Noodle Soup (Ash-e Reshteh)
A traditional Persian noodle soup with kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, herbs, spinach, and beet, garnished with gheimeh meat sauce and fried mint.
Ingredients
- 0.3 cup red kidney beans, soaked
- 0.3 cup navy beans, soaked
- 0.3 cup chickpeas, soaked
- 3 whole onions, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 10 cup water
- 0.5 cup lentils
- 1 cup beef broth
- 0.5 cup chives or scallions, coarsely chopped
- 0.5 cup dill weed, chopped
- 0.5 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 cup spinach (fresh or frozen), chopped
- 1 whole beet, peeled and chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
- 0.5 lb flat egg noodles or Persian noodles (Reshteh)
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 cup kashke, sour cream, or wine vinegar
Instructions
- 1
In large pot, brown onions in oil. Add salt, pepper, and turmeric. Pour in water and add kidney beans, navy beans, and chickpeas. Cover and simmer 45 minutes.
- 2
Add lentils and broth. Cook 35 minutes.
- 3
Add scallions, dill, parsley, spinach, and beet. Stir occasionally and cook 20 minutes until done. Correct seasoning and add more water if too thick.
- 4
Add noodles and flour and cook until noodles are done, about 10 minutes.
- 5
If using sour cream or kashke, set aside 1 heaping tbsp for garnish. Stir 2 tbsp soup into remaining sour cream, then stir slowly into soup. Reheat just before serving.
- 6
Pour soup into tureen. Float gheimeh garnish (meat browned with split peas and tomato paste) and mint garnish (fried onions with dried mint) on top.