Arabic coffee
Cardamom coffee
Qahwa: Gulf cardamom coffee with saffron, served with dates
Pale, fragrant and nothing like espresso, qahwa is the coffee of Gulf hospitality: poured from a brass dallah into tiny handleless cups in majlis sitting rooms from Kuwait to Oman, always beside a bowl of dates. The beans are only lightly roasted, so the drink is golden-brown and herbal, dominated by cardamom with a little saffron and clove. Guests take a few sips at a time, and a small shake of the empty cup tells the host you've had enough. Chef's tip: grind the cardamom just before brewing; pre-ground cardamom has lost most of the perfume that makes qahwa.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 3 tbsp lightly roasted Arabic coffee, groundmedium-coarse; Gulf grocers sell it as 'Arabic coffee'
- 12 green cardamom podsfreshly ground
- 2 cloves
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- ½ tsp rose water (optional)
- 12 datesto serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 3 ¼ cups water to the boil in a small saucepan or dallah. Stir in 3 tbsp lightly roasted Arabic coffee, ground, lower the heat so it simmers gently, and cook for 8–10 minutes. Watch the first minute: the foam rises fast and can boil over.
10 minStep 2: Take the pan off the heat and let the grounds settle for 1–2 minutes.
2 minStep 3: Put 12 green cardamom pods, 2 cloves and 1 pinch saffron threads in a thermos flask or a clean pot, with ½ tsp rose water if using. Pour the coffee in slowly, leaving the grounds behind in the pan. Common mistake: boiling the cardamom with the coffee; it turns bitter and loses its scent, so it only steeps.
Step 4: Leave to steep for 3–5 minutes, until the coffee turns golden and smells strongly of cardamom. Pour small amounts into tiny cups, a third full, and serve with 12 dates.
4 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 60 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arabic coffee take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of green cardamom pods?
- A pinch of ground cardamom per 2 pods.
- What can I use instead of cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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