Asheh Mast (Persian Herb and Yoghurt Soup) is a traditional Iranian recipe for a classic soup of beef, chickpeas and hebs flavoured with advieh ash spice blend and finished with yoghurt. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Iranian version of: Persian Herb and Yoghurt Soup (Asheh Mast).
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Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
1 onion, grated
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 garlic cloves, grated
225g extra-lean minced beef
100g dried chickpeas, rinsed and dried
65g raw rice, well washed and drained
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley (about 110g), coarsely chopped
1 bunch of coriander (about 110g), coarsely chopped
1 bunch of mint (about 110g), coarsely chopped
1 bunch or spring onions or chives, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp Advieh Ash spice blend
yoghurt
Method:
Set a pan over medium heat. Once hot add a glug of oil and use to fry the chopped onion and chopped garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the chickpeas, stirring to coat in the oil. Now pour in 1l water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 60 minutes.
In the meantime, combine the grated onion and garlic in a bowl with 1/8 tsp turmeric. Season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Mix to combine then add the minced beef and mix together with your hands.
Shape into cherry-sized meatballs and chill in the refrigerator until needed.
Add the washed rice to the chickpea mixture with 750ml water and cook for 15 minutes more.
Now carefully drop the meatballs into the soup mixture and season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.
Add the herbs, stirring carefully to combine then cook, covered, for 2 hours over low heat.
Whilst cooking make sure to stir the contents of the pan every so often to ensure that the ingredients don’t stick to the base of the pan.
Once the Ash (soup) is ready you can either add 500ml of yogurt to the pan or add a generous dollop of yogurt to each serving bowl. If you're adding the yogurt to the pan, let it warm through gently, making sure it does not boil.
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