Calling it a "Noodle soup" is hardly fair. Aash is a traditional cuisine in Iran which incorporates a variety of beans and vegetables. As is the case with many traditional cuisines in Iran, variety and creativity is encouraged.

Ingredients

Serving: 15 persons

• 700g Reshteh (dried flour noodles)¹
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 cup fava beans
• 1/2 cup peeled wheat
• 1/2 cup red kidney beans
• 1/2 cup lentil
• 4 medium onions
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 garlic heads
• 1/2 Tblspoon turmeric
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp dried crushed mint
• 2 cups dried crushed mixed herbs including leek, cilantro, parsely²
• 1 Tblspoon dried crushed mint³
• 1 kg baby spinach coursely chopped.
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp black caraway
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• Salt (to taste)

Garnish

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 head garlic
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 Tblspoons crushed dried mint

Substitutions

• No substitutions

Equipment

• As written, this recipe requires a large pot, reduce the amount of ingredients proportionally to allow for a smaller pot.

Time

• Attended prep time: 30 minutes
• Unattended prep time: 24 hours
• Attended cook time: 1 hour
• Unattended cook time: 4 hours

Preparation

1. Soak fava beans, chickpeas, wheat, kidney beans, and lentils overnight.
2. Finely chop onions.
3. Finely slice garlic heads.

Instructions

1. Boil fava beans, chickpeas, wheat, kidney beans, and lentils in water with added 2 Tblspoons of salt until all are fully cooked and soft. This often takes around 3-4 hours. Ensure they are submerged in water with the water level at least 2 inches above the ingredients.
   1. The cooking times are as follows (approximate):
      1. Kidney beans 2 hours
      2. Wheat 2 hours
      3. Chickpeas 2 hours
      4. Lentil 15 minutes
      5. Fava beans 4 hours
   2. I put them all in the same pot and let them cook together. The different ingredients mix well and some disappear, with only their flavour remaining which can be an advantage.
2. In a separate sauce pan, caramelize chopped onions with vegetable oil.
3. Once onions are half-way caramelized, add 2 garlic until light brown and fragrant.
4. Add turmeric and let it heat for 10-20 seconds, then add black pepper and 2 tsp dried crushed mint, leave for 10 seconds until fragrant but not burned⁴.
5. In a large pot, fill 1/3 with water. When water comes to a boil, add cinnamon, black caraway, paprika, oregano, ginger powder.
6. Add dried herb mix and mint⁵ and let boil for 30 minutes.
7. Add spinach and let cook for 1 hour.
8. Add previously boiled beans from the first pot to the mix and let boil for another hour.
9. Add Reshteh (dried flour noodles).
10. let cook for another 1-2 hours until the mix is thickened⁶.
11. adjust salt to taste (a little low on salt as kashk will be added).
12. For garnish, sautee finely chopped garlic until light brown, then turn heat off and immediately add turmeric and crushed dried mint. Mix well and let sit until fragrant.

Footnotes