Iranian Yogurt Soup Ashe Mast Recipes

ASHEH MAST | PERSIAN YOGURT SOUP

Steps:

• First, soak the rice, cotyledons and lentils in separate bowls from the night (12 hours) before you want to cook Ash Mast, and change the water with fresh water at least 4times.
• Choose a suitable pot and pour 4 or 5 liters water into it and place the pot on the heat. When water boils, add cotyledons.
• Wait for 20 minutes, then add lentils and leave the ingredients for some minutes till they boil gently.
• In this step, add rinsed and drained rice to the pot. Wait till the whole combinations gets a thicker texture.
• Add fried onions which you'd made before, some salt and black pepper. Put the pot lid and Let the content cook over low heat gently.
• In the meantime, grate the second onion and one garlic clove. Place them in a bowl and add 1/8 tablespoon turmeric, salt and pepper.
• Mix them well together. Add the minced meat and once again mix the ingredients all well.Make meatballs with the meat mixture about the size of a cherry.
• Sauté meatballs with a little oil and then add them to the pot.
• Add fried mint and wait till yoghurt soup cooks with the rest of the ingredients.
• Turn off the heat and taste your dish and check if you need to add some salt.
• Once Ash e Mast is ready, you can either add 2 cups of yogurt to the pot or a dollop of yogurt to each bowl.
• Mix the yogurt, and enjoy the dish.

ASH RESHTEH (PERSIAN GREENS, BEAN AND NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• The night before you plan to cook, place chickpeas and white beans in a medium bowl. Add a generous pinch of salt and 2 cups water. Refrigerate overnight.
• The night before or just before cooking, prepare the herbs and greens: Wash spinach, cilantro and parsley, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Run a knife through the spinach to cut leaves into large pieces. Trim the woody ends from cilantro, parsley and dill so that only leaves and tender stems remain. Roughly chop cilantro, parsley, dill, chives and mint leaves into pieces no larger than a quarter. If preparing ahead of time, wrap chopped greens and herbs in plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.
• To cook, set a large (at least 10-quart) Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is tender and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Drain the beans and add to onion along with the lentils, turmeric and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the beans with oil and spices. Add the chopped spinach and herbs, along with stock or water, and stir to combine. Partly cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer the soup for 1 hour, stirring regularly to prevent the greens from sticking and burning. If the soup remains very thick even after the greens have wilted, add another 1 to 2 cups water, as needed to thin it.
• Place 1 1/2 cups kashk in a medium bowl. Add a ladle or two of hot soup and whisk to dissolve, then add the mixture to the pot. The kashk will change the color of the soup from bright to milky green. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then break the noodles in half and add to the pot. Stir gently to mix in the noodles and keep them from sticking together, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are soft and chewy and the beans are completely tender, about 30 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the garnishes: Set a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add sliced onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until golden brown and caramelized, 16 to 18 minutes. Spread cooked onion onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil; let cool. Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add remaining 1/3 cup oil and warm gently over low heat, then stir in dried mint and remove from heat. Set mint oil aside and allow to steep for at least 5 minutes.
• Place remaining 1/2 cup kashk in a small bowl and thin out with a few tablespoons of water until it's the texture of thin yogurt. Set aside.
• The soup should be as thick as a hearty chili. If it's any thicker, thin it with water, 1/2 cup at a time. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed, accounting for the fact that both the noodles and the kashk are well salted.
• To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Drizzle with reserved kashk and mint oil, then top with a sprinkling of golden onions.

MAST-O KHIAR (PERSIAN CUCUMBER AND HERB YOGURT)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, submerge the raisins in boiling water to plump for 10 minutes, then drain well.
• Remove alternating stripes of peel on cucumbers and trim ends. Dice cucumbers into 1/4-inch pieces and place in a large bowl with raisins, yogurt, fresh herbs, garlic, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and, if using, half the rose petals. Using your fingers to break up any large pieces, gently grind the dried mint and dried dill into the bowl. Stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt as needed.
• Just before serving, stir in the walnuts and transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with remaining rose petals, if using. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.

IRANIAN YOGURT SOUP - ASHE MAST

Steps:

• Put the meat in a bowl. Add grated onion and salt and pepper and mix well. Make meat balls the size of walnuts.
• Put yogurt in a 3-qt pot. Add rice, egg, flour and mix well. Add water. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly for about 20 minutes or until it thickens and rice cooks.
• Add meat balls to the yogurt mixture and let simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add greens and beans and let simmer for 15 minutes. Can substitute fresh beans for canned.
• Stir often to avoid curdling.
• As a soup garnish, chop one or two cloves of garlic and saute in butter, add dried mint, about 1 tablespoon, and put a teaspoonful of this hot garlic sauce on each plate of yogurt soup when serving.

ASH-E-JOW (IRANIAN/PERSIAN BARLEY SOUP)

Steps:

• Heat the chicken stock in a pot to a gentle simmer.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute the onion until translucent. Add the pearl barley to the pot and stir for one minute. Stir in the hot chicken stock, turmeric, lime juice, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Mix in the carrots and continue simmering 30 minutes or until the soup has thickened and the carrots and barley are tender. If the soup is too thick, add hot water, one tablespoon at a time.
• Place the sour cream in a small bowl. Slowly pour 1/2 cup of hot soup mixture into sour cream, whisking constantly. Gradually add the sour cream mixture into the soup pot, whisking constantly. Stir in the fresh parsley. Serve with fresh lime wedges.