Authentic Aşure Recipe Turkiye, Asia

Soak the haricot and the fava beans, the chickpeas, and pot barley overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Each kind of beans should be soaked separately.

Drain the haricot and the fava beans and the chickpeas, but leave the barley in the water it was soaked in. Cook the beans separately in fresh water, except for the barley. The fava beans and the chickpeas will require about 1 hour; the haricot beans will be cooked in 50 minutes, while the barley should simmer for 45 minutes. If necessary, add more water to the barley.

Add cooked haricot and fava beans, chickpeas, and rice to the cooked barley. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

In the meantime, soak the dried apricots, raisins, and currants in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and add the fruit to the pot with the beans. Add sugar and simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch or rice flour with enough water to make a creamy paste. Add 2 tbsp of hot liquid from the pan and mix. Now, return this thickening paste to the pan, add rose water and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally, until the mixture becomes very thick.

Meanwhile, prepare the garnishings. Slice the dried figs and apricots, crush the walnuts, and seed 1/2 pomegranate.

Finally, transfer the aşure to a large serving bowl. Shake gently to flatten the surface and let cool. Decorate with cinnamon, dried apricots, figs, and sultanas. Sprinkle with walnuts and pomegranate seeds. Serve at room temperature, or cool in a refrigerator.