Classic Ash Reshteh from Dried Beans

Method

1. Rinse the chickpeas and kidney beans and soak them in three times their volume of cold water for 12 h (overnight). They are ready when nearly doubled in size and easy to dent with a fingernail.

   Add in this stepDried chickpeas 50 gDried red kidney beans 50 g

2. Rinse the soaked beans, put them in a 18 cm pot and cover with fresh water by 5 cm. Boil hard over high heat for 10 min, skimming off the foam, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for 1 h. Add the rinsed lentils for the last 25 minutes. Leave them in their cooking water once the beans crush easily against the roof of your mouth.

   Add in this stepDried green lentils 50 g

   high heat→medium-low heat

3. Slice the onions very thinly, about 2 mm. Heat the frying oil in a 24 cm pan, add the onions and cook over medium heat for 15 min, stirring, until they shallow-fry to a deep golden colour. Lift them out just before they turn dark brown and spread on kitchen paper; they crisp as they cool. Keep the onion oil in the pan.

   Add in this stepOnions 2Neutral oil (for frying onions) 6 tbsp

   medium heat

4. Heat 2 tbsp of the onion oil in a large 22 cm pot, fry the turmeric for 30 seconds, then add half the fried onions, the beans and lentils with their cooking water, and the stock. Add the finely chopped herbs, spinach, chives, salt and pepper and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 min, stirring to the bottom often.

   Add in this stepGround turmeric ¾ tspVegetable stock 1,000 mlFlat-leaf parsley 50 gFresh coriander (cilantro) 50 gDill 20 gSpinach 100 gChives (or spring onion greens) 20 gSalt 1 tspGround black pepper ½ tsp

   medium-low heat

5. Whisk the flour into 3 tbsp cold water until smooth. Snap the noodles in half, add them to the pot, stir in the flour mixture and cook over medium heat for 10 min. When the noodles are tender and the soup coats a spoon thickly, taste for seasoning.

   Add in this stepReshteh noodles (or linguine) 80 gPlain flour 1 tbsp

   medium heat

6. Heat the mint-oil oil in a small pan, add the thinly sliced garlic and cook over low heat for 1 min 30 sec until pale golden, then turn off the heat and stir in the dried mint for a few seconds only.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil (for the mint oil) 1½ tbspGarlic cloves 3Dried mint 1½ tsp

   low heat

7. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 min and crush them roughly. Loosen the kashk with 1–2 tbsp warm water and stir some into the soup off the heat. Ladle into bowls, swirl over the remaining kashk and top with the fried onions, garlic-mint oil and walnuts.

   Add in this stepWalnuts 20 gLiquid kashk 5 tbsp

   medium heat