Persian barley soup with lamb, vegetables, and herbs — warming winter medicine.
Ash-e Jo is a thick, nourishing Persian barley soup beloved across Iran. Barley, lamb, chickpeas, spinach, and leeks are simmered together with turmeric and dried herbs until everything is soft and the broth is deeply savory. Finished with kashk, fried onions, and mint, this soup is considered both comfort food and traditional medicine — served to the sick, the cold, and the hungry.
Serves 6
Sauté onion in oil until golden. Add lamb and turmeric, brown all sides.
Add barley, chickpeas, leeks, fenugreek, and water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer covered 60 minutes until barley is tender.
Add spinach and cook 10 more minutes. Stir in kashk. Season with salt.
Ladle into bowls, top with fried onions, a swirl of kashk, and dried mint fried in oil.
Barley expands significantly — add more water as needed.
Kashk thickens the soup — stir it in off the heat.
Make vegetarian by omitting lamb and using vegetable broth.
Add dried limes for extra tang.
Refrigerate up to 5 days. Soup thickens when cold — add water to thin.
Barley has been cultivated in Persia for over 10,000 years. Ash-e Jo is mentioned in ancient Persian texts as a dish of healing and sustenance.
Yes — it cooks in 30 minutes. Adjust timing accordingly.
Per serving (450g / 15.9 oz) · 6 servings total
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