SAEDNEWS: Ash reshte is one of Iran’s most beloved traditional thick soups, served at lunches, iftars and gatherings — here’s a thorough home recipe, timing, tips, temperament and health notes.
Ash reshte is one of the most famous and popular traditional Iranian soups; it is very tasty and widely loved.
Ash reshte is eaten at various meals — lunch, iftar, afternoon snack, and so on — and is cooked and distributed as a devotional offering at festivals and mourning ceremonies.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 180 minutes
Calories: Per 100 grams 250 calories
Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
Chickpeas | 1/2 cup |
Red kidney beans | 1/2 cup |
Pinto beans (loobia chiti) | 1/2 cup |
Lentils | 1 cup |
Ash herb mix (tareh [Persian leek], cilantro, parsley and spinach) | 350 g |
Onion | 2 large |
Salt, black pepper and red pepper | As needed |
Water | As needed |
Garlic | 4 cloves |
Ash noodles (reshte) | 100 g |
Turmeric | 1/2 tablespoon |
Spice mix (advieh) | 1/2 teaspoon |
Dried mint | 2 tablespoons |
Kashk (fermented whey) | As needed |
Oil for frying | As needed |
First soak the legumes 24 hours in advance; separate the lentils and let the other legumes cook together until fully done.
Chop the garlic and fry it.
Slice the onion into strips and fry it; finally add the turmeric, sauté a little and then turn off the heat. (Turmeric makes the ash nicely colored.)
Heat the oil, when it is hot add the dried mint, stir briefly and immediately turn off the heat because mint burns quickly.
Chop the ash herbs coarsely (the ash herbs include tareh, parsley, cilantro, and spinach — if there is more spinach, it will make the soup more mucilaginous) and cook them in water.
add the spices
Then add half of the fried onion, fried garlic, and fried mint to the herbs so they boil together and the ash becomes tastier.
When the herbs are almost cooked, add the legumes so they boil together a little, then add the noodles and let the noodles cook and the ash gradually come together.
When the noodles are cooked and the ash has set, you can add the remaining fried onion, fried garlic and fried mint, or use them to garnish the ash when serving.
Be careful when adding salt so the ash does not become too salty, because both the noodles and the kashk contain some salt.
Some people add 1 tablespoon of flour along with the noodles at the end of cooking to increase the ash’s mucilaginous texture.
The amounts of herbs, noodles, legumes and fried onion/dried mint are entirely a matter of taste and can be adjusted; however, the more fried onion and ash herbs you use, the better the ash will set and the tastier it will be.
The term "cup" refers to a rice-cooker cup.
The temperament of this dish is moderate.
Each of the ingredients in ash reshte is full of benefits; some of them include:
Relief of constipation – lowering cholesterol – preventing hair loss – regulating blood sugar – regulating blood pressure – improving the immune system – preventing anemia – weight management – heart health – beneficial for pregnant women – improved digestion – healthy nervous system and so on and so on….
