon. Ladle soup into soup plates or large bowls and sprinkle with the mixed spices. Makes 6 servings.
• Soups and Stews The World Over.

PERSIAN NEW YEAR NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Soak chickpeas, navy beans and kidney beans in 2 cups of water for 2 hours. Drain.
• In a large pot, brown the onions and garlic in the oil over medium heat. Add the salt, pepper, and turmeric, and saute for 1 minute more. Add the soaked beans and saute for 3 minutes, coating the beans with the oil and spices. Add the remaining 12 cups of water, and bring to a boil, skimming off the foam as it forms. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Add lentils and beef broth, and simmer 50 minutes more.
• Add chopped chives or scallions, dill, parsley, spinach and the beet. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until beans are tender. Correct seasonings, and add more water if soup is too thick.
• Add noodles, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the vinegar, and mix well.
• To prepare the mint garnish, brown the onions and the garlic in the oil in a small skillet. Remove from heat; add turmeric, salt and mint, and mix well.
• Ladle soup into the bowls, and top with the mint garnish.