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Anoushabour
Christmas wheat pudding
Anoushabour: Armenian Christmas wheat pudding with dried fruit and nuts
Anoushabour, 'sweet soup', is cooked by Armenian families for New Year and for Christmas, which the Armenian church keeps on 6 January; in Yerevan and diaspora kitchens a big pot is made and bowls are carried to friends. Whole hulled wheat is simmered until creamy, sweetened and filled with apricots, raisins and prunes, then topped with walnuts, almonds, pomegranate and cinnamon. A common mistake is adding the fruit early, which turns it to pulp. Chef's tip: stir in a spoon of rose water at the end and serve the pudding cool; it sets slightly and the flavours come together.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 7 oz hulled whole wheat grainssoaked overnight
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 6 ½ oz sugar
- 4 oz dried apricotschopped
- 2 ⅞ oz golden raisins
- 2 ⅞ oz pruneschopped
- 1 tbsp rose water
To decorate
- 1 ¾ oz walnutschopped
- 1 ⅜ oz blanched almondstoasted
- 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Drain 7 oz hulled whole wheat grains and simmer in 8 ¼ cups water for 1¼ hours, stirring now and then, until the grains are split and creamy.
75 minStep 2: Add 6 ½ oz sugar, 4 oz dried apricots, 2 ⅞ oz golden raisins and 2 ⅞ oz prunes and simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the fruit is plump and the pudding is thick but still spoonable. Common mistake: adding the fruit at the start; it falls apart.
20 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tbsp rose water and pour into a serving bowl or small bowls.
Step 4: Cool, then decorate with 1 ¾ oz walnuts, 1 ⅜ oz blanched almonds, 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does anoushabour take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 100 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of walnuts?
- Pecans or chocolate chips, same amount.
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