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Ash-e haft daneh
Seven-grain soup
آش هفت دانه (ash-e haft daneh): votive soup of seven grains and pulses for Tasua and Ashura
Ash-e haft daneh, the soup of seven seeds, is cooked as nazri, a votive offering, on Tasua and Ashura in Muharram, when families in Tehran, Kashan and Yazd stir huge cauldrons in the street and share bowls with neighbours and passers-by. Wheat, barley, rice, chickpeas, beans, lentils and mung beans cook slowly into a thick, nutty soup with herbs, topped with fried onion and mint. Serve it in bowls with bread. The mistake is adding all the grains together; they cook at different speeds, so the hard ones go in first. Chef's tip: soak everything except the rice and lentils overnight, each in its own bowl, and you'll cut the cooking time by an hour.
- Total time
- 170 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 ⅛ oz dried chickpeassoaked overnight
- 2 ⅛ oz dried kidney beanssoaked overnight
- 2 ⅛ oz whole wheat grainssoaked overnight
- 2 ⅛ oz pearl barleysoaked overnight
- 2 ⅛ oz mung beanssoaked for 2 hours
- 2 ⅛ oz green lentilsrinsed
- 2 ⅛ oz short-grain ricerinsed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 litres water
- 9 oz parsley, coriander, dill and spinachfinely chopped
- 2 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the toppings
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 6 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 ½ tbsp dried mint
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 2 ⅛ oz dried chickpeas, 2 ⅛ oz dried kidney beans and 2 ⅛ oz whole wheat grains, put them in a large pot with 3 litres water and 1 tsp ground turmeric, bring to the boil, skim and simmer for 1 hour.
60 minStep 2: Add the drained 2 ⅛ oz pearl barley and 2 ⅛ oz mung beans and simmer for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Add 2 ⅛ oz green lentils and 2 ⅛ oz short-grain rice and simmer, stirring from the bottom often, until every grain is soft and the soup is thick.
35 minStep 4: Stir in 9 oz parsley, coriander, dill and spinach, 2 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and simmer until the herbs are dark. Add hot water if it becomes too stiff to stir.
20 minStep 5: Meanwhile fry 3 onions in 5 tablespoons of 5 ⅛ tbsp sunflower oil over a medium heat until crisp and golden.
20 minStep 6: Warm the rest of ⅞ tbsp sunflower oil off the heat and stir in 1 ½ tbsp dried mint for a few seconds.
1 minStep 7: Ladle into bowls, top with onions and mint oil and share it round.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ash-e haft daneh take?
- About 170 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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