Khashil

Ingredients

Porridge

• 250 gplain flour
• or coarse wheat flour
• 1 litrewater
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To finish

• 150 gbutter
• melted
• or 150 g clarified butter

To pour over

• 150 mldoshab
• dark grape syrup
• or 150 ml mulberry syrup
• or honey

Sometimes added

• a pinch of cinnamon
• chopped walnuts
• in winter and after childbirth

Directions

1. Butter and syrup make it energy dense. Soft energy dense food after childbirth is common.
2. Heat a dry pan over a medium heat. Add the flour to it in a layer. Stir it constantly as it warms. Give it about five minutes of stirring.
3. Bring the water to a boil in a heavy pot. Add the salt to the boiling water. A thin pan burns it on the bottom.
4. Add the flour in a slow steady stream. Whisk it hard as you pour it in. Flour added fast forms hard lumps at once. Those lumps never break down afterwards.
5. Stir it constantly over a low heat. Work the spoon right into the corners. Do not stop stirring at any point. Taste a little to check for rawness. Keep cooking if it still tastes raw. Shaping it is done in the bowl.
6. Spoon the hot porridge into wide bowls. Smooth the surface with a wet spoon. Make a hollow in the middle of each. Diners take butter with each spoonful.
7. Melt the butter until it is fully liquid. Pour it into the hollow generously. Do not be shy with the quantity. Pour the doshab syrup over the top. Let it run down the sides of it. Both are common enough additions.

Technique

• The porridge is stirred continuously until it comes away from the pot sides and gathers into a single mass on the spoon, which shows the starch has fully gelatinised and the flour has cooked through; it is a reliable visual test that needs no thermometer.
• Khashil is made for women after childbirth as a documented and widespread custom, being warm, soft, easy to eat and very high in calories from the butter and syrup; the reasoning is practical rather than medical, and many cultures have a version of it.
• Doshab is a dark syrup boiled down from grape or mulberry juice without added sugar, sweet but with a fruity faintly sour edge and a slight mineral note that honey does not have.

Substitutions

• Honey or any dark fruit syrup stands in for doshab, though flatter in flavour.
• Mixing the flour to a paste with cold water first prevents lumps entirely.

Variations

• Some households toast the flour first for a nuttier darker result.
• Chopped walnuts or a pinch of cinnamon are added in some homes.
• The syrup is poured over or served in a jug alongside.

History

A winter and postpartum dish across Azerbaijan, stirred until it pulls away from the pot.

Frequently asked questions

What is Khashil?

Khashil is a main from Azerbaijan: thick wheat-flour porridge served with melted butter and dark grape syrup. A winter and postpartum dish across Azerbaijan, stirred until it pulls away from the pot.

How long does Khashil take to make?

Khashil takes 5 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Khashil?

Yes, within limits. Honey or any dark fruit syrup stands in for doshab, though flatter in flavour. Mixing the flour to a paste with cold water first prevents lumps entirely.

What is the most important thing to get right in Khashil?

Add the flour in a slow steady stream. Whisk it hard as you pour it in. Flour added fast forms hard lumps at once. Those lumps never break down afterwards.