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Ash-e omaj
Herb soup with flour dumplings
آش اماج (ash-e omaj): Tabriz soup of tiny rubbed flour dumplings, herbs and kashk
PersianIn Tabriz and the villages of Azerbaijan, ash-e omaj is a winter soup for snowy evenings, made with omaj, little crumbs of flour rubbed together with water between the palms. They swell in a broth of chickpeas, lentils and herbs into soft, chewy dumplings, and the soup is soured with vinegar or a swirl of kashk. Serve it with fried onion and mint oil. The mistake is tipping all the omaj in at once, so it clumps into a paste; sprinkle it in while stirring. Kashk contains dairy and the dumplings contain wheat. Chef's tip: shake the rubbed crumbs in a sieve and rub again any that are still floury, so every piece is a neat little pellet.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the soup
- 2 ⅞ oz dried chickpeassoaked overnight
- 2 ⅞ oz green lentilsrinsed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 litres water
- 7 oz parsley, coriander, dill and leek greensfinely chopped
- 2 tsp salt
For the omaj
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- ¼ cup cold water
For the toppings
- 2 onionsthinly sliced
- 5 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp dried mint
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put the drained 2 ⅞ oz dried chickpeas in a pot with 2 litres water and 1 tsp ground turmeric, bring to the boil, skim and simmer for 50 minutes. Add 2 ⅞ oz green lentils for the last 20 minutes.
50 minStep 2: Meanwhile put 5 ½ oz plain flour in a wide bowl. Sprinkle over ¼ cup cold water a spoonful at a time, rubbing the flour between your palms so it forms small pellets the size of lentils. Shake through a sieve and rub any loose flour again.
10 minStep 3: Sprinkle the omaj into the simmering soup while stirring. Add 7 oz parsley, coriander, dill and leek greens and 2 tsp salt and simmer, stirring from the bottom often, until the dumplings are soft and chewy and the soup is thick.
15 minStep 4: Fry 2 onions in 4 tablespoons of 4 tbsp sunflower oil over a medium heat until crisp and golden.
15 minStep 5: Warm the rest of 1 tbsp sunflower oil off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp dried mint for a few seconds.
1 minStep 6: Stir most of ½ cup liquid kashk or 2 tbsp vinegar into the soup off the heat and taste for salt.
2 minStep 7: Serve topped with onions, mint oil and the rest of the kashk.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ash-e omaj take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 70 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of dried chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
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