Noah's Pudding - An Ark of Taste

Good Food producer Gillian Ferguson recently reported from the Anatolian Food & Culture festival in Orange county.  When she returned home, she couldn't get a certain Turkish delight out of her mind:

Ashure, more often referred to as Noah's Pudding, is jam-packed with flavor and has an even richer history to boot.

Ashure means the number 10 in Arabic and traditionally there are 10 ingredients in the pudding.  Folklore however tells a different story.  The name Noah's Pudding refers to the story of Noah's Ark and it's often said that 40 ingredients are incorporated into the dish.  Legend has it that when the ark came to rest on a mountain (believed to be Mount Ararat in

Turkey) Noah's family prepared a celebratory meal.  Culling all the ingredients that were left on the ship and tossing them into a large pot this famous dessert was born.  Just like the pudding itself, the legend of Noah's Pudding has many variants, but in every household the tradition involves sharing the dessert with friends and loved ones.
 
Sema Hasmer who cooked enough Ashure to feed 500 guests at the festival last weekend was kind enough to share her recipe.  Invoking the Turkish habit of göz kararı, or what we might call eyeballing, she says no two Ashure are ever the same and all recipes are approximations with room to embellish.  The following recipe makes approximately 8 servings.

Noah's Pudding (Ashure)

2 1/2 cups barley
1 cup chickpeas
1 cup dried beans
dried apricots
dried figs
raisins
sugar (roughly 1 part barley to 3 parts sugar)
hazelnuts (finely chopped)
walnuts (finely chopped)
cinnamon

Common additions include, but are not limited to, apple rind, orange zest, pistachios, rose water and pomegranate seeds for decoration.

Soak barley and beans overnight.  The following day fill a pot with water (1 parts barley to 4 parts water, in this case 10 cups water) and bring to a gentle boil.  Cook the barley over low heat, stirring frequently, until just tender and the water is thickened.  The liquid will be gooey and white.  Add chickpeas and beans and continue to simmer.  Continue to stir as beans cook. 

Like cooking a risotto, add the following ingredients slowly while stirring.  Add apricots, figs and raisins stirring between additions to incorporate each ingredient.  Finally add the sugar and continue to simmer to your liking.  Taste and adjust recipe as needed.  Top with walnuts, hazelnuts, cinnamon and if you wish, pomegranate seeds.