Ingredients
Base
- 500 gsoft dates, pitted
- 400 gflatbread, torn into pieces
- or 400 g crumbled dry bread
To bind
- 150 gghee, melted
- a little warm water or milk, if needed
- 1 teaspoonground cardamom, optional
To top
- 200 mlthick cream, qishta or clotted cream
- 4 tablespoonshoney
- chopped nuts, optional
- extra ghee, melted
Equipment
- a large bowl or a wooden mortar
- a wide shallow serving dish
Directions
- Use soft moist dates rather than dry ones. The dates should mash easily under a spoon. Cover them with hot water for twenty minutes. Drain them thoroughly before using. Remove every stone before you start. Tear it into small pieces by hand.
- Put the pitted dates in a large bowl. Mash them thoroughly with your hands. Work them until they form a thick paste. Add a splash of warm water if they resist. The paste should be smooth and sticky. Add the cardamom now if you are using it. Add the torn bread to the date paste. Work it in well with your hands.
- Keep pressing and folding until it combines. The bread should break down into the dates. Melt the ghee until it is liquid but not hot. Pour about two thirds of it into the mixture.
- Work it through with your hands. It should hold together in a mass. Add more ghee if it seems dry. Add a little warm milk if it is stiff. It should be soft enough to scoop with bread.
- Adjust it with ghee or with milk. Warming it is done only briefly. Put it in a pan over a low heat. Stir it for a few minutes until warm through. Do not let it cook or dry out.
- Spoon the mixture into a wide shallow dish. Spread it out and smooth the surface. Make a shallow well in the middle. Pour the remaining melted ghee over it. Spoon the thick cream into the well. Scatter chopped nuts over the top if you like. Serving it is done warm and shared.
- Set the dish in the middle of the table. Scoop up a piece with the fingers. It keeps two days covered at room temperature. Add fresh cream and honey when serving again.
Technique
- Jazan and Asir in the south-west of Saudi Arabia have a distinct regional cuisine shaped by their mountains and their proximity to Yemen.
- Areeka belongs to a family of date and bread dishes found across the Arabian Peninsula.
Substitutions
- Clotted cream or thick double cream stands in for qishta.
- Butter can replace ghee, though ghee gives the correct flavour and keeps better.
Variations
- Some households add banana mashed into the dates.
- A version made with only dates and ghee, without bread, is also eaten.
- Related Yemeni dishes use the same combination with different breads.
History
A dish of Jazan and Asir in the southwest, eaten communally from one dish at celebrations.
Frequently asked questions
What is Areeka?
Areeka is a dessert from Saudi Arabia: mashed dates and crumbled bread bound with ghee, topped with cream and honey. A dish of Jazan and Asir in the southwest, eaten communally from one dish at celebrations.
How long does Areeka take to make?
Areeka takes 20 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Areeka?
Yes, within limits. Clotted cream or thick double cream stands in for qishta. Butter can replace ghee, though ghee gives the correct flavour and keeps better.
What is the most important thing to get right in Areeka?
Use soft moist dates rather than dry ones. The dates should mash easily under a spoon. Cover them with hot water for twenty minutes. Drain them thoroughly before using. Remove every stone before you start. Tear it into small pieces by hand.
