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Haneeneh
Haneeneh: Bedouin sweet of dates warmed in ghee with toasted bread crumbs and cardamom
Haneeneh is desert comfort food from the Bedouin tents of the Jordanian Badia: soft dates mashed into hot samneh with crumbs of yesterday's flatbread, scented with cardamom and pressed into a rich, fudgy sweet. It is made for guests, for new mothers and for cold mornings before herding, eaten by hand with black tea or Arabic coffee. It takes ten minutes and uses only store-cupboard things. The mistake to avoid is cooking the dates too long once they meet the ghee; they turn stiff and chewy instead of jammy. Chef's tip: toast the crumbs in the ghee first until nutty, then add the dates off the heat so the mixture stays soft.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz day-old Arabic flatbread or shraktorn and blitzed into coarse crumbs
- 4 tbsp gheesamneh
- 10 ½ oz soft pitted dateschopped
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Warm 4 tbsp ghee in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add 5 ½ oz day-old Arabic flatbread or shrak and stir constantly until the crumbs are golden and smell nutty.
4 minStep 2: Take the pan off the heat. Add 10 ½ oz soft pitted dates and ½ tsp ground cardamom and mash with a wooden spoon, pressing the dates into the hot buttery crumbs until it all comes together in a soft, sticky mass. If the dates are firm, return to a low heat for a minute only.
4 minStep 3: Press into a small plate or shape into walnut-sized balls with damp hands, and sprinkle with 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature; it keeps 3 days covered.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does haneeneh take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of ghee?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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