AŞURE

Abundance and unity, solidarity and togetherness are symbolized by Ashura. The 10th day of the Islamic lunar calendar month of Muharram is Ashura Day. With this recipe, you can make approximately 15 servings of Ashura. It can yield even more with smaller bowls. (For 15 Servings) 2 cups of wheat grains for Ashura 2 tablespoons of rice 2 cups of cooked chickpeas 2 cups of cooked beans 150 grams of dried apricots 150 grams of dried figs 150 grams of raisins Slightly less than 1 cup of hazelnuts 2 liters of water (for cooking the wheat grains) 4 liters of hot water (to add as needed) 1 teaspoon of cloves 1/3 cup of water (for boiling the cloves) 1.5 cups of hot milk 3 cups of granulated sugar A pinch of salt A pinch of black pepper First, let's separately cook the chickpeas and beans. Wash the wheat grains and place them in a pot, add boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the yellowish liquid that comes out. Repeat this process once more and drain the water. Then add about 2 liters of water and simmer the wheat grains for about 50 minutes. (If you wish, you can boil them twice in the evening, drain the water, and let them soak in hot water overnight. If soaked overnight, boiling for 15 minutes will suffice.) Dice the dried apricots and dried figs into small pieces. Then, place these diced fruits and the raisins in a large bowl, pour hot water over them, and let them soak. Don't forget to add hot water occasionally. Add a little more hot water to the wheat grains as needed. To the softened wheat grains, which have been simmered for about 50 minutes, add washed rice, cooked chickpeas, cooked beans, diced apricots, figs, and drained raisins, and simmer for 15 minutes. Take a small saucepan, add cloves and water, and let it boil for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add more hot water to the wheat grains if needed. Finally, stir in the strained clove water, hazelnuts, hot milk, sugar, optional salt, and black pepper, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes more. Divide the prepare