Noodle and bean herb soup (Ash Reshteh)
Ash Reshteh is a thick Persian soup cooked on special occasions, especially the Persian New Year (Nowruz).
It combines legumes, lentils, and green herbs with noodles. It is distinguished by three traditional garnishes: kashk (Persian fermented whey), fried onion, and mint oil, making it a complete meal in a single bowl.
Heat the oil and toss the onion for twenty to twenty-five minutes until it changes color, adding the garlic halfway through and then the turmeric carefully so it does not burn.
Set aside a third of the onion and toss the dried mint into it while it is hot to prepare the serving garnish.
Add the soaked chickpeas and beans with the water, salt, and pepper, and bring them to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for half an hour until the legumes soften.
Add the lentils and cook for fifteen more minutes until they are done.
Add the spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, and green onion and cook for twenty minutes, adjusting the water so the texture stays thick.
Dissolve the flour in a little of the soup so it does not clump, then return it to the pot to firm up the texture.
Add the noodles and cook them for about ten minutes until they soften, then add the lemon juice so the texture becomes between a soup and a stew.
Stir part of the kashk into the soup, then ladle it into bowls and garnish it with the rest of the kashk, the fried onion, and the mint oil.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Noodle and Bean Herb Soup (Ash Reshteh), and how to fix them:
Cook it uncovered for a while or add a little dissolved flour until it thickens.
They were cooked too long or left in the soup; add them near the end and serve the soup quickly.
They were not soaked enough; soak them overnight and extend their cooking until fully tender.
It lacks herbs or turmeric; increase the leafy greens and add a pinch of turmeric.
Keep in an airtight container for up to three days, and it may thicken so thin it with a little water when reheating.
Freeze without the noodles for up to two months, and add fresh noodles when reheating.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| kashk | strained Greek yogurt | about 200 g | Add it after taking the pot off the heat so it does not separate. |
| noodles | broken linguine pasta | same weight, 90 g | Gives a close texture and contains gluten. |
| red beans | black beans | same weight, 100 g | Gives a darker color and a close flavor. |
| spinach | chopped chard leaves | same weight, 120 g | Cook it a little longer until it softens. |
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 4 servings (base) | 8 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| chickpeas | 33 g | 100 g | 200 g |
| lentils | 33 g | 100 g | 200 g |
| Leafy herbs | 90 g | 270 g | 540 g |
| noodles | 30 g | 90 g | 180 g |
| Water or broth | 500 ml | 1500 ml | 3000 ml |
Fry the onion slowly until it changes color, as this is the base of the flavor, and dissolve the flour in a little of the soup before returning it so it does not clump, and save a third of the onion for the mint garnish.
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