Persian vegetarian barley soup prepared with beans, herbs and spices is so delicious and hearty. It is wholesome and can be served as a main course or side dish.
In a large cooking pot add chickpeas, kidney beans, and water or broth. Raise the heat and bring to a rolling boil. Then reduce the heat, cover and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft, about 60 minutes. Mash up the beans a bit with the back of a wooden ladle.
Next add barley and continue to cook until the grains are soft but not mushy, stirring in between, about 30 minutes. Add water or broth as needed.
Meanwhile, prepare the fried onions. Heat oil in a large cooking pot (5 to 6 quart) and sauté onions over medium heat until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the dried mint and set aside.
Tip: You can fry the onions separately following the method used for koshari. If you choose this, then just add the mint to some hot oil and stir it back into the soup or serve on the side.
Add spinach, parsley, cilantro, dill, spinach, leeks, green onions, and grated ginger. Cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Then stir in turmeric, salt, pepper and allow it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
The soup is ready when the beans are well done and barley is soft but still retaining some texture. For a thicker soup consistency, blend some of the ingredients and stir it back into the soup. Adjust the seasonings and consistency to your taste.
Serve the hot ash-e jow topped with kashk or sour cream and mint-fried onions.
Notes
Canned Beans: If using canned beans, cook it for about 15 minutes, mash it up a bit before adding barley.
Dried Herbs: Use one-fourth in volume of fresh herbs. Soak the dried herbs in water for 20 minutes. Drain the water before adding soaked herbs to the soup.
Fried Onions: If frying onions as in Koshari, then you will need more oil, and choose high smoke point oils for that.
Readymade Crispy Onions: You can buy fried shallots at Asian stores and fried onions in cans at American supermarkets.
Make Ahead: Chop herbs and vegetables earlier. Soak and cook the beans ahead. The cooked beans, chopped herbs and spinach can be frozen as well.
Storage and Leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat before serving, adding water as needed.
Kashk: Traditionally, Persian soups are topped with a creamy fermented yogurt product known as kashk, which is sour and has a cheese like flavor. More information in the blog-post above.
Mint-oil: To make this, heat some oil and stir in dried mint. Turn off the heat and don't let it burn.
Slow Cooker or Instant Pot: This soup can be cooked in either of these.
Nutrition facts: Does not include kashk. The suggested amount of salt is just a guideline and may need to be adjusted.
For more information on ingredients, variations and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.