Omani kahwa

Ingredients

Coffee

• 6 tspvery lightly roasted arabica coffee beans, ground fine – the roast should be pale cinnamon, not brown
• 900 mlwater

Aromatics

• 2 tspgreen cardamom pods, lightly crushed, or 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tspsaffron threads
• 1 tsprosewater
• ½ tspground cloves (optional)
• a thin strip of cinnamon bark (optional)

To serve

• 1dallah (long-spouted Omani coffee pot)
• small handleless cups (finjan)
• 300 gfresh khalas or fardh dates
• a plate of Omani halwa

Directions

1. Roast the green beans yourself if you can, in a dry pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, shaking constantly, and stop while they are still pale gold and smell of hay and toast. Omani kahwa is defined by this very light roast.
2. Grind the beans fine, close to Turkish grind, immediately before brewing.
3. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan or in the dallah itself, then take it off the heat for 30 seconds so it drops just off the boil.
4. Stir in the ground coffee and return to the lowest heat. Let it come to a bare simmer and hold it there 10–12 minutes without letting it boil over – a rolling boil makes the coffee bitter and cloudy.
5. Add the crushed cardamom in the last 4 minutes so its oils stay bright, along with the cloves and cinnamon if using.
6. Crumble the saffron between your fingers into the pot in the last minute; it will turn the surface a burnished gold.
7. Take off the heat and let the grounds settle for 3–4 minutes, then stir in the rosewater. Do not stir again.
8. Pour carefully through a fine strainer into the dallah, leaving the sludge behind. The finished kahwa should be pale amber and almost translucent, not black.
9. Pour a third of a cup only – filling the cup is considered rude, as it means you want the guest to leave – and serve with the right hand. Guests take one to three cups; shaking the cup gently from side to side signals they have had enough. Serve dates and halwa alongside.

Technique

• The light roast is the whole point and is what distinguishes Gulf kahwa from Turkish or Italian coffee. A dark roast gives a black, bitter drink that no Omani would recognise.
• Never boil the pot hard. Kahwa is simmered and steeped, and the grounds are strained out rather than swirled into the cup.
• Coffee is a ritual of hospitality: it is served before conversation begins, always with the right hand, and refusing it outright is a slight. Serving it with dates and halwa is not optional in Oman.

Substitutions

• No green beans? Use the palest commercial light roast you can find, or buy ready-ground Gulf kahwa blend, which is sold with cardamom already in it.
• Rosewater can be replaced by a few drops of orange blossom water, though rose is what Omanis expect.

Variations

• Kahwa with a heavy hand of saffron, served on formal occasions and at weddings.
• Bedouin-style kahwa with a much larger proportion of cardamom and no rosewater.
• Kahwa hilwa, sweetened slightly with sugar, though most Omanis drink it unsweetened and let the dates provide the sugar.

History

Light-roast coffee with cardamom poured from a dallah and served with dates; UNESCO listed Arabic coffee hospitality in 2015.

Frequently asked questions

What is Omani kahwa?

Omani kahwa is a drink from Oman: cardamom-rosewater coffee served with dates and halwa. Light-roast coffee with cardamom poured from a dallah and served with dates; UNESCO listed Arabic coffee hospitality in 2015.

How long does Omani kahwa take to make?

Omani kahwa takes 10 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 small cups. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Omani kahwa?

Yes, within limits. No green beans? Use the palest commercial light roast you can find, or buy ready-ground Gulf kahwa blend, which is sold with cardamom already in it. Rosewater can be replaced by a few drops of orange blossom water, though rose is what Omanis expect.

What is the most important thing to get right in Omani kahwa?

Take off the heat and let the grounds settle for 3–4 minutes, then stir in the rosewater. Do not stir again.