Turkish Mixed Nut, Dried Fruit, and Legumes Dessert
ASURE
TURKEY
Asure is prepared on the feast day of Noah’s escape from the flood in the first month of the Muslim calendar. Those living in the countryside will usually make it with whatever they have growing in their fields, or in their neighbors’, most of which they will have picked and dried themselves, while city folks will buy the necessary ingredients in the bazaar. Asure is also prepared to commemorate ‘Ashura on the tenth day of Muharram, which is when the Prophet’s grandson, Hussein bin Ali, was martyred in the battle of Karbala.
SERVES 8
½ cup (100 g) wheat berries, rinsed
¼ cup (30 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of water with ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup (30 g) dried cannellini beans soaked overnight in plenty of water with ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup (30 g) dried fava beans soaked overnight in plenty of water with ½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup (50 g) short-grain white rice, soaked overnight in cold water
4 dried figs, soaked overnight in cold water
6 dried apricots, soaked overnight in cold water
2 tablespoons golden raisins, soaked overnight in cold water
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 g) raw cane sugar
⅓ cup (50 g) hazelnuts, coarsely ground
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup (125 ml) whole milk
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 ml) rose water
FOR GARNISH
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
⅓ cup (50 g) walnut quarters, toasted and coarsely chopped
Pomegranate seeds (if in season)
1. The night before: Put the wheat in a large pot and add 2 quarts (2 liters) water. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Take off the heat. Cover with a kitchen towel and let sit overnight.
2. Set up the chickpeas, beans, fava beans, rice, and dried fruit to soak in separate medium bowls.
3. The following day: Return the wheat to the heat and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, or until tender. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, cannellini beans, and fava beans. In separate small pots, cook the beans for 45 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Peel all the beans, if you have the patience.
4. Drain the dried fruit and chop both the figs and apricots into small pieces the size of the plumped-up golden raisins.
5. Drain the rice and add to the cooked wheat, along with the dried fruit. Add the butter and bring back to a boil. Add the peeled chickpeas, cannellini beans, and fava beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sugar in three or four different batches (according to Nevin Halici whose recipe I have adapted here, the wheat will harden if you add the sugar all at once). Add the hazelnuts and simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring all the time so that the mixture does not stick, until the asure has thickened and become like a textured porridge. Quickly whisk the cornstarch into the milk and add to the pan. Stir until the asure starts bubbling again. Take off the heat and add the rose water.
6. Pour the asure into a large serving bowl and sprinkle with the ground cinnamon, sesame seeds, and nigella seeds. Scatter the walnuts and pomegranate seeds all over and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.