Ash Reshteh

Ash Reshteh is definitely known as one of the most famous Iranian dishes. We are almost sure that anyone who has visited Iran must have tried this dish at least once. Most of the time, this dish is not cooked on normal days, but it can always be found on specific days such as, Eids, celebrations and mourning ceremonies. As we see during Moharram, as Shole Mashhadi, Ash Reshte is particularly made. Aush Reshteh might be similar to ash shole ghalmkar in appearance , but the taste are totally different.

Ash Reshteh

The unique flavor of Aash Reshte, comes from two of its main ingredients: Kashk, a form of drained milk or yogurt, and Reshteh; a starchy, salty type of noodle. Go on and read the main recipe for this dish.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 4 hours hrs

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine persian

Servings 6 people

Calories 250 kcal

Ingredients

  

• ½ cup pinto beans
• ½ cup navy beans
• ½ cup chickpeas
• ½ cup lentils
• 500 grams chopped chives, parsley, coriander
• 500 grams chopped spinach (chopped in bigger shapes)
• 300 grams Reshteh (There are different types of them, prepare one which is suitable for Ash)
• 8 glasses water
• Kashk as much as required
• Fried onions, fried mints, fried garlics as much as required

Instructions

 

• About 24 hours before you want to cook this dish, leave the beans in water so that they will absorb some water. This is a necessary step because during this process, some chemical reactions, making the dish easier to be digested, will take place. During this process, change the water (which the beans are inside) two or three times. If you don’t have enough time, using some baking soda will make the ingredients cook faster. You can also prepare the fried onions, fried mints and fried garlic before cooking the Ash.
• Add all the beans – except for the lentils- , some fried onions, some fried mints and some water to a pot (fried onions and fried mints are not necessary to be added here, but adding them can make the dish more delicious). Leave the pot on the flame of gas burner. After about 2 hours, when the beans are completely cooked, add the lentils, vegetables (chives, parsley, coriander and spinach).They need about one hour to cook. After that add the Reshteh, more fried onions and more fried garlics (keep some of them for the topping) and give the stew 45 more minutes. During this time, the Reshteh will expand.

Topping and serving Ash Reshteh

• Put some Ash in a big or small bowl. Cover its surface with Kashk and on top of that, use fried mints, fried onions (Piaz Dagh) and fried garlics (Sir Dagh). Always remember to prepare more of them because they can make this dish much tastier. Some people prefer more Kashk in their dish, so provide more of it as well. This dish can be saved as the main dish or an appetizer. Do not forget some fresh Sangak Bead next to it.

Tips for cooking Ash Reshteh

• Always remember to use fresh vegetables.
• To cook this dish, use a pot bigger than the amount of your ingredients because the ingredients are going to expand and require more space.
• When adding the Reshteh, pay attention to the amount of water. If the water is not enough, the strains of Reshteh will lose their desirable shape, form and taste.
• The more fried onions you use, the tastier the dish will be.
• Kashk has a large amount of salt inside it, so be really careful when you want to add salt. They can make the stew too salty.
• After adding the strains of Reshteh, make sure to stir the stew. If not the strains might stick together. Even after that, during those 45 minutes, stir the stew every now and then. The strains need minutes to cook, but giving them more time its essence will emerge, making the stew more delicious.
• Because Kashk is usually thick, for topping the Aush Reshteh, dissolve it in some eater. You can even add some saffron to the Kashk which you want to use for the topping.
• To prepare fried mints, stir fry small pieces of dried mints in oil (they must be floating in it) for 10 seconds and not any longer.
• Coriander seeds can help the human digestive system a lot. Since a lot of beans have been used in this dish, it’s a good idea to use them as a type of spice. To do this, smash its seeds a little and stir fry them for a short while and add them to the stew with the Reshteh.
• To prepare fried garlics, chop them in pieces with the same size, you can even use a grater. Add some oil and then add the pieces of garlic. The pieces of the garlic must flow in the oil. Keep stirring them and separate them from the oil (using a sieve) as soon as they look golden. If you stir fry them longer than this, they will taste bitter.

• To prepare fried onions, slice the onion “lengthwise” and add them to some boiling water. After a little time, separate them from the water and spread them on a piece of cloth, waiting for them to dry. At this stage you can sprinkle the onion slices with some turmeric and saffron to make them look better. Heat some oil in a pan and add the onions. At the beginning you don’t need to stir it but as soon as they look golden you must constantly stir them until cooked completely.

Health notes of ash reshte!

The best ways to supply the water of the body by food is ash and soups with the seasonal vegetables. Ashe Reshte is one of the best dishes you can find in Persian cuisine because of different legumes it has and different kinds of vegetables it consist.

The legumes used in the Ashe Reshte answered the needs of your body and is super beneficial. It also has enough amount of carbs that can help you supply the energy you need to do your activities.

A small bowl of Ashe Reshte can meet the needs of a mature person.