Ash-e dandooni (Persian first-tooth soup)

Step 1: Drain and rinse 5 ½ oz whole wheat berries, 3 ½ oz dried chickpeas and 3 ½ oz dried red kidney beans. Put them in a large pot with 10 ½ cups water, bring to the boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam; this fast boil makes the kidney beans safe to eat.

Step 2: Lower the heat, half-cover and simmer for 1 hour, until the chickpeas and beans are nearly tender.

Step 3: Meanwhile, heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions for 15 minutes, until deep golden. Stir in 1 tsp ground turmeric for 30 seconds. Spoon half the onions into the pot and keep the rest for the top.

Step 4: Add 3 ½ oz green lentils to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes more, stirring now and then, until the wheat has burst, a chickpea crushes easily between your fingers and the soup is thick. Adding salt early is the common mistake: it keeps the pulses hard, so stir in 1 ½ tsp salt only now. Before salting, you can lift out a little to mash for a baby.

Step 5: Serve topped with the remaining onions and a pinch of 1 tbsp dried mint rubbed between your fingers. Cool leftovers quickly, keep in the fridge for 2 days or freeze, and reheat with a splash of water until piping hot.