The night before cooking, place chickpeas and white beans in a medium bowl. Add a generous pinch of salt and 2 cups water. Refrigerate overnight.

The night before or just before cooking, wash spinach, cilantro, and parsley. Dry well and roughly chop. Trim woody ends from cilantro, parsley, and dill, then roughly chop all herbs and mint leaves into small pieces. If prepping ahead, wrap in plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.

Set a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender and golden brown, about 16-18 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Drain the beans and add to the pot with lentils, turmeric, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add chopped spinach, herbs, and stock or water. Partly cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring regularly. If the soup is too thick, add 1-2 cups water as needed.

Place 1½ cups kashk in a bowl. Add a ladle of hot soup and whisk to dissolve, then add the mixture to the pot. Bring to a boil, add noodles (broken in half), and simmer until noodles are soft and beans are tender, about 30 minutes.

Prepare garnishes: Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and sliced onion with a pinch of salt. Cook until golden brown, about 16-18 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe the pan, return to medium heat, add remaining ⅓ cup oil, and warm gently. Stir in dried mint and remove from heat.

Thin remaining ½ cup kashk with water until it’s the texture of thin yogurt. Set aside.

If the soup is thicker than a hearty chili, thin with water, ½ cup at a time. Adjust seasoning with salt.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with reserved kashk and mint oil, then top with golden onions.