Shorbat Aush
Zahra Ali
Under the Crescent Moon
As the weary sun dips under the sky during Ramadan¹, my family gathers together at Bebe (grandmother) and Jido’s (grandfather) house, throats rough and stomachs empty.
By the stove, Bebe works hard. The food varies like snowfall, yet one dish is always served: Shorbat Aush. The savoury scent wafts around their bungalow, tinting the air with leaves and lentils. Bebe hasn’t eaten all day, like us, yet she suppresses her hunger to braid together beans and make sure we’re all fed. We see her mixing a whirlpool of the thick, chunky soup, steam blowing from the top and whispering in our ears. Together, we place everything on the table and sit down for Iftar². The Athaan³ rings, our sign that fasting has ended, and we take a date and a bowl of Aush. While we sip the thick, salty soup carefully, so as not to burn ourselves, steam droplets gather on our noses. Meanwhile, Bebe tells us a story, repeated to us each year on the first day of Ramadan.
Flipping through the pages of time, we learn of Imam Zain ul-Abideen PBUH⁴, the great-grandson of our prophet Muhammad PBUH⁴. When he was young, he was grabbed by a terrible sickness. His family, determined to make him well, collected common ingredients from house to house and wove them into a warm soup. The soup, named Shorbat Aush, was later given to those in need.
The dish has been poured through time for thousands of years, and in our family, Bebe holds the recipe. My parents were both born in Iraq, yet Bebe grew up there. Being born outside my home country, I struggle to connect with my culture. However, by bringing this recipe with her, Bebe connects us all back to our roots. Originally, it was made of simple veggies and beans, but Bebe took it upon herself to add in some new ingredients. Chicken, to give us the protein we need after fasting, curries and spices to sprinkle in some life, and crispy onions to give it a crunch.
“We eat this soup to commemorate Imam Zain, and all he has done to care for the poor, as Ramadan is a time to reflect on those who have less, and to better ourselves,” says Bebe in Arabic. The beans kiss our tongues, the warmth of the soup soothes our dried throats, and the lentils tend to our hearts. Slowly, the table drifts into its own conversations as the soup is sipped up, bringing us closer to home no matter how far we feel.
By the stove, Bebe works hard. The food varies like snowfall, yet one dish is always served: Shorbat Aush. The savoury scent wafts around their bungalow, tinting the air with leaves and lentils. Bebe hasn’t eaten all day, like us, yet she suppresses her hunger to braid together beans and make sure we’re all fed. We see her mixing a whirlpool of the thick, chunky soup, steam blowing from the top and whispering in our ears. Together, we place everything on the table and sit down for Iftar². The Athaan³ rings, our sign that fasting has ended, and we take a date and a bowl of Aush. While we sip the thick, salty soup carefully, so as not to burn ourselves, steam droplets gather on our noses. Meanwhile, Bebe tells us a story, repeated to us each year on the first day of Ramadan.
Flipping through the pages of time, we learn of Imam Zain ul-Abideen PBUH⁴, the great-grandson of our prophet Muhammad PBUH⁴. When he was young, he was grabbed by a terrible sickness. His family, determined to make him well, collected common ingredients from house to house and wove them into a warm soup. The soup, named Shorbat Aush, was later given to those in need.
The dish has been poured through time for thousands of years, and in our family, Bebe holds the recipe. My parents were both born in Iraq, yet Bebe grew up there. Being born outside my home country, I struggle to connect with my culture. However, by bringing this recipe with her, Bebe connects us all back to our roots. Originally, it was made of simple veggies and beans, but Bebe took it upon herself to add in some new ingredients. Chicken, to give us the protein we need after fasting, curries and spices to sprinkle in some life, and crispy onions to give it a crunch.
“We eat this soup to commemorate Imam Zain, and all he has done to care for the poor, as Ramadan is a time to reflect on those who have less, and to better ourselves,” says Bebe in Arabic. The beans kiss our tongues, the warmth of the soup soothes our dried throats, and the lentils tend to our hearts. Slowly, the table drifts into its own conversations as the soup is sipped up, bringing us closer to home no matter how far we feel.
_________________________
¹Muslim holiday where you don’t eat or drink from sunrise to sunset (fasting)
²Meal after breaking a fast
³Muslim call to prayer, used during Ramadan to signal the end of fast.
⁴Peace be upon him
¹Muslim holiday where you don’t eat or drink from sunrise to sunset (fasting)
²Meal after breaking a fast
³Muslim call to prayer, used during Ramadan to signal the end of fast.
⁴Peace be upon him
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Ingredients: ½ cup chickpeas ½ cup white beans (Fasolia) ½ cup white kidney beans (White beans) 1 cup red kidney beans 1 18g bag of Moona (مونة) chicken stock powder ½ cup lentils ½ cup mung beans 2-3 tbsp oil 2 large onions, diced and minced ¼ cup chard 2L water ½ cup washed and soaked bulgur 2 tbsp oats ½ boiled and shredded chicken, or cooked shredded meat ½ cup small raw macaroni/spaghetti Crispy onions (optional), around ⅕ cup per serving |
Spices: 1 tbsp cumin 1 tbsp curry 1 tbsp salt ½ tbsp turmeric ½ tbsp ground cardamom 1 tbsp pepper Tools: Bowl Strainer Pot Kettle Heat source (ex. stove) Wooden spoon |
How-To:
- Put chickpeas, white beans (Fasolia), white kidney beans, red kidney beans, mung beans, and lentils together in a bowl. Fill with room-temperature water, cover, and leave overnight.
- The next morning, the water should be slightly yellow and foggy. Strain the beans with your strainer to get rid of all water while rinsing the beans with cold water.
- Rinse and chop chard.
- Pour oil until it’s just covering the bottom of the pot and cook on high heat. Add diced and minced onions along with spices. Stir until it cooks slightly, and the edges brown while the middle stays a clear white. Add chard.
- Add the strained mix of beans, chickpeas, and mung beans.
- Add 2L water. Turn down the temperature to lower heat (2). (Note: If the water turns foamy, don't worry! It's just the beans.)
- Cover and let stew while stirring every 5-10 minutes so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Let cook for 45 minutes.
- Add bulgur, oats, chicken and macaroni. Continue stirring.
- Add boiled water to control the thickness of the soup, add chicken stock.
- Cook for 45 minutes.
- Ready to be served! (Optional: Sprinkle on top crispy onions when poured into bowls. Our family always enjoyed a good crunch!)