What is ASH RESHTEH?

Ash Reshteh is a classic Iranian food that is often made for New Year celebrations or is served on cold winter nights. It is a strong, filling soup made of various beans, spinach or beet green and pasta. The ingredients are combined and cooked together in a container of water or supply until the liquid is reduced to a heavy, steamed consistency. Just before the bowl is finished, the kashk is added to provide a creamy texture. When served, the soup is often decorated with patterns made of kashk floating on the surface, fried onion, fried mint and sometimes fried ground beef. The recipe usually requires a combination of navy beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and lenses. The lens cooks much faster than other types of beans and are usually added after others have started cooking. Beans must be soaked overnight if they are dried to ensure that they are soft, although canned beans can be used.

Another important element in the bowl is the pasta. In Farsi, "Reshteh" is the word for "pasta". The exact type of pasta that requires a traditional recipe is unclear, because Reshteh generally refers to all pasta, but came to refer mainly to thin noodles, unlike the Italian angel hair pasta. Reshteh is usually broken into pieces when it is added to the bowl, partly, to be the same and partly because of the tradition that it is good luck for future trips.

ASH RESHTEH is prepared the first frying onion and garlic in a pan oil. Upon completion, water or stock is added to the pan and transported to a boil. The flour is added to the boiling liquid to thicken the sauce; Reshteh and any spices - like mint, parsley and coriander are also added. Everything can cook until the pasta is finished.

Beans are added to the ash Reshteh, if necessary with more liquid. The whole mixture is allowed to boil until the beans are soft and liquidIn the pot decreases and will not be reduced. The actual thickness of the last soup is left at the discretion of the chef, but can move from very liquid to almost insertion. Right from the end of the cooking, the kashk, the type of whey reminiscent of sour cream, is added.

The finished ash is poured into a bowl and any number of designs can be made to the top with another kashk. Fried mint can be sprinkled over the top, as well as fried crunchy onions or ground beef and garlic. Some recipes require Ash Reshteh to be made the day in advance and keep overnight so that the flavors have time for an old age and evolve, even if it is not necessary.