Stage-worthy Persian Noodle & Herb Soup
Ash-e reshteh is a thick soup traditionally cooked for Persian New Year and the noodles symoblise good fortune. These days it is hugely popular in Iran and is eaten all year round. This Ash-e Reshteh recipe is very close to the heart of bestselling cookery book writer Atoosa Sepehr whose life story is now the ground-breaking play My English Persian Kitchen premiering in Edinburgh from August 1st.
Atoosa says: “You cannot be Iranian or have visited Iran without having tasted Ash-e Reshteh. It’s a thick soup that contains a lot of fresh herbs, beans, lentils, and noodles, served with 3 to 4 different toppings. This recipe is featured in my book "From a Persian Kitchen" and is also a main feature in the play which being performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and subsequently at the Soho Theater in London.”
Ingredients
Serves 6
100g green lentils, rinsed
50g fresh coriander
50g fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
50g fresh dill leaves
40g fresh mint leaves
30 fresh chives
100g fresh spinach leaves
80g spring onions
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large red onions, finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
60g chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained
60g pinto beans, soaked overnight, drained
2.25 litres vegetable stock
150g reshteh (Persian noodle) or udon noodle, broken into three equal pieces
Salt
150 kashk plus extra for topping (or blend 150g sour cream with 150g feta cheese to a paste in a food processor)
For the Toppings
3 for crispy fried onion
6 large garlic cloves for crispy fried garlic
3 tbsp fried mint for fried mint
Vegetable and olive oil for frying
Method
Soak the lentils in a bowl of water and set aside.
Finely chop all the herbs, spinach and spring onions, ideally in a food processor, and set aside.
Add the oil and onions to a large heavy-based pan and fry on a medium heat for 12 minutes or until the onions are soft and golden brown. Add the garlic and stir for 3 minutes. Add the turmeric and pepper and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the drained chickpease, pinto beands and stock to the onions and bring to the boil. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, put the lid on and simmer for 2 1/4 house.
Drain the lentils and add to the pan along with the chopped herbs, spinach and spring onions. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, put the lid on and simmer for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile make the toppings and set aside.
To make the fried onion, first add 300– 400ml of vegetable oil, depending on the number of onions, to a medium saucepan (approximately 18cm in diameter) and place on a medium heat until piping hot. Add the onions in batches (if the recipe requires two onions, fry them in two or three batches), give them a good stir, and fry for 7–10 minutes or until almost golden brown, stirring occasionally; keep in mind that onions can burn quite quickly. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the oil and drain in a single layer on a tray lined with kitchen paper.
For the fried garlic, add a good glug of vegetable oil to a saucepan and place on a medium heat until piping hot. Add the garlic and stir frequently for a couple of minutes until the garlic is golden (take care not to burn as this will result in a bitter taste). Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic from the oil and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Note that if you make the crispy fried onion topping first, you can use the same oil to fry the garlic.
Lastly, to make the fried mint, take 3 tablespoons of dried mint and, in small batches, place on the palm of one hand then bring both hands together and rub the mint between your palms to finely grind it; the natural oils in your hand and the heat of your skin combine to bring out the scent of the mint. Set aside. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan and as soon as the oil is piping hot, add the dried mint before removing the pan from the heat to allow the mint to fry slowly in the oil.
Add the noodles to the soup and stir well to ensure that the noodles do not stick together (if the ash is too thick, add a little boiling water). Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, put the lid on and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Taste and add salt if needed.
Stir the kashk into the soup, then ladle it into a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Swirl some kashk on top (mix with a tablespoon of water if the kashk is too thick to swirl), followed by the fried mint (including the oil in which it was cooked), crispy fried onions and crispy garlic toppings.
For a quicker version of this soup, use a 400g tin of chickpease and a 400g tin of pinto beans (rinsed and drained), adding them to the ash with the noodles. Use 2 litres of vegetable stock instead of 2.25 litres (you won’t need to simmer for 2 1/4 hours.)
About Atoosa Sepehr
Atoosa Sepehr was born in the Iranian city of Shiraz in 1977 but spent her formative years in Italy. She moved back to Iran with her family when she was 8 years old and on completion of high school went to study at Azad University of Tabriz. Having completed her degree in 2000, she moved to Tehran where she worked as a computer programmer. In 2001, she moved to London to learn English. She returned to Iran in 2003 to work in the stock market in Tehran in order to learn about business processes before studying for an MBA. Atoosa was inspired to start her own company in the Import and Export field and became the Iranian representative for a steel company in London. This led to her moving back to London in 2007 where she resides today. More recently, she developed an interest in food, publishing her first book ‘From a Persian Kitchen’ in 2019 (Little Brown Books). This inspired Atoosa to explore the nutritional value of food, leading to a degree in nutritional therapy from CNM. She is currently practicing as a nutritional therapist while also working on her second book, which will include a range of recipes aimed at addressing specific conditions. Her story is brought to life in the new play My English Persian Kitchen during Edinburgh Festival Fringe.