Rice and vegetable aash with puy lentils

Name: Rice and vegetable aash with puy lentils
Total time: 55 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients: olive oil for frying; 2 large onions finely chopped; a large bunch flat-leaf parsley finely chopped; a large bunch coriander finely chopped; 5 large cloves garlic crushed; 1 tbsp unsweetened tamarind paste; 2 tsp paprika; 3 tbsp tomato purée; 75g butter; 1 heaped tbsp plain flour; 1 litre vegetable stock; 100g basmati rice; 100g dried puy lentils; a small bunch dill finely chopped; a bunch spring onions thinly sliced

Published: April 29, 2019 at 5:13 PM

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Serves 6-8

Easy

Total time: 55 mins

A star rating of 5 out of 5.2 ratingsRate

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To say that aash is merely a soup would be underselling it – this hearty staple of Persian cuisine is always herb- based but there are many varieties: some with meat, some with barley, rice, tomato or pomegranate molasses. It’s the best comfort food on a cold day. This is Sabrina Ghayour's Western version but still every bit as delicious

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Ingredients

Nutrition

olive oil

for frying
2 large onions

finely chopped
a large bunch flat-leaf parsley

finely chopped
a large bunch coriander

finely chopped
5 large cloves garlic

crushed
1 tbsp unsweetened tamarind paste
2 tsp paprika
3 tbsp tomato purée
75g butter
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 litre vegetable stock
100g basmati rice
100g dried puy lentils
a small bunch dill

finely chopped
a bunch spring onions

thinly sliced

Nutrition: per serving

kcal245
fat11.5g
saturates5.4g
carbs25.4g
sugars6.3g
fibre5.9g
protein7g
salt0.5g

Method

step 1

Pour in enough olive oil to coat the base of a large pan and put over a medium heat. Cook the onions for a few minutes until softened, without browning. Add the parsley and coriander, and cook them down for a few minutes until wilted. Stir in the garlic and cook for a few more minutes until soft and translucent, again without browning.
step 2

Stir in the tamarind, paprika, tomato purée and butter, then add the flour and mix well. Fry for a few minutes, then pour in the stock and 1 litre of cold water, and season generously. Bring the contents of the pan to a rolling boil, then stir in the rice and lentils. Reduce the heat and simmer, without a lid, for 25-30 minutes or until the rice and lentils are cooked. If the soup seems too thick, add some boiling water (up to 300ml), a little at a time, until you reach a desired consistency.
step 3

Season, then serve immediately (it will continue to absorb more liquid if left to sit too long) with the dill and sliced spring onions scattered on top.

Discover more of our best hearty soup recipes here...

Recipes extracted from Bazaar: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes by Sabrina Ghayour (£26, Mitchell Beazley). Buy the book here.

Sabrina Ghayour, Bazaar

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