A few years ago, at a book event, I met a tall man who told me how much he enjoyed my writing. He also warned me not to listen to or worry about any criticism of the large number of pasta and bean/lentil/chickpea soup recipes I’ve included over the years, because he for one couldn’t get enough of them; nor could his wife. This started me worrying, of course, and later counting.
The man also offered me some advice in the form of a question, from his mother, who was born in Tehran: “Why add a sprig when you can add a bunch of herbs?” He thanked me again and walked away. And I started to talk to someone else, with his wise but cryptic advice suspended in a cartoon thought bubble. And it stayed there, bubbling up around herbs or pasta and bean soup. Surely he didn’t mean a whole bunch of rosemary?
Then, a few months ago, I was reading Saghar Setareh’s excellent Iranian-Italian cookbook Pomegranates & Artichokes, enjoying her mention of an ancient noodle called lakhsha, supposedly invented by the ruler of the Sasanian empire from 531 to 579, king Khosrow (much is attributed to Khosrow: bridges, roads, walls, books, palaces, so he was surely capable of a pasta shape, too). Saghar notes that, these days, the most famous noodle in Iran is reshteh, literally meaning thread or string, and its long, flat proportions are ideal for a hearty bean, herb and noodle soup called ash reshteh. The bubble was back. Chefs and food writers from Saghar to Homa Partovi, who writes the richly useful Persian Mama blog, Samin Nosrat and Naz Deravian all confirm the beauty of not just a bunch, but bunches of herbs: parsley, mint, coriander, chives, and a squeaking handful of spinach, all minced into a mountain of green for this hearty bean and pasta soup.
Both the pasta (noodles) and herbs are thought to bring good luck, which is why ash reshteh is often served for Nowruz, the first day of the Persian New Year and spring equinox, when the sun crosses the celestial equator and equalises night and day. Each serving is finished with crisp fried red onion, mintand a spoonful of kashk (a form of drained whey), which can be substituted with Greek yoghurt or soured cream.
What is most revelatory about this soup, however, is not the mountain of fresh herbs, which is glorious, but the two teaspoons of dried mint. Having not understood or used it well in the past, I have always thought of it as a dusty shadow of fresh, when, in fact, it’s a concentrated reflection of it, warm and resinous and, because of the menthol, fresh. You could say dried mint is wise and experienced mint, a bit like the man who put a new bean soup on my list via a thought in a bubble. Why add a sprig when you can add a bunch?
Bean, herb and pasta soup - ash reshteh
Serves 6
6 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tsp turmeric
100g lentils
400g dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 8 hours
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp dried mint
A bunch each of parsley, mint and coriander
1 big handful chives
1 big handful spinach
Salt
200g broken dried reshteh, tagliatelle, linguine or fettuccine
Lemon juice, to serve (optional)
Kashk, or Greek yoghurt or soured cream
Warm four tablespoons of the oil in a large pan on a medium-low heat, then fry the onion, stirring often, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, cook for a minute or so more, then stir in the turmeric. Add the lentils and drained chickpeas, stir until well coated, then add two litres of water and leave to simmer for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, get the garnish going. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, then fry the red onion over a low heat until dark and caramelised: this will take about half an hour. Add the dried mint and set aside.
Use a knife or blender to mince or pulse all the fresh herbs and the spinach into a rough mixture, then add to the soup with a good pinch of salt and simmer for another 30 minutes.
Add the pasta, raise the heat and simmer in a lively way until it is cooked.
Serve topped with the crisp red onion, a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of kashk, yoghurt or soured cream.
• This article was amended on 4 September 2023. The list of ingredients referred to two tablespoons of mint instead of two teaspoons.
