Ashe Reshte

Name: Ashe Reshte
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Persian Plateau & Isfahan
Ingredients: 3 cup finely sliced onions; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp pepper; 0.25 cup chickpeas; 0.25 cup red kidney beans; 0.25 cup navy beans; 0.667 cup lentils; 1 cup beef bouillon; 2 cup fresh spinach; 0.5 cup scallion; 0.5 cup fresh parsley; 0.25 cup fresh dill weed; 0.5 lb beef; 0.5 cup onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp yellow split peas; 8 oz persian noodles; 1 tbsp flour; 0.25 tsp saffron; 1 tsp tomato paste; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.5 cup sour cream; 2 tbsp vinegar; 2 tbsp sour cream; 1 tbsp crushed of fresh mint

Gently simmered chickpeas, kidney beans and navy beans, warmed with turmeric and saffron, a Persian dish. Finish with mint.

2 hr 20 min · Serves 4 · Medium

Method

Start cooking mode

Time: Prep 20 min · Cook 120 min · 140 min total
Difficulty: medium

1
In a dutch oven, saute' onions in 3 Tbs oil until golden; stir in turmeric through pepper. Place drained chickpeas, kidney and navy beans in the pot with the onions and add 2 1/2 qts water. Bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low and let simmer 40 minutes.
40 min
2
Add lentils and bouillon, cover again and let simmer 40 more minutes. Add spinach through dillweed and cook 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
20 min
3
As soon as spinach and herbs are added to the soup, begin the meat garnish: In a medium saucepan, saute beef through garlic in 1 Tbs oil until beef is browned and onion is soft. Add 1/2 cup water and the split peas, cover and cook 20 minutes over low heat.
20 min
4
Taste the soup (not the meat garnish), adjust the seasonings and add more water if too thick. Add noodles. Stir a bit of the soup liquid into the flour or cornstarch to dissolve, then stir solution back into the soup. Cook 10-12 minutes until noodles are done.
12 min
5
Dissolve the saffron in 1 Tbs hot water and combine with tomato paste and 1/4 tsp salt; stir into the meat garnish (not the soup). Cover and simmer 10 minutes more.
10 min
6
Stir some of the soup (not the meat garnish) into the 1/2 cup sour cream, then stir this mixture back into the soup (not the garnish). Stir in vinegar and cook a minute to heat through.
7
Pour soup into 4 large soup bowls. Add a quarter of the meat garnish to each bowl but do not stir in; on top of each, float a 1/2-Tbsp dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with mint and serve.