Ashure Recipe: A Delicious Turkish Treat

Ingredients

• 500 g wheat for aşure (about 3 cups),
• 1½ cups of chickpeas,
• 1½ cups dried beans (Ispir beans),
• 200 g dried apricots (chopped into small pieces),
• 200 g raisins,
• 1 cup of small hazelnuts (known as “Pikola” hazelnuts from Ordu),
• 3 liters of water,
• 2 cups of milk,
• 3 cups of granulated sugar,
• a pinch of salt,
• a pinch of black pepper,
• ½ cup of boiled clove water (1 teaspoon of cloves),

In addition;

• 30 g hazelnuts,
• 30 g currants,
• 30 g dried figs,
• 100 g walnuts,
• 1 pomegranate,
• ground cinnamon,

About Ashure

It is regarded as a symbol of abundance, unity, togetherness, and solidarity. The 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is observed as Ashura Day. This year, 2018, Ashura Day falls on Thursday, September 20.

Although there is no set recipe, the preparation of aşure varies due to our rich culture and regional differences. The main ingredient is a type of wheat known as “yarma,” and it is prepared by boiling rice, dried beans, and chickpeas together with sugar and water. Since the other nuts and legumes added vary from region to region, the ingredients most commonly grown and available in the area are used.

Tips for Making Ashure

You can use canned chickpeas and beans. When boiling the wheat, you need to boil it twice and drain it; the reason is to remove the discolored water, which is necessary to prevent it from spoiling the color of the aşure—so a white appearance is important to us. You can use almond milk instead of cow’s milk; let us remind you again that using almond milk in aşure means those who don’t like the taste of cow’s milk won’t detect any trace of it. Salt and black pepper are actually used to balance all the flavors and bring out the umami taste (umami: savory, sour, sweet, and salty). Our final tip: always keep hot water on hand while cooking the aşure; it’s important to add it when needed.

Aşure Recipe: Preparation

Soak the beans, chickpeas, and cracked wheat separately in water overnight. Soak the fenugreek seeds in a glass of water.

How to Make Ashure

Since their cooking times differ, boil the chickpeas and beans separately. After rinsing and draining the wheat, boil it in a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes; drain the yellowish water that comes out, then boil and drain it a second time in the same way. Add boiling water to the cracked wheat for a third time and let it simmer over low heat for about 50 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, beans, finely chopped dried apricots, and raisins to the softened wheat, then simmer for another 15 minutes. The recipe calls for 3 liters of water, but it’s important to keep hot water on hand so you can add more as needed.

Add warm milk, sugar, salt, black pepper, hazelnuts, and clove water, then simmer for another 15 minutes. Divide the mixture into bowls while still warm and set aside to cool. Once
the aşure has cooled, garnish with chopped hazelnuts, hand-cracked walnuts, pistachios, currants, raisins, and pomegranate seeds.

Service Recommendation

Since aşure is rich and hearty, you can fill about 22–25 bowls using an average-sized ladle (about 60 g per serving). You can create different flavors by adding apple and orange peel. We recommend letting your aşure rest for about an hour before serving it cold.