Iran's best-loved soup brings together three pulses, a mountain of herbs and noodles. 16 g of protein and 12 g of fibre per serving.
Written by
Ecem Akkaba · Dietitian
Dietitian, graduate of İstanbul Medipol University. She develops the recipes and nutrition values on FitZen.
Updated:
Persian Ash-e Reshteh – Herb, Bean and Noodle Soup contains 330 calories per serving: 16 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate and 7 g fat. It takes 85 minutes in total and makes 6 servings.
Ash-e reshteh is the soup of Nowruz and of winter in Iran. "Reshteh" means noodle, and it carries meaning: the length of the noodles stands for the threads of life, which is why the soup is cooked when starting something new — a job, a year.
Nutritionally it is a complete meal in one pot: chickpeas, beans and lentils together supply a full amino acid profile, the noodles bring carbohydrate and the herbs the micronutrients. At 12 g of fibre per serving, one bowl covers roughly half a day's needs.
The fried onion and mint oil spooned over the top are not decoration. They are the aromatic layer that balances the earthiness of the pulses.
Chop one onion and fry it in the olive oil in a large pot for 7 minutes. Add the garlic and turmeric and stir for 1 minute.
Add the lentils and 2 litres of water and cook for 20 minutes. Add the cooked chickpeas and beans and simmer 10 minutes more.
Add all the chopped herbs and spring onions. The volume looks impossible, but they collapse as they cook — it all goes in.
Simmer for 25 minutes over low heat, stirring now and then. The soup thickens and turns deep green.
Add the noodles and cook for 8-10 minutes according to the packet. They release starch and thicken the soup, which is exactly what you want.
Finely slice the second onion and fry it in a separate pan until deep brown. Add the dried mint for the last 30 seconds and take off the heat.
Ladle the soup into bowls and finish each with yoghurt, the fried onion and the mint oil.
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