Beef Barley Persian Soup (Printable)

Hearty soup with beef, barley, lentils, and beans in a fragrant broth, topped with sour cream and mint-fried onions.

# Components:

→ Meats

01 - 1.1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

→ Grains & Legumes

02 - 1/2 cup pearl barley, rinsed
03 - 1/2 cup dried lentils, rinsed
04 - 1/2 cup dried white beans or cannellini beans, soaked overnight and drained

→ Vegetables

05 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
06 - 2 medium carrots, diced
07 - 2 stalks celery, diced
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Herbs & Greens

09 - 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
10 - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
11 - 1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
12 - 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
13 - 2 tablespoons dried mint for garnish

→ Dairy & Garnishes

14 - 7 oz sour cream or Persian kashk

→ Pantry & Spices

15 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
16 - 1 tablespoon butter for fried onions
17 - 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
18 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
19 - 1.5 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
20 - 8.5 cups beef or vegetable stock

# Method:

01 - In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides, approximately 5 minutes. Remove beef and set aside.
02 - Add remaining olive oil to the pot. Sauté chopped onions until golden, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic, turmeric, black pepper, and salt; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add carrots and celery to the pot and cook for another 3 minutes.
04 - Return beef to the pot. Add barley, lentils, soaked beans, and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Add chopped parsley, cilantro, dill, and chives to the soup. Simmer uncovered for 10 additional minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - In a small skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add a thinly sliced onion and cook until deeply golden and crisp, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in dried mint and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from heat.
07 - Ladle the soup into bowls. Swirl 1 to 2 tablespoons of sour cream into each serving and top with mint-fried onions. Serve hot with crusty bread or Persian flatbread.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It feeds a crowd without fussing: One pot, one hour of simmering while you do other things, and suddenly you have six deeply satisfying bowls.
  • The sour cream swirl is pure magic: That cool, tangy finish against the warm, spiced broth changes everything about how the soup tastes.
  • Fresh herbs make it feel alive: Even when it's been simmering for ages, the burst of cilantro and dill at the end keeps it from tasting tired.
02 -
  • Don't skip soaking the beans overnight: I learned this the hard way when my beans stayed hard even after two hours of cooking, and the soup never reached the right consistency.
  • The mint-fried onions are worth the separate skillet: They're what people remember—crispy, fragrant, a moment of textural surprise in every spoonful.
  • Fresh herbs at the end matter more than you'd think: Adding them to the simmering broth brings them to life without destroying their color or making the soup taste like boiled lettuce.
03 -
  • Taste as you go, but especially near the end: Salt is the only thing you can't take out, so add it gradually and adjust other seasonings based on what you taste, not what the recipe says.
  • The fried onions are a delivery system for butter and mint: Make them extra, because they disappear quickly and they're the thing people will ask you to make again.
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