Batheetha

Ingredients

Flour

• 400 gplain flour
• or 400 g wholemeal flour

To bind

• 500 gsoft dates, pitted
• 150 gghee, melted

To flavour

• 1 teaspoonground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoonground cinnamon
• a pinch of saffron, steeped in a spoon of hot water
• a pinch of salt

Sometimes added

• 80 gsesame seeds, toasted
• 80 gchopped nuts
• a splash of rosewater

Directions

1. Put the flour in a wide heavy dry pan. Set it over a low to medium heat. Stir it continuously with a wooden spoon. Do not walk away from the pan at any point. Flour scorches in seconds once it starts to colour. For the first ten minutes very little happens.
2. Keep stirring right through that change. Stop when it is an even light brown throughout. Tip it out of the pan immediately when ready. A hot pan keeps cooking it even off the heat. Spread it on a tray to cool a little. Check every date carefully for stones. If the dates are dry, soak them in hot water first.
3. Chop them roughly or mash them with your hands. Bringing it together is done while warm. Melt the ghee until it is liquid but not hot. Put the warm toasted flour in a large bowl. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and salt. Add the saffron water and stir it through. Work them into the flour with your hands.
4. Keep rubbing and pressing until they break down. The dates should disappear into the flour. Pour the melted ghee over the mixture gradually. Work it in with your hands after each addition.
5. Keep going until it holds together when squeezed. It should still be crumbly rather than smooth. Add more ghee if it will not hold at all. Add more toasted flour if it becomes greasy. Judging the texture takes a squeeze.
6. Take a handful and press it hard in your fist. It should hold its shape when you open your hand. Take a small handful of the mixture. Squeeze it firmly in your closed fist. Some households roll it into smooth balls instead.
7. Set the shaped pieces on a tray. Let them cool and firm up at room temperature. They are fragile until fully cool.

Technique

• Sweets made from toasted flour, dates and clarified butter appear across the Arabian Peninsula under several names.
• Their long keeping without refrigeration is what made them useful as travelling and provisioning food.

Substitutions

• Wholemeal flour gives a darker and nuttier batheetha.
• Butter can replace ghee, though ghee keeps far better and is what is used.

Variations

• Some households press it into a tray and cut it into squares.
• A version with sesame seeds worked through is common.
• Related sweets across the Gulf use date syrup rather than whole dates.

History

Toasted flour crumbled with dates and ghee and pressed into balls, travel food that keeps well.

Frequently asked questions

What is Batheetha?

Batheetha is a snack from United Arab Emirates: date, flour and ghee sweet pressed into crumbly balls. Toasted flour crumbled with dates and ghee and pressed into balls, travel food that keeps well.

How long does Batheetha take to make?

Batheetha takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 24 balls. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Batheetha?

Yes, within limits. Wholemeal flour gives a darker and nuttier batheetha. Butter can replace ghee, though ghee keeps far better and is what is used.

What is the most important thing to get right in Batheetha?

Put the flour in a wide heavy dry pan. Set it over a low to medium heat. Stir it continuously with a wooden spoon. Do not walk away from the pan at any point. Flour scorches in seconds once it starts to colour. For the first ten minutes very little happens.