Daheen — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A warm, gooey dessert of flour cooked in butter until golden, then sweetened with date syrup and perfumed with cardamom. This simple Kuwaiti sweet captures the essence of Arabian date culture in every spoonful.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp butter
4 tbsp date syrup (dibs)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Pinch of saffron in 1 tbsp warm water
2 tbsp warm water
Pinch of salt

Instructions

1 Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon.
2 Toast the flour in butter for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly, until it turns a deep golden-brown and smells nutty.
3 Add the saffron water and stir quickly to incorporate. The mixture will sizzle and steam briefly.
4 Pour in date syrup and warm water. Stir vigorously until everything combines into a smooth, thick, glossy pudding.
5 Sprinkle in cardamom and salt. Continue stirring for 2 more minutes until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.
6 Serve warm on small plates, pressing the daheen flat with the back of a spoon. Eat with flatbread or on its own.

Did You Know?

Daheen was traditionally the first food given to Bedouin children as a weaning treat, sweetened with precious date syrup.