CLAIMED as the oldest pudding in the world, Bubur Asyura or Noah's pudding is served on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Asyura means the tenth in Semitic language.
This delicacy has numerous narratives across the regions. Coming from different versions, the Muslims, Jews and Armenians are among those who commemorate this pudding with spiritual beliefs.
It is said that the pudding is served to remember the day Prophet Adam was accepted by God because of his repentance. Some cogitate it to Jesus who was raised to the heavens.
As for the Muslims, Muharram is paramount in their calendar. It was when the Prophet Muhammad and his followers escaped persecution in Mecca and
migrated to Medina.
The migration was called Hijra, and later came to mark the start of the Islamic lunar calendar's year, called Hijri. Muharram became the first month of the Islamic year.
Asyura is celebrated as an occasion of festivity and joy. It is a time of new beginnings with pure intentions and a lucid conscience. Muslims are also encouraged to pray, meditate, give alms and avoid any unlawful acts during Asyura.
All over the world, Asyura has become an important event for Muslims. As it travels without boundaries, the recipes of Asyura also change depending on
the innumerable nature of the people.
As a kid who hails from Terengganu, I was brought up with a popular belief of the origin of Noah's porridge and the great flood. It all began when Allah inspired Prophet Noah to build an ark after his people rejected him as a messenger from God.
After the ark was completed, he occupied it with pairs of living creatures and sailed with his followers. Soon, the land was saturated with rain and a flood wiped out everything on his land. The prophet and his followers were safe on the ark.
Somehow, their supplies were almost exhausted and what were left was mainly grains and dried fruits, which they cooked and so - the Asyura pudding was born!
ASYURA IN MALAYSIA
In Malaysia, every region has its own recipe for Asyura pudding; each community is proud of their version of the pudding, and the recipe is handed down for generations.
Essentially the recipe brings together traditional and luxurious ingredients - notably the sweet spices that are so important in developing its distinctive rich aroma.
And in Terengganu, is its rich fish-based Asyura.
In my community, Asyura means the time to be together. The concept of gotong royong which literally means "joint bearing of burdens" is the main value in the making of Asyura.
Village folks will work together from the early process like peeling the onions and other ingredients to the tedious task of stirring.
The interesting part here is that everyone would have their contribution by bringing the raw ingredients.
In the modern community, money is collected and one person would be in charge of buying the ingredients depending on what type of Asyura to produce.
Making Asyura is not only a tradition in the kampung but it has become popular among office colleagues, college students and schools. For the East Coast communities of Kelantan and Terengganu, Asyura is a moment to reminisce life in the yesteryears when times were harsh and food was scarce.
Parents cannot wait for the children to come home as 10 Muharam is declared as a public holiday.
A COMMUNAL AFFAIR
The Asyura is normally cooked in one or few big cauldrons. The stirring process from raw separated ingredients to the lascivious mixture of scents and herbs is very pain staking.
Every one must take a turn to stir the pudding. It can take up to five hours. The bubur Asyura in a few cauldrons means it is enough for the whole village or even to be given to neighbouring villages.
Once it is ready, everyone can't wait to queue up with coconut shells to enjoy the liquidized Asyura before it hardened. The porridge is scooped with a coconut leaf and the sweet bowl of comforting porridge is actually a perfect way to kick start the Muharam.
There are also competitions among the kampungs to choose the best Asyura based on taste, presentation and creativity.
Asyura only occurs once a year. For others like me, we really look forward to this celebration.
Despite being strongly influenced by Islam, Asyura is an opportunity for followers of different religions to commemorate religious history and indulge in unique practices that send a message of new beginnings, love, unity, and prosperity.
HOW TO MAKE
BUBUR ASYURA TERENGGANU
Ingredients
5 kg of rice
10 buckets of water
4 1/2 kg of coconut milk
7 kg of sardin fish (steamed and deboned)
3 kg of meat – cut into medium sized
3 kg of chicken – deboned and cut into medium size
5 kg of sweet potatoes - cubed
5 kg of sweet corns
3 kg of red beans - boiled until tender
7 kg of small onions - ground
½ kg of ginger - ground
¼ kg galangal - ground
10 cloves of garlic - ground
5 cups of powdered Asyura Spices
5 cups kerisik – fried coconuts paste
25 pieces of coconut sugar (nisan)
1 1/2 kg of sugar
Salt - to taste
Methods:
1. Cook rice that has been soaked two hours, rinsed and tossed.
2. Add in all spices, ground ingredients and kerisik, mixed well.
4. Add in palm sugar, sugar and salt. Then, add in sweet potatoes, corn, and beans.
5. Lastly, add the coconut milk. Cook with continuous stirring until the porridge is slightly thick. The cooking time can take up to four hours.
6. Garnish with sliced omelet, sliced plain agar-agar and fish sambal (recipe below).
FISH SAMBAL
Ingredients: -
7 kg of selayang fish (steamed and deboned)
3 kg of coconut milk
1 ½ kg of garlic - ground
1 clove of garlic - ground
¼ kg ginger - ground
2 tsp of fenugreek seeds
Salt, sugar to taste
20 small onions – sliced thinly
1 ½ inch ginger - sliced thinly
Methods:
1. Put coconut milk, fish and ground ingredients along with salt and sugar in a pot. Cook until the sauce is slightly thick, then add in the sliced ingredients.
3. Stir until dry.
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