Name: Beggar’s Soup (Osh-e sholeh qalamkar)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Cuisine: Iranian
Ingredients: 1 pound (450 g) stew beef (lamb, or veal); 2 teaspoons sea salt; 4 tablespoons oil; 3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 cup (100 g) chopped chives or spring onions or ¼ cup (25 g) dried chives; ½ cup (100 g) rice; 5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced; 3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced; ¼ teaspoon turmeric; ½ cup (100 g) dried lentils; 12 cups (2.8 l) water or broth; ¼ cup (50 g) dried chickpeas; 2 tablespoons dried mint; 2 tablespoons oil; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound (450 g) fresh spinach, washed and chopped, or ½ pound (225 g) frozen spinach, chopped; ¼ cup (50 g) dried mung beans; ¼ cup (20 g) chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried; 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced; 1 cup (85 g) chopped fresh cilantro or ¼ cup (20 g) dried; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 2 cups (170 g) chopped fresh parsley or ½ cup (40 g) dried; ⅓ cup (65 g) dried red kidney beans

Preparation info

Makes
8
servings

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
3 hr 30

Appears in

Food of Life

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2011

About

In the past, people used to leave a kettle by the side of the road to make a wish come true. Passersby would throw in a few coins to be used to buy the ingredients for the soup. The more people pitched in, the better the chances of the wish coming true. Thus was born beggar’s soup. Today, although kettles are no longer left at the roadside (perhaps for fear they would disappear!), the custom lives on in a new form. Friends are told in advance on what day a wish is going to be made. That mor