Ash-e Reshteh Herb Noodle Soup

From the garden

• 6 cups soft herbs (parsley, cilantro, dill, and chives), chopped, packed · about four big bunches; roughly half parsley and cilantro, then dill and chives
• 1 bunch spinach or other tender cooking greens, chopped
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 3 tbsp mint, dried and crumbled · for the mint oil poured over at the end; 1/3 cup fresh, minced, also works

From the pantry

• ½ cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
• 1 can canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can canned white or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 oz reshteh noodles, or linguine, broken into 2-inch lengths
• 8 cups vegetable stock · plain water is traditional and works; the herbs carry the flavor
• 5 tbsp neutral oil · divided between the fried onions and the mint oil
• ¾ cup sour cream · stands in for kashk; thin it with a spoonful of water before drizzling
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Simmer the lentils in the stock with the turmeric and a big pinch of salt, about 20 minutes, until nearly tender. Add the chickpeas and beans and hold the pot at a lazy bubble.
2. Fry half the sliced onion in 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat, 15–18 minutes, until deep brown and sweet. Stir in the garlic for the last minute and set this piaz dagh aside.
3. Add the remaining raw onion to the pot with all the chopped herbs and greens, pressing them under the liquid. Simmer 25 minutes, until the soup goes dark green and smells savory rather than grassy.
4. Drop in the broken noodles and cook 10–12 minutes, stirring often so they do not settle and stick. The soup should thicken until a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a brief trail.
5. Warm the last 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan, pull it off the heat, and stir in the mint. Give it 30 seconds: it should darken and smell toasty, never scorched.
6. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper, ladle into deep bowls, and finish each with thinned sour cream, the fried onions, and a spoonful of mint oil. Swirl the toppings in at the table.