Aush Afghan Noodle Soup Recipe: Authentic Afghan Flavor Guide

Comfort in a bowl—that’s Aush. This Afghan noodle soup balances bright, tangy flavors and satisfying textures. Tender noodles and beans swim in a lightly creamy, savory broth, topped with nubbins of spiced meat and a cooling yogurt sauce. The result is a warming, elevated noodle soup perfect for lunches, weeknight dinners, or hearty leftovers.

This recipe is part of the Eat the World series, this month celebrating Afghanistan. Afghan cuisine leans on aromatic spices, simple pantry ingredients and abundant dairy. The country grows wheat, rice and fruit like pomegranates and grapes, and those staple ingredients shape many comfort dishes such as Aush.

What is Aush?

Aush (pronounced like “gosh”) is a popular Afghan soup of noodles and beans often finished with spiced ground meat and a tangy yogurt sauce. While Kabuli Palau is commonly cited as Afghanistan’s national dish, Aush is a close contender—every region and household has its own version. Some cooks stir the meat and yogurt into the pot; others serve them on the side so diners can adjust amounts to taste. Dried mint is the signature flavor in most versions, lending a characteristic cool, aromatic note.

Garlic, onion and a blend of warm spices create the savory backbone, while the yogurt sauce brings acidity and creaminess. The noodle cooking water becomes the soup base, which makes this an economical and simple recipe to prepare in a single large pot. Served with extra meat sauce and yogurt on the side, Aush is both interactive and deeply comforting.

What You’ll Need

The ingredient list looks long mostly because of the spices, but the soup is forgiving. Dried mint is important for the authentic flavor—if you have fresh mint use three times the amount—but other spices like cumin, coriander, paprika and turmeric can be adjusted or omitted if necessary. You can use ground beef, lamb, turkey or chicken for the meat sauce, and any dry pasta will work if you don’t have traditional long thin aush noodles.

Key ingredients include:

• Ground beef (or lamb, turkey, chicken)
• Kidney beans and garbanzo beans (reserve the liquid)
• Oil, onion and garlic
• Tomato paste
• Spices: ground cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, salt and pepper
• Dried mint (essential)
• Dry pasta (spaghetti broken into pieces works well)
• Plain yogurt and sour cream
• Lemon juice and optional fresh herbs for garnish

A Few Easy Steps to a Bowl of Aush

Before starting, drain the canned beans into a bowl and set aside the liquid to use in the soup.

Make the meat sauce: sauté the chopped onion in oil until soft, then add the ground meat and garlic and cook until browned. Stir in tomato paste, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, dried mint, salt and pepper. Cook until the paste caramelizes and begins to stick in places. Add about 1 cup of the reserved bean liquid (or water) and simmer 10–15 minutes until the mixture is thick but still saucy. Keep warm on very low heat.

Make the yogurt sauce: whisk together plain yogurt, sour cream, dried mint, lemon juice, one clove garlic and salt. Taste and adjust; set aside so the flavors meld.

For the soup base: bring 10 cups of water (using any remaining bean liquid as part of the total) to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt. Break the spaghetti into 3–4 pieces and add to the boiling water. Cook the pasta for about half the time listed on the package. Add the drained beans and return to a simmer. Stir in half of the yogurt sauce and half of the meat sauce, mixing gently so the yogurt blends into the broth. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Cook until the pasta is al dente and the soup is hot throughout. Serve bowls topped with a spoonful of the remaining meat sauce, a dollop of yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of dried mint. Fresh cilantro or chopped fresh mint can be added if desired.

Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to five days. Before chilling, stir the remaining meat sauce into the pot of soup and keep the yogurt sauce refrigerated separately. When reheating, thin the soup with a little water if it has thickened.

Savor a bowl of Aush: the warm, spiced meat, the creamy tang of yogurt and the minty lift combine into a comforting and memorable soup. Guten Appetit!

Aush – Afghan Noodle Soup

Margaret Bose Johnson

Aush combines noodles, beans, and nubbins of spiced meat in a lightly creamy broth that is both tangy and savory. Easy and comforting.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 45 mins

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Afghan

Servings 6 – 8

Ingredients

 

for the Meat Sauce

• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 lb. (454 g) ground beef (or lamb, turkey, or chicken)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika (mild)
• 2 teaspoons dried mint
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup (240 ml) liquid drained from cans of beans or water

for the Yogurt Sauce:

• 1 cup (240ml) plain yogurt
• 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream
• 1 tablespoon dried mint
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

for the Soup Base:

• 10 cups (2.4 litres) water
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 7 ounces (200 g) spaghetti or other pasta – any shape will work
• 1 can (19 oz/540 g) kidney beans, drained reserve liquid
• 1 can (19 oz/540 g) garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drained reserve liquid

to serve:

• dried mint or chopped fresh mint optional
• chopped fresh cilantro optional

Instructions

 

• Drain the beans (if using canned) and save the liquid.

Make the meat sauce:

• Heat oil in a skillet over medium. Add diced onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add crumbled ground meat and garlic. Cook until browned and any liquid has evaporated.
• Stir in tomato paste and spices. Cook 3–4 minutes until the paste caramelizes and begins to stick.
• Add 1 cup bean liquid or water and simmer 5–10 minutes until mostly evaporated but still saucy. Reduce heat and keep warm.

Make the yogurt sauce:

• Whisk together yogurt, sour cream, dried mint, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Set aside.

Make the noodle soup base:

• Combine water and any remaining bean liquid in a large pot with salt. Bring to a boil.
• Break spaghetti and add to boiling water. Cook about half the package time.
• Add drained beans, then pour in half the yogurt sauce and half the meat sauce. Stir, return to a simmer, taste and adjust seasoning. Cook until pasta is al dente.

To serve:

• Ladle soup into bowls, top with a spoonful of meat sauce and a dollop of yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with dried mint and fresh herbs if using.
• Serve the remaining sauces on the side so diners can add more if they like.

Notes

Leftover soup keeps up to 5 days refrigerated. Stir remaining meat sauce into the soup before chilling and keep yogurt sauce chilled separately. Thin reheated soup with a little water if needed.

If using home-cooked beans, use some of their cooking liquid in place of canned bean liquid or simply use water.

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