Here is another delicious addition to the long line of Aashes, the thick, hearty Persian soups. Like others in the series, this Aash features a generous mix of fresh herbs, Kashk, a tangy Persian whey sauce, crispy garlic, caramelized onions, and aromatic mint sauce.
While mung beans are the main ingredient, the real star of this Aash is the turnip. Persians have a long history of adoring turnips, or perhaps more accurately, of Persian mothers insisting their children eat, drink, and even breathe turnip for its health benefits.
Ask any Iranian mother, and she will eagerly share the turnip’s reputed healing powers, from soothing a cold to purifying the lungs with steamed turnip vapors. For more fascinating insights into this and other Persian remedies, check out my friend’s blog.
If you are new to my blog and haven’t yet heard me talk about Aash, here’s a quick introduction.
Aash has always been a cornerstone of Persian cuisine. The term refers to a thick style of soup that often combines beans, grains, sometimes noodles, herbs, spices, and meat.
There are nearly 50 varieties of Aash. Aash Resteh, Aash Jow, and Aash Sholeh Ghalamkar are among the most well-known, followed by many regional specialties that are less widely recognized.
Farsi (Persian) Lesson:
o appreciate the importance of Aash in Persian cuisine, we need a brief Farsi lesson.
In older spoken Farsi, the word Aash didn’t specifically mean this thick soup or stew; it referred to any prepared food. The word Pazi comes from the verb Pokhtan, meaning ‘to cook.’ Together, Aash-Pazi means ‘cooking,’ while Aash-Paz refers to a cook or chef.
Interestingly, the word for kitchen in Farsi is Aash-Paz-Khaneh, which literally translates to ‘the home of a cook’ or ‘the home where Aash is prepared.’
From my own Seattle Aashpazkhaneh, your humble Aash-Paz, Omid!
Aash-e Mash
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
- 2 medium turnips, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup mung beans, dried
- 9 cups water or broth
- 1/2 cup white rice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, adjust as necessary
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 2 bunches fresh dill, about 1 cup, roughly chopped
- 1 medium leek, finely chopped. Or 6 tablespoons dried Persian Tarreh (leeks)
- 1/2 cup fresh tarragon, roughly chopped. Or 3 tablespoons dried
- 1/2 cup fresh savory, roughly chopped. Or 3 tablespoons dried
Toppings
- 2-4 tablespoons Kashk, Persian prepared liquid whey
Piaz Daagh (fried onion)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch salt
Seer Daagh (fried garlic)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Na’nah Daagh (fried mint)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried Persian mint
Instructions
- In a large pot saute the onion with the olive oil for about 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Add turmeric and turnips and toss around for a couple of minutes for the turnip to become golden.
- Add the mung beans and the water or stock, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the flame, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients, bring back to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 45 minutes or until the mung beans are fully cooked and have softened. The soup texture should be dense with ingredients with just a little broth. Adjust consistency as necessary by adding water or cooking more without a lid.
Toppings
- While the Aash is cooking, prepare the toppings
Piaz Daagh (fried onion)
- In a medium sized frying pan, saute the onions with olive oil for 15 minutes over low heat until they are golden in color. Add salt, stir and remove from the pan.
Seer Daagh (fried garlic)
- In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and begin sauteing the garlic over low flame for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Take extra care not to burn the garlic. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Na'nah Daagh (fried mint)
- In the same saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the mint and saute on low heat for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Assembly
- Serve the Aash in a soup bowl and decorate the Aash with Kashk, onions, garlic and mint.
Delicious recipe. I added chickpeas and kidney beans, which paired well with the mung beans. I definitely will make this again.
Looks very delicious. But where’s the mast? Didn’t see it in the ingredients.
Hi Debbie, this is Aash Mash (mung beans), so I don’t use yogurt for this dish. I do use Kashk as a garnish on top and if you would like you can use yogurt instead.
Your recipes are really delicious with beautiful presentations.
Thank you Rozina jaan, you are so kind! I really appreciate it!
My pleasure. ✨✨🌻😊