Persian Mama

Persian Food, Desserts, Baking and Pastry Recipes with step-by-step instructions and illustrations

AASH RESHTEH آش رشته

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Aash Reshteh is a hearty Persian noodle soup with fresh herbs and legumes. Reshteh means noodles. The type of noodles used in this particular Aash is called reshteh aash, which are flat flour noodles. Aash Reshteh is very popular in Iran, whether enjoying a hot pot of it for a Friday lunch with the family, or cooking gallons of it in giant pots to share as votive ‘nazri’ with anyone who is hungry. I use homemade beef or chicken stock in this aash, but vegetable stock or water may be substituted for a vegetarian version.

This is a wholesome aash cooked with fresh herbs, grains and home cooked legumes. The secret to an extraordinary aash reshteh is to add lots of fried onions towards the end of the cooking time to preserve their flavor. A small amount of ground turmeric adds an amazing flavor to this aash, but too much of a good thing here can quickly turn a lovely flavor to bitterness.  The fresh garlic slices are barely sauteed over low heat and added to the pot after the rest of the ingredients are cooked to tenderness.      

The ingredients in the Aash Reshteh can easily be increased to feed a large crowd.  This delicious aash is a favorite in restaurants and homes, but it is also cooked in small pantries on the street corners in Iran during cold months. Shoppers and tourists can take a load off and treat themselves to a bowl of this aash on the go.  This is a popular aash for sizdeh be dar, which is the 13th day of Persian New Year.  Iranians celebrate ‘sizdeh be dar’ by spending the day outdoors with family and friends and some like to cook this aash over an open fire for hours, until it is thick and delicious.

Traditionally this aash is served with kashk which is a dried yogurt product, but I usually serve it with sour cream, when I feel indulgent, or low fat plain yogurt for a lighter version.  For a vegan version of this aash you may use non-dairy sour creams.

In a large stockpot add the sauteed onions, beef broth, and the rest of the listed ingredients, ending with the cooked garbanzo beans.  Stir to combine the ingredients and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pot and simmer for one hour.  Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Meanwhile In a large skillet fry the thinly sliced onions in oils until golden brown.
To make the garnish:  Transfer 3/4 cup of the fried onions to a small skillet and add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of dry mint. Stir on low heat until the butter melts; turn off the heat and set the garnish aside. To the remaining fried onions, add ground turmeric and sliced garlic and saute over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Keep the heat low to prevent garlic from browning and tasting bitter.
Add 3 cups of hot water, and onion/garlic mixture to the pot, stir to combine.  Cover the pot and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes.  Break the noodles into 1-2 inch pieces and add to the aash.  Stir to combine and cover the pot and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes over medium low heat, or until the noddles are tender.

Stir and heat the reserved garnish mixture over low heat.  Drizzle the remaining thinned yogurt over aash and garnish with the fried onion and mint mixture.  Enjoy Aash Reshteh with toasted sangak or any bread of your choice.

5.0 from 9 reviews
AASH RESHTEH
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Aash/Soup
Cuisine: Persian
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced small
  • 1 TBSP vegetable oil
  • 9 cups low sodium beef stock (may substitute with chicken stock or vegetable stock)
  • 2 TBSP tomato paste
  • ¼ cup short grain rice (calrose rice)
  • ¼ cup coarse bulgur
  • ¼ cup lentils
  • 8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 3 ounces sliced scallions
  • 3 ounces chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 ounces chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 TBSP dried tarragon leaves, crushed
  • 3 TBSP dried mint leaves, crushed
  • 1 ½ -2 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 cup cooked pinto beans or canned pinto beans
  • 1 cup cooked garbanzo beans or canned garbanzo beans
  • 5 garlic cloves sliced thin
  • 2 large yellow onions (about 1½ pounds), sliced thin, or 10 ounces fried onions
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 3 cups boiling hot water
  • 4 ounces reshte aash (Raw Noodles) or linguine noodles
  • GARNISH:
  • ¾ cup reserved fried onions
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 2 TBSP dried mint leaves
  • ¼ tsp ground saffron powder (optional)
  • 2 cups low fat plain yogurt or sour cream beaten slightly with 1 TBSP cold water until smooth (divided)
Instructions
  1. Heat 1 TBSP vegetable oil in a large stockpot. Saute the diced onion until translucent. Add the beef stock and the rest of the listed ingredients, ending with 1 cup of garbanzo beans, to the pot
  2. Bring it to a boil. Cover and cook over medium low heat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
  3. Meanwhile in a large skillet heat the vegetable oil and butter. Add the sliced onions and saute over medium high heat until the edges start turning golden. Reduce the heat to medium and fry until all uniformly golden brown. At the onset of frying it might seem that there is not enough oil but don’t add any extra oil.
  4. To make the garnish, transfer ¾ cup of the fried onions to a small skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of dry mint leaves. Stir over low heat until the butter melts. Turn off the heat, sprinkle the optional ground saffron powder and stir to combine. Set aside.
  5. To the remaining fried onions add turmeric and the sliced garlic cloves, stir and sauté over low heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not brown the garlic.
  6. Add 3 cups boiling hot water and the onion/garlic mixture into the stockpot and cook covered for 10 minutes over medium low heat.
  7. Break the noodles into 1-2 inch pieces and add to the pot.
  8. Cover the stockpot and simmer over medium low heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.
  9. Remove from the heat. Add the aash to a large serving bowl. Add 1 cup of the thinned yogurt to the aash and stir to combine.
  10. Drizzle the rest of the yogurt on top of the aash. Garnish with the onion and mint mixture.
  11. Serve in bowls with toasted sangak or any bread of your choice.
Notes
Raw Noodles or Reshteh Aash are sold at Persian or Middle Eastern markets, but linguine noodles will make a good substitute if needed.
Kashk can be purchased from Persian and Middle Eastern markets.

Comments

  2. Im jonesing for it! I could eat it every day..
    Lovely greetings and hugs from Hamburg

  3. Greetings and hugs from U.S. dearest Bella! So lovely to have you here. I feel the same way about this aash; hope you will write me back when you make it 😉

    • Hi Michelle; thanks so much for your comment! I agree with you on both points 😉 Please keep in touch and have an amazing weekend!

  5. Your recipes are soooo delicious! Thank you for sharing them with us!
    I was thinking about adding meatballs or ground beef to the aash. Do you think that is a good idea? If so, do you have a meatball recipe you recommend?
    Thank you for your time ?

  6. Dear Nazli, so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! I wouldn’t use ground beef, but you could use tiny meatballs made with a simple recipe of ground beef, grated onions, salt, black pepper, and turmeric. Mix these ingredients until paste like, roll into tiny meatballs (less than an inch diameter). Brown them on all sides until fully cooked, add to the aash at the same time that you add the noodles. You may reserve and use some as garnish, if you like. Enjoy 🙂

  7. Hi Homa, thank you for your amazing recipes.
    I have a couple of questions:
    1. In the ingredients, you have listed Tomato paste, Dried Tarragon, rice, and bulgur. I don’t see them used anywhere in the recipe. Is this an error?

    2. Do I add all beans as well as the herbs at the beginning? Should lentils be added at the same time as it requires less time to cook? and also should all the herbs be mixed at the beginning as well?

    Thank you

    • Hello Anita, thank you for the kind words. On the step #1 of the instructions, I have mentioned [Add the beef stock and the rest of the listed ingredients, ending with 1 cup of garbanzo beans, to the pot], which means all the ingredients in the printable recipe, ending with garbanzo beans and up to garlic cloves. This has been mentioned in the pictured part of the recipe also; the reason is that I didn’t want to list every ingredient and clutter the text. Yes all the herbs and legumes are added at the same time. The beans and garbanzo beans are cooked, but the lentil is added uncooked. I hope this answers your questions; please let me know if it is still unclear.

  8. Thank you so much for this recipe I made it and it turned out absolutely delicious! Everyone loved it 🙂

  9. You’re absolutely welcome Sara! Thanks so much for letting me know; so happy all of you enjoyed this aash. Please keep in touch 🙂

  10. Dear Homa,

    I made aash resteh yesterday and it was incredible!!!
    Thank you so much for such a well explained recipe.
    Best
    Gemma

  11. This is an amazingly delicious recipe. My sister introduced me to it and I have been making ever since. Merci Persian Mama!

    • My pleasure Emily! I thank both you and your sister for trying my recipes. I’m very happy you’re pleased with this recipe and hope you’ll find many more to try. Please keep in touch!

  12. Hi Homa, this is the second recipe I’ve tried from your site and it was wonderful! I’ve made Aash for years based on another recipe but I’ll be using yours from now on. Thank you for sharing.<3

  13. Hello Leela; how wonderful of you to take the time and share this wonderful comment. I do appreciate your support and hope you will try and enjoy many more of these tried and favorite recipes. Have a lovely weekend my dear!

    • Hello dear Sharmeen; thanks so much for your feedback! I’m very happy that you’ve enjoyed this recipe; noosh e joon! Have a great weekend and please keep in touch 🙂

  16. Thank you for the recipe. I plan to make this morning but serve later this evening. Can I allow to simmer on the stove for a couple of hours or is it better to refrigerate and reheat? Thanks! My husband is from Iran and I’m American and he is very impressed by all the recipes of yours I make for him ?

    • Hello Meghan, simmering for a couple of hours will be just fine. It will only get tastier 😉 But please make sure it is on the lowest heat so it does not get too thick.
      I’m very happy that both you and your husband enjoy my recipes! Please keep in touch. Happy New Year!

  17. Dear Homa khanom, so happy to have found your website. Have tried several of your recipes and the results have been delicious. Regarding ash reshte, I found it interesting to add the fried onions toward the end of the cooking time (about 10 min before adding the reshte as stated in the recipe). However, in the end the fried onions couldn’t be tasted at all.. any idea why? Maybe next time add it later even after the reshte, just before the ash is served? Thank you so much sharing your precious experience and knowledge!

    • Hi Nora, I’m happy to read your kind comment about all the recipes that you have tried and enjoyed! If the fried onions are added at the end you will taste them but not their effect on the rest of the aash. You could increase the amount of fried onions and use extra for the garnish at the end. This way you will have the overall flavor as well as the more intense flavor that you like. Thanks for writing to me and have a great day!

    • Hi, glad to hear that! I honestly think I would never get tired of eating it 🙂 Great to have you here, please keep in touch!

  19. Homa jon, I’m Brazilian and my husband is Persian. This is one my favorites Persian dishes. Couldn’t believe my Ash turn out as good as my mother-in-law’s. Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing recipe!!! I’m so impressed!
    Coincidental and fun fact: my mother-in-law’s name is also Homa and she is the best cook I ever known in life.

    • Roberta jan, so happy to hear from you! Wow, as good as your MIL’s! How awesome is that? I think you’ll find many favorite recipes on this blog. I would love to read your feedback on the recipes that you will try. Much love to all of you and take care 🙂

  20. Hi Homa,

    I made a ‘pandemic blizzard’ version of this tonight with quite a few substitutions. I started with the legumes I had on hand, dried kidney beans and yellow split peas (soaked and cooked them first for longer), and I had to omit lentils and the dried herbs because I didn’t have them. Of course I omitted the cilantro too, lol. It was still totally delicious. Husband had seconds and kids ate well despite the obvious presence of spinach (which they picked around). I succeeded in making the yogurt swirls at least. Great recipe for a winter night.

    • Hi Allison, it is good to hear from you. Your comment cracked me up! You have created a new delicious soup, and your family has enjoyed it; can’t ask for a better outcome 🙂
      Please take care and keep in touch!

  21. How did you make the Beef Stock for this recipe? I saw your chicken stock recipe but I feel like a beef stock would be lovely.

    • It is very similar to my chicken stock. You can also make it by simmering some meaty soup bones with water, onion, salt and pepper. The more meat and bone, the tastier and richer it will be

  22. Hi Homa,
    My daughter and I made the Aash Reshteh today exactly as you have created it and I have to tell you, it was another successful Persian meal! It seemed strange to make it when our temps were an unseasonably 102 degrees outside, but daughter is visiting, Persian food is her favorite, and the air conditioner works well. She said she has not liked Aash in restaurants but she loved this home-cooked recipe.

    • Hi Sharon, that sounds like a fun mother daughter activity! I’m very happy to hear that she liked this aash and thank goodness for the air conditioner 😉 Thanks for your comment. Please take care and keep in touch