Aash is an Afghani/Persian soup made with ground meat, vegetables, beans and noodles (in Farsi we call noodles “aash”).  To prepare this dish you have to go through several steps to achieve that traditional, rich aash taste.  If I could compare Afghani aash with any kind of western dish, it would be to a chili. It is rich in flavours, healthy and a filling soup that will warm you up especially during the colder seasons.

I really love Aash and make this recipe often for myself.  Over the years I have managed to shorten the prep time next to nothing without sacrificing any taste. This is a quick and super-fast recipe.  If you never tried aash before I hope you will give this yummy and healthy soup recipe a try. 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of mixed beans (kidney beans/black beans, chickpeas) rinse the beans really well and let it drain
• 2-3 table spoon of olive oil
• Some vermicelli (or spaghetti) or aash (you can find aash in any Persian grocery stores) I use vermicelli
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 small tomato finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• Salt, pepper and red chili to taste
• 1 full tablespoon of coriander powder
• 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon of dry dill powder
• About 2 – 3 cups of water (according to your need)
• ½ cup finely chopped leeks (optional) make sure to wash leeks well
• One table spoon of olive oil
• quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder (you need it for the final step)
• dry mint (optional)

Steps to make this recipe:

First Step:

On medium high heat (or instant pot sauté function) sauté finely chopped onions with some olive oil until lightly brown, add turmeric and continue to sauté for 10 seconds.  Add chopped tomatoes and cook until soft. Add Mixed beans and continue mixing for a few minutes add the stock and water, followed by salt and pepper, coriander powder, dill powder, vermicelli/spaghetti or aash. Turn instant pot to stew/meat function for 6 – 8 minutes. If you don’t have or you don’t want to use Instant pot, simply bring your soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium high and let it cook/simmer for 5-6 minutes, add noodles last and cook until the noodles are soft.

Second Step:

While aash is cooking, you can sauté the chopped leeks with a little bit of olive oil until soft and translucent. Put aside.  Once the soup is done and your instant pot is ready to be open add the sautéed leeks inside the soup.

Third Step:

To complete the receipt heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add quarter teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix.  With extreme caution add the heated oil on top of the soup. It does make a splash sound! Be very careful not burn yourself.  The heated oil with turmeric adds an extra layer of flavour to your finished recipe.  Top it up with some dry mint and serve!  

Usually Afghans add yogurt (or quroot = Afghani sour cream) to this soup to finish it off.  I personally don’t like any yogurt in my soup.  But, I encourage to try some plain yogurt with this recipe to experiment! Yogurt gives it a unique taste. See it for yourself if you like it with or without any yogurt.

Check my Instagram @roya_today for a quick video on how to make this recipe and also tag me @roya_today or #royatoday if you decide to make this recipe. Your comments, shares and likes are much appreciated!