Episode 64: Aash Reshteh

Do you want to make warm, delicious, comforting, nutritious iconic Persian soup, Aash Reshteh, also known as Persian Noodle and Bean and Herb Soup?!

Join the Beats as they walk through their recipes including short-cuts and techniques, and a fun modern take on blending American and Persian cultures – making and eating it for the Western calendar new year on January 1st of the Gregorian calendar (vs the traditional time aash reshteh is enjoyed, the Persian New Year Norouz/Norooz which falls on the first day of spring in March).

Ingredients:

Noodles:

Persian Reshteh, reshteh is Farsi for the special noodles that go in this soup – reshteh noodles are long, a bit flat, and slightly saltier and starchier than Italian pastas
- Can be found in Persian or Middle Eastern markets or ordered online
Italian linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti can be substituted for reshteh noodles

Herbs

Fresh – parsley, cilantro, dill, mint
Dried – Mint, dill
- Used both in the soup as one of the primary ingredients as well as part of the topping (fried onions with dried mint, garlic and turmeric)

Vegetables

Onions
Spring onions
Leeks
Spinach (optional)

Spices

Turmeric is the main flavor note
Cinnamon (in Beata’s recipe version)

Kashk

Fermented dairy product
- Texture is thicker than yogurt; flavor is salty and a little umami
- Used drizzled on top as part of the garnish and/or mixed into the soup

Beans

Use cooked dry beans, frozen beans/peas, or canned beans
Lentils
Chickpea /garbanzo
Red beans or kidney
White or cannellini beans
Blackeyed peas
- Clever blending of cultural traditions – use black eyed peas, a southern new year’s tradition, in this soup to serve on American new year, Jan. 1st

Garnish or topping for the soup