Most of you probably know about the issues Blogger was having during the past 24 hours and unfortunately it seems I won't be able to get all those lovely comments back onto my last post. Thank you all for your comments anyway, I'm so glad to hear you liked the little tartlets!
I'm really excited to share a new recipe with you. This is my version of a Turkish dish called 'Asure' or 'Noah's Pudding'. Never heard of it? - Neither had I, until just recently (Thank you Brent!), but it didn't get me long to jump right into it and start experimenting.
A quick glance of different recipes tells me the fascinating story behind this dish. Apparently, the legend is that when Noah and his animals were about to run out of food on the arc, he mixed whatever ingredients were left and cooked them all together to feed his voyagers and the resulting dish was the pudding described in this recipe.
To me, the beauty of this recipe is that it is so adaptable. Many of the original recipes seemed to call for wheat grains as the main ingredient, but I've made this gluten-free by using oat groats instead (organic, uncontaminated). You could also use pearled barley, even quinoa, for a truly modern version of the dish. Instead of mung beans you could use white beans, adzuki beans, black beans - really anything you might find in your pantry. I've replaced orange with mandarins which I still have plenty of thanks to my recent trips to the countryside. This dish really is so forgiving to adaptations - I've used fresh figs instead of dried ones, added pistachios and dried dates and used honey instead of sugar. It's all about textures and finding the perfect balance of flavours and sweetness.
Although the recipe may seem a little daunting with all the different ingredients, soaking and different cooking times, I can guarantee you it is well worth the effort. I truly love this dish.
Asure
(serves 4-6)
1 cup oat groats, soaked overnight*
1/2 cup raw chickpeas, soaked overnight
1/3 cup mung beans, soaked overnight
1/4 cup brown rice, soaked overnight
juice of 2 mandarins
zest of one mandarin, finely chopped
2 tablespoons manuka honey
1 tablespoon raw natural vanilla sugar
(pinch of ground cinnamon)
5 dried apricots, sliced
3 pitted dates, sliced
3 tablespoons golden sultanas (raisins), chopped
2 tablespoons blanched almonds, chopped
2 tablespoons pistachio kernels, chopped
1/2 pomegranate, for serving
fresh figs, for serving
* Soak the ingredients in different bowls. The next day, drain the water out before cooking.
1. Start by placing the oat groats and chickpeas in separate saucepans. Cover with water and bring to boil. Cook the oat groats for about 40 minutes and the chickpeas for about 30 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside. Once cool enough to handle, slip the skins of the chickpeas and set aside.
2. Place the mung beans and the rice in one saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil. Cook for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside.
3. Now place the oat groats, chickpeas, mung beans and rice into one big saucepan. Add the mandarin zest and juice and 1/2 cup of water (you may need to add more as you cook, up to 1 cup). Bring to boil. Add honey and vanilla sugar (and a pinch of ground cinnamon) and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Next, add in the apricots, dates and sultanas. Simmer for a further 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover the saucepan. Leave to cool for one hour.
5. Serve the pudding (room temperature) with chopped nuts, pomegranate seeds and fresh figs. Drizzle with more honey if needed.
Finally blogger is BACK.
ReplyDeleteI have never had Noah's pudding before...looks healthy and delicious.
I didn't have it when I travelled to Turkey but when I came back and read through Turkish cookbooks, it was on my hitlist. Glad to hear you liked it because it will push me to try it out as well. :)
ReplyDeleteOi miten upea tuo ensimmäinen appelsiinikuva! Niiden kommenttien pitäisi palautua,samoin kuin kadonneiden postausten,näin on bloggeri luvannut ja nyt parhaillaan niitä palauttelevat.Harmitti,kun hävisi(väliaikaisesti,toivon ,.,) iso postaus,johohn olin paneutunut,kakkosblogissani)Kiva versio asuresta,olen siihen Turkissa asuvien suomalaisten bloginpitäjien kautta:)
ReplyDeleteThis looks so healthy and delicious. And yes the tart was amazing as are the photos in this post!
ReplyDeleteI'm super frustrated about my comment lost as well! Sigh. So aggravating. Oh well, nothing to do but move forward! This pudding looks so delicious and i love how it is chock full of good healthy ingredients!
ReplyDeleteOh blogger- you were due for a glitch. In any case, I love this post and the last- as always!This looks like a perfect weekend breakfast; when I have time to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteVery annoying! Because of BLOGGER I could not post my article today...
ReplyDeleteThat is an extremely interesting recipe! Never heard of this lovely "puddibg" before.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love what you have done with this breakfast/snack/brunch idea. The combo of ingredients is awesome -love the use of groats :)
ReplyDeleteI remember having asure in Turkey and liked it a lot. I really like this version!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful looking dish! And such an interesting one too! I love that it's actually a healthy dessert - and not just because it leaves the bad stuff out, but because it puts the good stuff in!
ReplyDeleteyay to blogger back up! i too lost comments...love your latest post & a big fan of mandarins too! x
ReplyDeleteThis is spell bindingly beautiful. You could convince me to eat anything. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteLooks so healthy and nutritious! I love the mix of grains & fruits.
ReplyDeleteThis is new to me; I love the story of the dish's origin :) Sounds like a delicious combination.
ReplyDeletehe colours are just stunning, so many ingredients but worth the effort i'm sure. Love the little story behind it.
ReplyDeleteGood thing about this blogger breakdown - I can enter comments here after they have fixed things. So big plus! Boy this is such a long ingredient list- don't think I will be running out to buy everything- I am content just looking at your beautiful photos :)
ReplyDeleteI love your adaptions to this recipe. Very nice and certainly nutritious. I love it. Glad to see blogger is up and running again.
ReplyDeleteKamal Mouzawak (founder of Beirut’s first farmers markets) made something very similar to this at the Chef Showcase during Sydney's 2010 International Food Festival. I think they call it amhyieh in Lebanon. Very tasty.
ReplyDeleteTHis looks so colourful and healthy! I love the mixture of fruits in this pudding but really so many ingredients!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of chickpeas in a dessert!! It makes sense, actually, considering their nutty flavour. I think this is the first time I've heard a food-related Noah story, too :)
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! I feel healthier just looking at it! Yum :-)
ReplyDeleteI lost a post too, with all of the comments :(. Your dish here looks absolutely lovely :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters
ReplyDeletesimply lovely...!
ReplyDeleteTasty Appetite
such pretty colors! looking forward to trying this. bookmarked it with my cookmarked.com account!
ReplyDeleteThis looks simply fantastic, love the texture and the ingredients you have used.
ReplyDeleteI lost many comments as well! And I was wondering about the face behind the painted picture! You are very pretty and I am glad you decided to show yourself so I know the person behind the blog! Everything you used for this combo looks very healthy and tasty!
ReplyDeleteYour beautiful photos is enough to convince me to give Noah's Pudding a try.
ReplyDeletebeautiful maria :)
ReplyDeleteAsure is made in Lebanese kitchens also; however it is made savory to signify a day of mourning for the Shia community and sweet for a celebration for another community; as you can see it is a dish replete with symbolism and in Lebanon holds different meanings; your photos are always beautiful!
ReplyDeleteyummy mandarins!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of Asure before and this post was definitely a nice introduction with gorgeous pictures!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it, I loved your blog and your recipes...as a Finland lover.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look like our Turkish "Aşure". But I really liked your healthier way too. :)