By Chef Sophia Parsa

January 2021

4 Servings

Ash symbolizes good fortune in the new year — in my household, we started making ash in the fall and continued to eat it all through the winter. It’s a really light soup that has a million different variations — you can add things like fried onions or yogurt. We pared it down to the basics and focused on health benefits, packing our version full of veggies.

Ingredients

3 oz dried chickpeas
3 oz dried kidney beans
1-2 garlic cloves crushed1⁄2 tsp ground turmeric
1⁄4 tsp ground cumin
3 oz dried lentils
5 cups of vegetable stock
1⁄2 bunch parsley (chopped)
1⁄2 bunch cilantro (chopped)
1⁄4 bunch dill (chopped)
1⁄2 bunch chives (chopped)
1 bunch baby spinach leaves
4 medium turnips
4 medium sized bok choy
Sea salt and ground crushed pepper
Fresh mint (to garnish)

Steps

Place chickpeas and kidney beans in a separate bowl and soak overnight.
The next day, strain the chickpeas and kidney beans and add lentil, garlic,
turmeric, cumin and fry for a few minutes with olive oil in a medium saucepan.
Chop up turnips and bok choy and boil in another pot. Add to the saucepan, and pour stock in, bringing the mixture to a boil before reducing the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.
Chop parsley, cilantro, dill, and chives. Combine with spinach and add to saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and cook over medium-low heat for another 15 minutes.
To serve, add to large bowl and garnish with mint. Optional (add noodles, fried onions, or Greek yogurt).
Enjoy!