Beggar’s Soup

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

Osh-e sholeh qalamkar

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

Ingredients

Asia
Iran
Southeast Asia
Gluten-free
Soup

Ingredients

Method