Persian Herb and Bean Noodle Soup (Ashe Reshte)

This comforting and nutritious Persian soup is the dish that reminds me of family and sanctuary. Ashe Reshte is filled with vibrant herbs, fried aromatics and spices, soft beans, and filling noodles that will leave you feeling satiated. It is high in fiber, protein, and iron, thanks to all the legumes and dark leafy greens.
Every household has a unique way of cooking this dish. My version only uses 1 pot (which is rare for Persian food, let me tell you) and any noodles that I have on hand. It is traditionally made with Reshte (Persian noodles) which are saltier and less chewy when compared to egg noodles or pasta. But hey, it’s all about convenience, so don’t let the noodles stop you from making this, use what you got!

Besides the fried onions, his dish is traditionally topped with Kashk, which is a Persian sun-dried yogurt or whey. It’s tangy and salty, but I omitted it because it’s not an easy to find ingredient and I wanted to keep this dish vegan. I topped mine with a not so traditional drizzle of chili oil, but again, you do you.

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

3 hours

Serving:

5-6 portions

Labels:

Ingredients

½ cup (90g) pinto beans
½ cup (90g) chickpeas
½ cup (90g) lentils
2 ½ cups (175g) spinach, chopped
½ cup (25g) parsley, chopped
½ cup (25g) cilantro, chopped
½ cup (25g) Dill, chopped
1 cup (75g) scallions, chopped
3 tbsp oil, I used olive oil
2 medium white onions
5-6 large cloves of garlic
1 heap cup (90g) egg noodles or any type of noodles (wheat works best)
Spices:

2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1 cube veggie stock or Salt to taste
1 tbsp dried mint

Instructions:

1. Soak the beans and chickpeas overnight.

2. Dice the onion and garlic. In a large pot, heat up the oil and add in the onions. Saute for 5-6 minutes on medium heat or until golden. Follow up with the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the turmeric, remaining tsp of cumin, black pepper, and a small pinch of salt and saute for another 30 seconds. After the seasoning is fragrant, turn off the heat and immediately add the dried mint, mix, and remove ⅓ of the mixture for garnish. Now add the soaked beans and chickpeas to the pot along with 7 cups of boiling water with a hefty pinch of salt (or veggie stock cube) and 1 tsp of cumin. Mix and cook until tender, mine took 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, cover the lentils with water and let it soak. Wash and chop all the herbs finely. Once the beans are cooked, add the soaked lentils and cook until tender, mine took 20 minutes. Follow up with the chopped herbs and cook for an additional 15 minutes. At this point the water has reduced, so add 2-3 cups of hot water if needed.

4. Now crush the noodles in half and add it to the pot, cook for 10 minutes or until the noodles are al dente. Once the noodles are cooked, turn off the heat and let it sit without its lid for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with the reserved fried onions and optionally, some chili oil. Enjoy this hug in a bowl!