Persian Tomato Āsh (Āsh-e Goje Farangi)
Persian
,Soups and Stews
April 13, 2023
“Never would have guessed of all the countries in the world, my crew and I would be treated, so well everywhere by total strangers in Iran.”
— Anthony Bourdain
That is a simple truth.
Ancient Persia has gone through many changes and upheavals, but thanks to people’s loyal devotion to tradition, the culture of ancient Persia persists and thrives well in modern-day Iran. Elaborate, fervent, and over-the-top hospitality is one of the pillars of Iranian culture that usually stuns foreign visitors. No matter how poor or wealthy, they offer their guests, foreigners or relatives, their best manners, services, and food.
Persian cuisine, with its signature sensuous aroma, mild flavors, and colorful ingredients, may be easy to define, but its origin remains egregiously muddled and its evolution over time gets even more complicated when considering that each rival’s invasion introduced new ideas into the region and intentionally or unintentionally expanded Persian influence back into their home countries.
We may not have a whole lot of evidence at hand, but a few writings of court chefs and the travelogues from the Safavid era mention Polo (rice), Dolme, Kufte, Kuku, and Aash giving us plenty enough reason to believe Aash (pronounced āsh) is one of the truly authentic Iranian foods that you are about to experience for yourself.
Once you become familiar with Iranian food fare, you’d realize that if a dish doesn’t come with a large amount of rice, it comes with a copious amount of fresh herbs cooked low-and-slow and in one pot. You’ll need to buy and prep a lot of fresh herbs, a lot of tomatoes, a bit of legume, and tiny meatballs (koofteh ghelghele, کوفته قلقلی).
This Aash has the bold, bright, and distinct flavors of herbs unfamiliar to the Western world combined with mildly sweet and tangy tomatoes. It is also accompanied by a unique and unmistakable aroma that will fill your house as you cook from wall to wall.
It is served in a bowl as an appetizer or as a main course with naan on the side. Unsettled thoughts and day-to-day agitations seem to easily slip through the same fingers that clutch a warm bowl of Aash. You may think my praises for Persian food are biased, and there is some truth to that, but I am willing to bet you would love this recipe and would want to try others because Once you go Persian there is no Conversion.
Have fun in the kitchen.
Persian Tomato Āsh (Āsh-e Goje Farangi)
Ingredients
- 2 yellow onions (one grated, one diced)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb. ground meat
- 1 tsp turmeric
- ½ cup yellow split peas preferably soaked for a few hours
- 10-12 tomatoes peeled and crushed (2 14-ounce cans can be substituted)
- 2 cups cilantro packed, hard stems removed, minced, or processed in a food processor
- 2 cups parsley packed, hard stems removed, minced, or processed in a food processor
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup green onions or chives or leeks packed, minced, or processed in a food processor
- 2 cups mint ½ cup dried can be substituted
- 1/3 cup rice
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- oil/butter
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl mix grated onion with ground beef. Season with salt and form into small meatballs. Set aside.
- Saute diced onion in enough oil/butter until translucent. Add the garlic, turmeric, and ground pepper. Give it a few stirs.
- Add meatballs one by one, add more oil or water if needed, cover, and cook until meatballs are browned. ~15 minutes.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes. Add all the herbs, rice, and split peas. Cover with enough water. Cook on low heat for 1-1.5 hrs. Stir gently from time to time.
- Add all the herbs, rice, and split peas. Cover with enough water. Cover and cook on low heat for 1-1.5 hrs.
- Stir gently from time to time. Add enough water for your desired consistency, keeping in mind Aash is supposed to have a thick consistency.
- Stir in tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
