‘Taste of Persia’ New Year’s Bean Soup (Ash-e-Reshteh)
Ash-e-Reshteh — a delicious vegetarian bean soup chock full of herbs and other greens — is traditionally served for Norooz, Persian New Year, which is marked on the spring equinox (hence all the delightful herbs and greens). This version is adapted from Naomi Duguid’s gorgeous book, Taste of Persia.
READ: Celebrate Nowruz — Persian New Year — with an emerald-green ash-e-reshteh New Year’s bean soup
A note on ingredients: One of ash-e-reshteh’s defining ingredients is kashk, a fermented milk product made from whey; it is optional in Duguid’s version. Find it in Middle Eastern markets, or buy it online.
The “reshteh” in ash-e-reshteh refers to Persian soup noodles — for which Duguid gives instructions to make by hand. She also, like most other recipes for ash-e-reshteh we’ve seen, suggests dried linguine as a substitute, or you can buy ash-e-reshteh noodles online (we have not tried them).
As far as the beans go, including black-eyed peas (one of Duguid’s suggested inclusions) also makes this soup good luck for New Year’s according to the American Southern tradition. We used mostly black-eyed peas, navy beans and red lentils.
Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
1 cup mixed dried beans (such as navy beans, favas and black-eyed peas) and lentils
7-8 cups water, or as needed
1/2 pound spinach, finely chopped
1 cup packed chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (the green part only)
1 tablespoon sea salt, or to taste
20 grinds black pepper
1 tablespoon Mint Oil (see below)
1/3 pound dried linguine, broken in half
FOR THE TOPPINGS:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup thinly sliced onion
About 1/2 cup kashk (optional)
2 tablespoons Mint Oil (see below)
1/2 cup (or so) Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons Saffron Water (see below)
Instructions
1. Rinse the beans and lentils and put them in a large pot with 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a medium boil, cover partially, and cook until nearly tender, which could be anywhere from 40 minutes to more than an hour. While it’s cooking, you can make the Mint Oil and Saffron Water (recipes below).
2. Add the spinach, parsley and scallions to the beans and stir; add more water if needed for a soupy texture. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer 15 minutes.
3. While the soup is simmering, make the onion topping: Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir in the turmeric and sliced onion, and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the onion is translucent and starting to crisp at the edges. Lift out of the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. About 20 minutes before serving, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil. (If necessary, reheat the soup.) Add the linguine to the boiling water, and cook till al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the soup.
5. Stir the tablespoon of Mint Oil into the soup, adjust the seasoning, and divide it into 6 bowls. Top each with a spoonful of yogurt, some of the reserved onions, about half a teaspoon of mint oil and a drizzle of saffron water. Serve immediately.
Mint Oil
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dried spearmint
Instructions
Place a small saucepan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan, then toss in the dried spearmint, stir and remove from the heat. Leftovers can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator, but will lose aroma and flavor over time.
Saffron Water
As Duguid points out, you can use the saffron threads whole, but “you get better color and aroma” if you use a mortar and pestle (or a bowl and the back of a spoon) to grind them to a powder.
Ingredients
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads or powder
1/4 cup hot water
Instructions
Place the saffron powder or threads in a small bowl or glass jar, pour the water over and stir. Let it steep at least 10 minutes. Store the leftover water in a jar in the fridge; it keeps for about a week.
'Taste of Persia' Ash-e-Reshteh (New Year's Bean Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 cup mixed dried beans (such as navy beans, favas and black-eyed peas) and lentils
- 7-8 cups water, or as needed
- 1/2 pound spinach, finely chopped
- 1 cup packed chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (the green part only)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt, or to taste
- 20 grinds black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Mint Oil (see below)
- 1/3 pound dried linguine, broken in half
- FOR THE TOPPINGS:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup thinly sliced onion
- About 1/2 cup kashk (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Mint Oil (see below)
- 1/2 cup (or so) Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Saffron Water (see below)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup dried spearmint
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads or powder
- 1/4 cup hot water
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and lentils and put them in a large pot with 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a medium boil, cover partially, and cook until nearly tender, which could be anywhere from 40 minutes to more than an hour. While it’s cooking, you can make the Mint Oil and Saffron Water (recipes below).
- Add the spinach, parsley and scallions to the beans and stir; add more water if needed for a soupy texture. Bring it back to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low and simmer 15 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, make the onion topping: Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir in the turmeric and sliced onion, and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the onion is translucent and starting to crisp at the edges. Lift out of the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- About 20 minutes before serving, bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boil. (If necessary, reheat the soup.) Add the linguine to the boiling water, and cook till al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the soup.
- Stir the tablespoon of Mint Oil into the soup, adjust the seasoning, and divide it into 6 bowls. Top each with a spoonful of yogurt, some of the reserved onions, about half a teaspoon of mint oil and a drizzle of saffron water. Serve immediately.
- Place a small saucepan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan, then toss in the dried spearmint, stir and remove from the heat. Leftovers can be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator, but will lose aroma and flavor over time.
- Place the saffron powder or threads in a small bowl or glass jar, pour the water over and stir. Let it steep at least 10 minutes. Store the leftover water in a jar in the fridge; it keeps for about a week.
