Asure is a special dessert with eastern origin that is traditionally cooked also in Albania. The dish has a fascinating story behind.

When Noah and his animals were running out of food, he mixed whatever was left and cooked them together to feed his companions. The result was asure, a beautiful and so adaptable dish.

The original recipe calls for many ingredients, different types of beans, grains, fresh fruits, dried fruits, fruit juice and different spices etc, while in my family we only use wheat, walnuts and cinnamon and thicken it with corn-starch. Sorry Noah… The recipe is so easy and it makes enough to serve a crowd since traditionally asure is made to share with relatives, neighbors and friends. I usually put it in small jars, since is easier to share and also they are so cute.

Ingredients

• 1 & ½ cup wheat grains
• 1 & 1/3 cup brown sugar (you may add up to 1 & 2/3 in case you prefer it sweeter)
• 8 cups water
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 – 5 tbs corn-starch depending on how thick you want it
• Water to soak the grain (around 3 cups)
• Ground cinnamon and chopped nuts and seeds to serve.

Note : 1 cup – a standard cup of 240 ml

Directions

1. Soak the grains in water for 6-12 hours.
2. Discard the soaking water.
3. Put the grains and 8 cups of water in a large pan and bring to boil.
4. Let it cook until the grain is tender but not mushy. It took me 30 minutes, but this varies a lot on the grain you are using.
5. At this point add the sugar and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes.
6. The mixture should have thickened a bit.
7. Mix the corn-starch with few tablespoons of water until a thick liquid is formed and add it to the pudding while stirring continuously, in order not to form any lumps.
8. Let it boil another 5-10 minutes and remove from the heat.
9. Add the chopped walnuts and let it sit in the pan for 10 minutes and then fill dessert bowls or jars with the pudding.
10. Once it cools down and sets, cover and refrigerate the bowls for several hours.
11. Garnish the pudding with cinnamon, nuts and seeds before serving.