Soup · Herb & Noodle

Ash Reshteh

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Before someone leaves on a long trip, families traditionally cook ash reshteh for good luck, a custom known as ash-e posht-e pa.

This hearty green soup simmers beans, lentils, chickpeas, and a generous mix of fresh herbs together with reshteh — Persian noodles — into a thick, fragrant stew. It's ladled into bowls and topped with kashk (a tangy fermented whey), crisped fried onions, and dried mint sizzled in oil.

Why it's made this way: Reshteh means 'string' or 'thread', and eating the noodles is said to help you take hold of the thread of your life — which is why the soup is served before a journey and during Nowruz celebrations.