Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup): A Taste of Afghanistan

Comfort in a bowl - that is what Aush is. This Afghan noodle soup is the perfect balance of lip-smacking flavours and satisfying textures. Noodles, beans, and nubbins of spiced meat combine in a lightly creamy broth that is both tangy and savoury at the same time. This is noodle soup elevated to a new high.

This month for our Eat the World recipe challenge we travel to Afghanistan (officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan), a country whose cuisine is rich with aromatic spices and hearty dishes. The rugged terrain of this landlocked country in the center of Asia (it's known as the Heart of Asia) is arid and mountainous, but the country does produce fantastic fruits like pomegranates, grapes, melons, and grows crops of wheat, corn, barley and rice. The diet is augmented with abundant dairy - milk, yogurt, and whey.

What is Aush?

Kabuli Pulau, Afghan's national dish is a beautifully spiced meal of rice, lamb and carrots. A close second for national dish status is Aush (rhyming with gosh, as in Gosh, it tastes fantastic!), a flavourful bean and noodle soup with spiced ground beef (or lamb) stirred through it. Variations of aush soup are made throughout all of Afghanistan, each one a little different according to each individual Afghan cook and whatever ingredients are available in the specific area.

Aush is generally a broth with noodles and beans, either augmented with spiced ground meat and yogurt, or served with them on the side for diners to add at the table. Many different spices and aromatics can be included, but dried mint is the signature flavour, adding the specific complex flavour that makes this delicious soup so addicting. It has become one of our top favourite soups, comforting in a way that only noodle soups can be, but elevated out of the ordinary with the amazing flavours and satisfying textures of beans, noodles, and bits of spicy ground meat.

Richly flavoured with garlic, onions, and spices, the addition of the tangy yogurt sauce takes this soup into the realm of heavenly. I can't get enough of it, and I love how simple it is. The noodle cooking water becomes the broth for the soup, and the spiced meat and yogurt can be stirred right into the big pot of it - just save some of each to add even more zing at the table. Aush is as much fun to eat as it is delicious.

What You'll Need

The list of ingredients to make a pot of Aush looks long, but it's really because of the handful of spices which add such great flavour. Some versions don't include cumin or paprika, so if you don't have them, the soup will still be great. The dried mint is surprising, but it's what adds the unique flavour to aush, so don't skip that. If it's summer and you have fresh mint in your herb patch, by all means use that (you'll need three times the amount of any fresh herb as dried).

You'll need:

• ground beef - or use ground lamb, turkey, or chicken
• a can of garbanzo beans and a can of kidney beans - save the liquid, you'll use it in the soup, too. Or you can use cooked beans (and add extra water)
• oil
• onion - any size or colour
• garlic - minced, pressed, or grated on a microplane
• tomato paste - you can freeze the rest in 1 tablespoon plops wrapped in plastic wrap once frozen
• salt and pepper
• ground cumin, coriander, paprika, and turmeric (if you omit one of these, the soup will still be good
• dried mint - essential. If you don't have any, use peppermint tea leaves or break open peppermint tea bags. You can use fresh mint, too.
• pasta - gluten-free or regular. Traditional aush noodles are long, thin wheat noodles, broken into shorter pieces. Spaghetti makes a good substitute, but any dry pasta shapes can be used (macaroni is fine).
• sour cream
• plain yogurt (or Greek yogurt thinned out with a bit of milk)
• lemon juice - fresh or bottled
• fresh herbs to finish are optional. A sprinkling of dried mint is all you need.

A Few Easy Steps to a Bowl of Aush

Before you start, drain the canned beans into a bowl, saving the liquid for the recipe.

Make the meat sauce: cook the chopped onion in the oil for a few minutes until tender. Then add the ground meat and garlic and cook until the meat is browned. Now you'll add the tomato paste and spices and cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste caramelizes and sticks to the bottom of the pan. Add some of the bean liquid (or water) and simmer the meat sauce for 10 to 15 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated and you have a thick, soupy sauce. Turn the burner to low and keep the meat sauce warm while you prepare the soup base.

Stir together the ingredients for the yogurt sauce (sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, dried mint, and salt) and set them aside for the flavours to develop.

Boil a large pot of salted water, using the remaining bean water as part of it. Add the broken spaghetti or other noodles and cook the pasta for about half the time recommended on the package directions. It will finish cooking as you add the other ingredients. Add the beans and bring the water back to a simmer. Then pour in half of the yogurt sauce and half of the meat sauce. Stir well to incorporate the yogurt, then bring the soup back to a simmer, taste it and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Cook the soup just long enough for the noodles to be al dente, then it's ready to devour.

Serve the remaining yogurt sauce and meat sauce on the side.

Fill each soup bowl with some of the soup, then add a dollop of yogurt sauce and meat sauce, and a sprinkling of dried mint. Add fresh cilantro or mint, if desired (but even if you don't have it, the soup is great with just the dried mint).

Sigh blissfully and slurp up a bowl of delicious aush, the comforting Afghan noodle soup.

*Leftovers are great refrigerated for up to 5 days - just stir the remaining meat sauce into the pot of soup before putting it into the fridge. Cover the yogurt sauce and chill it to serve with the leftover soup. If the soup is a little thicker when reheated, thin it with a bit of water.

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Check out these other wonderful Afghan dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Chicken Palau in an Instant Pot
Culinary Cam: Afghani Dumplings: Aushak and Mantu
Sneha’s Recipe: Keto Afghani Creamy Chicken Stew
Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
Kitchen Frau: Aush (Afghan Bean and Noodle Soup)

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