The Canon

Ash-e Doogh

آش دوغfa

Also: Aush-e doogh, Yogurt herb soup, Doogh ash

Ash-e Doogh is an Iranian yogurt-based herb soup with chickpeas, rice, and dried mint, a regional specialty of the northwest.

Identity criteria

  1. 1A yogurt or doogh (yogurt drink) base, which makes it tangy and creamy
  2. 2Loaded with fresh herbs in the Persian ash tradition
  3. 3Chickpeas and rice give body and substance
  4. 4Dried mint is the signature finishing aromatic
  5. 5Can be served hot or cold depending on the region and season

Components

Base

yogurt or dooghessentialThe defining tangy, creamy base

fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives, dill, spinach)essentialCentral to any Persian ash

riceessentialThickens and adds body

Protein

chickpeasessentialOften with some lentils too

Aromatics

onion and garlicoptional

Seasoning

dried mint (na'na dagh)essentialThe signature aromatic finish, bloomed in fat

Garnish

fried mint, walnuts, dried whey (kashk)optional

Technique

Tempering yogurt into the hot soup carefully
Yogurt curdles if boiled hard; gentle handling keeps the base smooth
Blooming dried mint in hot fat (na'na dagh)
Releases the mint's aroma for the signature finish
Long simmering of herbs, legumes, and rice
Melds the flavours into the thick, herby texture of an ash

Form & serving

Served
Ladled into bowls, topped with fried mint
Temperature
hot (or chilled in summer in some regions)
Portion
generous bowl as a meal
Pairs with
flatbread (sangak/lavash) · fried mint and walnuts · kashk drizzle

Character

Flavour

tangyherbaceousmintycreamysavoury

Texture

thick, creamy, herb-laden soup

Eaten

A nourishing regional soup of northwest Iran, eaten as a full meal with flatbread, warming in winter and refreshing chilled in summer.

When

all year · summer (cold version)

Variations & related

Regional variations

  • Cold summer version · Northwest Iran / Azerbaijan

    Served chilled like a thick yogurt soup in hot weather

  • Meatball version · Iran

    Tiny meatballs (koofteh rizeh) added for a heartier soup

Related dishes

  • sibling Ash Reshteh

    The famous noodle-and-herb ash; same family, different base

  • sibling Doogh

    The yogurt drink that names and bases the soup

Substitutions

  • fresh herbs → a smaller mix plus dried herbsadmissible

    Less vibrant but acceptable

  • yogurt/doogh base → a plain broth baseinadmissible

    Removes the tangy yogurt soul — it is no longer ash-e doogh

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the yogurt so it curdles and splits
  • Under-herbing — an ash needs a heavy hand with greens
  • Forgetting the bloomed dried mint, the signature note
  • Too thin; an ash should be thick and substantial

Provenance

A regional Iranian ash (thick herb soup) built on a yogurt base, associated with the northwest and Azerbaijani-Iranian cooking, part of the deep Persian ash tradition.

References

  1. 1.Persian/Iranian culinary tradition

Confidence: medium