Ash-e Jo - Barley Soup with Spinach and Cilantro: A Safavid Era Recipe

I was gifted an Iranian cookbook titled آشپزی دوره صفوی - Ashpazi Doreh-ye Safavid (Cooking during the Safavid Dynasty). This cookbook is a compilation of two separate books (Karnameh and Madat-al-Hayat) about cooking and recipes from the era of Shah Ismail I ( 1501-1524) and Shah Abbas I (1588-1629). According to the author, Iraj Afshar, many of the recipes in this book were dishes served at the Safavid royal court. The working-class people could barely afford most of these extravagant, elaborate, and time-consuming meals. I suspect that this book would appeal to those interested in the history of Iranian cuisine. While many of the recipes are not easy to read or easy to make, the instructions are vague, the servings are large, and the correct measurement of ingredients is left to your imagination, it's wonderful to have a glimpse into the type of food people used to eat long ago.

On a personal note, I am very passionate about recreating old and forgotten recipes and have a deep desire to bring them back to life. I decided to try out one of the recipes, and among the many recipes listed in the book, I came across a simple vegetarian barley soup with spinach and cilantro. I would think a warm bowl of barley soup would have appealed to the Safavid royal court as well as the working-class people, especially in the cold days of winter. I have written two other barley recipes in the past, Soup-e Jo and Ash-e Jo, and this آش جو ash-e jo recipe would be a great addition to my barley recipes. I used this brief and loose ash recipe with vague directions and converted it into a usable recipe, and I'm delighted to share it with you all. I tried to stay true to the original recipe and keep it as authentic as possible while coming up with my own measurements and proportions. Adding lime juice, butter/olive oil to the ash is simply a personal preference, and you may skip it if you like.

Ash-e Jo - Barley Soup with Spinach and Cilantro

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

-1 cup barley
-1 cup chopped cilantro
-1 cup chopped spinach
-A handful of almonds
-Salt and pepper
-Freshly squeezed lime juice (optional)
-Butter/olive oil *optional

Method:

1. Place the raw almonds in a small bowl, cover with boiling water, let sit for a few minutes, remove the skins, and let the almonds dry completely. You can use a food processor or a mortar and pestle to grind the almonds. Set aside.
2. Rinse barley under cool running water, drain, and place in a saucepan. Cover the barley with a couple of inches of water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes or until tender.
3. Add the chopped cilantro, spinach, and ground almonds. Add more water if needed. Simmer on low heat for another 10-15 minutes.
4. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stir well, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

Serve the ash in individual soup bowls and drizzle each serving with a generous squeeze of lime juice.

Enjoy!

Ash-e Jo - Barley Stew with Beans and Herbs

Barley is an ancient grain with an obscure origin. However, as old as barley is, it has never gotten to be a popular grain for cooking in our culture. Yet, despite its long history, it has never become a popular grain for cooking in our culture. In the land where wheat bread (taftoon, lavash, barbary, and sangag) has always been the staple, barley has never had a chance to compete for first place. Though nutritious, versatile, and economical, the only dishes I know that feature barley as a main ingredient are the soup-e jo ( barley soup) and the hearty ash-e jo (barley stew).

In the following Persian quatrains (do-bayti) by Baba Taher Oryan, the great Persian poet and mystic of the late 4th century, barley bread is described as the poor man's bread:

If I could ever get my hands on the universe

I'll ask, "What's with this?"  and "What's with that?"

You give one person a hundredfold of blessings,

To another, only a loaf of barley bread soaked in blood.

آش جو  - Ash-e jo is a hearty, thick soup made with barley, lentils, chickpeas, and beans (either white beans or small red kidney beans). The traditional vegetables are parsley, leeks, and cilantro, but I like to add fresh dill and spinach for extra flavor.. Some people prefer to include meat, but I find this soup far more delicious when kept vegetarian; it allows the grains, legumes, and herbs to truly shine. 

The recipe below makes enough for my family of four, with a little extra leftover to freeze for another day. If you prefer cooking for one or two people, simply cut the ingredients in half.

Ash-e Jo - Barley Stew with Beans and Herbs

Ingredients
Serves 4-6

-1 cup barley, soaked overnight  
-1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
-1/2 cup beans (white beans or red kidney beans) soaked overnight, I used white beans.
-1/2 cup lentils
-1 cup chopped parsley
-1 cup chopped leeks
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro
-1/2 cup chopped spinach (optional)
-1/2 cup chopped dill (optional)
-Salt and pepper taste

Toppings

-1/2 cup liquid whey (kashk)
-1 large onion, peeled, thinly sliced
-2 tablespoons dried mint
-1/4 teaspoon turmeric
-Olive oil or vegetable oil

Method

1. In a large stew pot, combine the barley, chickpeas, beans, and lentils with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. 
2. Add the chopped vegetables, salt, and pepper. Add more water if needed, and continue cooking for another 30 minutes on low heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the topping: in a small pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onions until golden brown. Add turmeric and stir well. Add dried mint, give it a quick stir, and remove from the heat. 

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with kashk, and top with the fried onion-mint mixture. Serve warm with fresh bread.

Enjoy!