Ash-e Reshteh

Ingredients

• 100g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 100g dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
• 100g brown or green lentils
• 3 onions
• 5 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 300g fresh spinach, chopped
• 150g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 150g coriander, chopped
• 100g dill, chopped
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 200g reshteh noodles, or linguine broken into 8cm lengths
• 2 litres water or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp dried mint
• 150g kashk (fermented whey), or thick sour cream thinned with a little water
• Juice of half a lemon

Before you cook

• Drain the soaked chickpeas and kidney beans.
• Chop two of the onions finely and slice the third very thinly for the garnish.
• Wash and chop all the herbs and the spinach, keeping them together in one big bowl.
• Rinse the lentils.

Steps

1. Heat 3 tbsp of the oil in a very large pot over medium heat.
2. Cook the two chopped onions for 15 minutes until soft and golden.
3. Stir in the turmeric and half the sliced garlic and fry for one minute.
4. Add the drained chickpeas and kidney beans with the water and bring to the boil.
5. Simmer covered for 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but still holding their shape.
6. Stir in the lentils and cook for a further 20 minutes.
7. Add all the chopped herbs and spinach, pressing them down into the liquid.
8. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the herbs have collapsed and the soup turns dark green.
9. Season with the salt and pepper.
10. Drop in the noodles and stir well so they do not clump at the bottom.
11. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the noodles are soft and the soup is thick enough to hold a spoon upright for a second.
12. Heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.
13. Fry the thinly sliced onion for 10 minutes until deep brown and crisp, then lift it out onto kitchen paper.
14. Add the rest of the sliced garlic to the same pan and fry for 30 seconds.
15. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the dried mint, which should sizzle and turn dark within seconds.
16. Stir the lemon juice and half the kashk through the soup and check the seasoning.
17. Ladle into bowls and finish each one with a swirl of the remaining kashk, a spoonful of the mint oil and a pinch of the crisp fried onion.