Ash Reshteh (Persian Herb & Noodle Soup)

About This Recipe

Ash reshteh is one of the most beloved dishes in Persian cuisine — a thick, nourishing soup (ash) loaded with noodles (reshteh), a mix of legumes and an extraordinary quantity of fresh herbs: spinach, parsley, coriander and fenugreek leaves. It is traditionally made to celebrate Nowruz (Persian New Year) and the festival of Yalda, and is believed to bring good fortune. The toppings elevate this soup into something extraordinary: kashk (a thick, tangy whey), caramelised onions, fried dried mint bloomed in butter. Each topping adds a different dimension — creamy, sweet, herby — and they are swirled in just before eating.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 100 gdried chickpeas(soaked overnight)
• 100 gdried red kidney beans(soaked overnight)
• 100 gdried green lentils
• 200 greshteh noodles(or linguine broken into pieces)
• 200 gfresh spinach(roughly chopped)
• 50 gflat-leaf parsley(chopped)
• 30 gfresh coriander(chopped)
• 2 tbspdried fenugreek leaves
• 3 largeonions(2 for soup, 1 for topping)
• 1 tspturmeric
• 4 tbspkashk or sour cream
• 2 tbspdried mint
• 2 tbspbutter
• 3 tbspvegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook legumes

   Drain legumes. Cook chickpeas and kidney beans in a large pot with plenty of water for 45 minutes. Add lentils and cook further 30 minutes until all are tender.

2. 2

   Add aromatics

   Meanwhile, fry 2 diced onions in oil with turmeric until golden and soft. Add to the legume pot with noodles, spinach, parsley, coriander and fenugreek. Add water if needed to keep it thick-soup consistency.

3. 3

   Finish soup

   Simmer 20–25 minutes until noodles are cooked and soup is thick. Season well with salt.

4. 4

   Make toppings

   Fry sliced remaining onion in oil until deep golden-brown and caramelised. In a separate pan, bloom dried mint in melted butter for 30 seconds.

   Don't burn the dried mint in butter — 30 seconds is all it needs to bloom.

5. 5

   Serve

   Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with kashk (or sour cream), caramelised onion, and mint butter. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Add 200g of diced lamb shoulder to the soup for a more substantial version.

• •

  Omit butter and kashk; use olive oil and a drizzle of cashew cream for a vegan version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; it thickens further — add water when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions