Aush jushpare facts for kids
Ash Jushpare
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| Alternative names | Āsh, Aash |
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| Type | Soup |
| Place of origin | Khorasan |
| Region or state |  Iran |
| Serving temperature | hot |
| Main ingredients | vegetables, broth, chaka |
| Variations | ash-e anar (pomagrante stew), ash-e-jo (barley stew), ash-e doogh (yogurt soup), ash-e sak (spinach stew). |
Aush Jushpare (pronounced "Osh Joosh-pah-reh") is a special kind of thick soup or stew from Iran. It's very popular in places like Khorasan, Gonabad, Ferdous, and Sabzevar. This tasty dish is a bit like Chinese jiaozi (dumplings).
Long ago, a famous historian named Bayhaqi wrote about Aush Jushpare in his book, Tarikh-i Bayhaqi. This shows it's a very old recipe! Even though it takes a lot of time to make, people still enjoy it for special get-togethers and celebrations. It's often served in traditional restaurants as a local favorite. Aush Jushpare was even recognized as an important part of Iran's heritage on January 5, 2021.
What's in Aush Jushpare?
Aush Jushpare is usually packed with lots of good things. It often includes flat wheat noodles and a mix of vegetables. You might find broccoli, carrots, onions, celery, spinach, garlic, or even jalapeños in it.
This soup also has legumes like chickpeas and kidney beans. Fresh herbs such as dill, mint, coriander, and minced cilantro add amazing flavor. Sometimes, it's made with yogurt and ground meat like lamb, beef, or chicken.
Since families make this dish at home, everyone has their own special way. The fillings and cooking methods can change from city to city. In Gonabad, people often don't add meat. But some versions include mutton, beef, or chicken mixed with chopped beans, peas, and onions. Other popular vegetable fillings are napa cabbage, scallions (spring onions), leeks, celery, spinach, mushrooms, and garlic chives. But the main ingredients for the jushpare (dumplings) themselves are usually beans, peas, and onions.
How to Cook Aush Jushpare
Making Aush Jushpare starts with making a soft dough from flour and water. You take a small piece of dough and roll it out very thin, like a leaf. Then, you put a yummy filling inside. This filling usually has chopped, stir-fried onions, along with lentils and peas that have been cooked already, plus spices.
Next, you fold the dough into a triangle or square shape. You need to make sure it's sealed well so the filling doesn't come out. This little dumpling is called a Jushpare. It's quite similar to a samosa, dumpling, or ravioli.
Once your Jushpare are ready, you put them into boiling water. Let them simmer for about 35 minutes until they are fully cooked. Then, your Aush Jushpare is ready to eat! Before you enjoy it, many people like to add a little powdered kashk (which is a type of dried, fermented milk).
These days, you can sometimes find pre-cooked Jushpare or Aush in stores. Some people even like to fry the Jushpare in oil for a different taste.
Aush in Iranian Cooking
There are over 50 different kinds of thick soups or aash in Iranian cooking. One of the most famous is Ash Reshteh. Other well-known aash include Ash-e Anar (pomegranate stew), Ash-e-Jo (barley stew), Ash-e Doogh (yogurt soup), Ash-e Sak (spinach stew), and Ash-e Torsh (beet or pickle stew).
Iranian aush often has a special topping called na’na dagh. This is made from fried mint oil, garlic chips, or crispy shallot chips.
Depending on the type of aush, it can have different ingredients. These might include various grains, legumes (like chickpeas, black-eyed beans, and lentils), vegetables, tomatoes, turnips (in Aush-e-Shalqham), and herbs. Common herbs are parsley, spinach, dill, spring onion ends, coriander, and dried mint. Other ingredients often include onions, oil, meat, garlic, reshteh (noodles, especially in Ash Reshteh), and spices like salt, pepper, turmeric, and saffron.
Aush can be a full meal on its own or served as a first course. You can sometimes buy Aush in Persian stores in cans, as dried mixes, or frozen.
Because Aush is such a basic and important food in Iran, it has even influenced words related to cooking! The word for "cook" in Persian is "AushPaz." This word combines "Aush" and "Paz," meaning "a person who cooks Aush." Also, the word for "kitchen" is "AushPaz Khaneh," which means "AushPaz's house."
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