Aşure (Noah's Pudding)
آشورے (نوحؑ کی کھیر)
Aşure is one of the oldest and most symbolic dishes in Turkey. According to tradition, when Noah's ark came to rest, the family cooked a pudding from whatever was left in the stores: grains, beans and dried fruit. In Turkey aşure is made in the month of Muharram, cooked in huge pots and shared out in bowls to neighbours, friends and colleagues, regardless of their background. It's lightly sweet, chewy and full of different textures, and every family's recipe is a little different.
- ⏱ Total: 2 hr 30 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 2 hr
- Medium
- Serves 12
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Drain the soaked wheat and simmer it with the rice in the water for 1 hour, until the grains are soft and starting to burst. Add more hot water if it gets too thick.
Add the cooked chickpeas and beans, apricots, raisins and figs, and simmer for 30 minutes more, stirring often so it doesn't catch.
Stir in the sugar and orange zest and cook for 15–20 minutes more, until it's like a thick, loose porridge. It thickens a lot as it cools.
Ladle into bowls and leave to cool. Top with walnuts, pistachios, pomegranate seeds and a dusting of cinnamon. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Kitchen notes
Use a pressure cooker to save time: cook the soaked wheat for about 20 minutes under pressure.
Hulled wheat is sold as 'aşurelik buğday' in Turkish shops, as wheat berries elsewhere, and as daliya or ghehun for haleem in South Asia.
It keeps for 4–5 days in the fridge. Make a big pot so there's plenty to share.
A pudding for sharing
What makes aşure special isn’t only the recipe; it’s the custom. Families cook a very large pot, then fill dozens of bowls and send them to neighbours on every floor of the building, friends and colleagues. In many Turkish neighbourhoods, bowls of aşure travel back and forth for days, each a little different. Sharing is the point, and it’s often seen as a gesture of goodwill between people of all backgrounds.
Many ingredients, one pot
The base is whole hulled wheat, cooked slowly until it bursts and releases its starch, which thickens the pudding naturally. Chickpeas and white beans add body, dried fruit adds sweetness, and orange zest lifts the flavour. The toppings, walnuts, pistachios, pomegranate seeds and cinnamon, are as important as the pudding itself.
Planning ahead
Aşure takes time but very little effort. Soak the wheat, chickpeas and beans the night before; tinned chickpeas and beans save even more time. A pressure cooker speeds up the wheat. The pudding thickens as it cools, so it should look loose when you take it off the heat.
Serving
Serve at room temperature or cold in small bowls, generously topped. Readers in South Asia may notice the similarity to the custom of cooking and sharing food in Muharram there, though the dishes are different.
Questions people ask
Why is it made in Muharram?
In Turkey it's traditionally made in Muharram, around the tenth day (Ashura), linked to stories of Noah's ark and other events. Customs and meanings differ between communities; the shared element is cooking it in large amounts and giving it away.
Can I make it smaller?
Yes. Halve everything; the cooking times stay about the same.
Is it a dessert or a meal?
A dessert, but a filling one. It's lightly sweet and is often eaten in the afternoon with tea.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 290
- Protein
- 7 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 57 g
