Muharram Special: Ashura Pudding Recipe with Dry Fruits and Healthy Cooking Tips

Also known as Noah’s pudding, Ashura or Ashure is a Turkish dessert which, as per the Islamic calendar, is traditionally made on the 9th and 10th day of Muharram. So, if you are looking to make something different this Muharram, try this age-old Ashura pudding recipe that is wholesome with its wholegrains, legumes, and dry fruits with hints of citrus and spice to tie the whole dessert together. Think kheer but more wholesome with Turkish flavors.

Ashura Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked whole grain wheat, or barley
• 1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups canned white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup raw rice
• 3 tbsp dried currants
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• 8 half dried apricots, cut into chunks
• 8 dried figs, cut into chunks
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tbsp orange zest (from 1 orange), optional
• 1 tbsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon), optional
• 2 tbsp rose water, optional

Method:

1. Soak the wheat or barley in a pot filled with ample water overnight.
2. The next day, bring the soaked wheat or barley with the water to a boil in a large saucepan or pot. Once it starts boiling, cover the pot, reduce the heat, and let it gently boil for another 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, leave the grain to cool, and soak overnight in the cooked liquid.
4. By the next morning, the grains should have absorbed most of the liquid, if not all.
5. Add the chickpeas, beans, rice, dried fruits, sugar, and rose water or the orange and lemon zest into the pot.
6. Add some more water into the pot until the water just about covers the ingredients, if needed. Place the pot on the stove once again, and bring it to a boil.
7. While the pudding cooks, stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it thickens.
8. Once thickened, as per your preference, remove the pudding from the heat and scoop it into individual dessert bowls or a large serving bowl.
9. Once your ashura pudding cools down and sets into a thick consistency, cover it and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
10. Before serving, garnish the pudding with pomegranate seeds, finely chopped dried fruits and nuts.

Tips & Tricks:

• Leave the whole grains to soak overnight, both before and after boiling. It’s not just tradition, you’d know well, for we do this in many desi desserts. This extra step makes them swell, soften, and break down the way they should for the perfectly soft pudding.
• The ingredients will keep soaking up water as they cook. Top it up as needed. If it starts looking too thick before it’s done, pour a little water into it. You want everything to cook through without sticking or burning.
• No pine nuts? Use walnuts or almonds. No currants? Use raisins or chopped dates. The goal is to have something chewy, something nutty, and something sweet in every bite.
• Orange and lemon peel bring a clean, sharp edge to the pudding that cuts through the heavy sweetness. It’s optional, but if you’ve got it, use it. It makes a difference.
• Use a wooden spoon and take your time. You're keeping things moving, not smashing them apart. Stirring too hard turns the beans to mush, and nobody wants that.
• Some people like their Ashura runny like soup. Others want it set like a rice pudding. If you’re in the latter camp, add 1-2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin while it cooks. That’s your fix, unless you want to thicken it naturally, then cook for a bit longer to get rid of the water.
• Top it with crushed nuts, dried fruit, pomegranate seeds, whatever you’ve got that adds color and crunch. This dish feeds the senses, even before the spoonful hits the mouth.
• Ashura tastes better cold, after it’s had a few hours to settle in the fridge. The flavors blend, the pudding firms up a bit, and it just comes together right. Don’t serve it hot off the stove; it’s not meant to be rushed.