A Sasanian-era (3rd–7th century) Persian soup; the reshteh noodle and the verb "reshteh kardan" (to spin) gave New Year a metaphor for choosing one's path, which is why ash reshteh is the dish on the eve of Persian New Year (Nowruz) and on the eve of long journeys. The kashk topping is older still, a steppe-pastoral preserved dairy that survived into Persian cooking long after fresh dairy became common.
Nowruz New Year soup of herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill, spinach), legumes (chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans), and reshteh wheat noodles, finished with kashk (whey) and crispy fried mint and onions. Eaten on Sizdah Bedar (13th day of Nowruz) and at major life transitions — symbolic noodle-untangling of one's path.
A dense green soup loaded with thick wheat noodles (reshteh), four kinds of legume (chickpea, kidney, lentil, mung), and so much chopped herb (parsley, coriander, dill, spinach) that the broth is nearly opaque. Topped at the table with kashk — a tart fermented-whey drizzle — fried mint, fried onion, and fried garlic. Spoon should stand up briefly before sinking. Eaten as the No-Ruz meal-in-a-bowl.
Kashk is the load-bearing ingredient: it's drained yogurt or whey reduced and dried, then reconstituted with water — high-acid, high-glutamate, the umami-and-sour hit that takes the herbed broth from green-vegetable to savory. Without it the soup tastes flat. The reshteh noodle is salt-cured and sun-dried, sturdier than Italian pasta, designed to hold its bite through hours of simmering with the legumes.
Variations
Tabriz-style is heavier on kashk and lighter on greens; Tehran-style is balanced; Yazd version adds a touch of vinegar; ash-e doogh subs whey-buttermilk for the broth; ash-e anar uses pomegranate.
On the Palate
Where Ash Reshteh sits in the Persian flavor cloud
Kashk is what makes this soup taste like ash reshteh and not just herb-and-bean broth: stir it in off a hard boil and it delivers the sour-umami hit the whole bowl is built around.
Ingredients
How it's made
4 steps · 45 min
- 120 min
In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add the lentils and kidney beans. Cook until they are tender but not mushy.
Watch outBeans are ready when they crush easily between two fingers but still hold their shape — tender, not falling apart.
- 210 min
Add chopped herbs and noodles to the pot, stirring them into the beans and lentils. Cook until the noodles are tender.
Watch outAdd the noodles only once the beans are soft; pull them while they still have a slight chew, since they keep softening in the hot soup.
- 310 min
In a small pan, heat oil and fry sliced onions until golden and crispy. Set aside for garnishing.
Watch outWatch the onions closely to prevent burning.
- 45 min
Stir in yogurt and spices into the soup, allowing the flavors to meld together for a few minutes over low heat.
Watch outOnce the kashk goes in, keep it just below a simmer — a smooth, tangy, thickened broth, never a hard bubble.
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