Recipe of the Day

Khabeesa – Cream of Wheat Porridge

posted on: Dec 8, 2014

Similar to this Omani dish, dishes using corn, rice, and other wheat flours are made from the Greater Syria area to the Indian sub-continent. This has been so since the days when Baghdad was the top city in the world. As for today’s khabeesa in Oman, some writers have described it as ‘evoking all the images and sensory pleasures of Arabian Nights.

To make this dish more appetizing and colourful, side dishes of dates, pomegranate seeds or other fruits can be served along with the khabeesa. Serves 4.

• 1/2 cup of wheat semolina (cream of wheat)
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons rosewater
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Place all ingredients, except cloves, in a saucepan and stir then bring to boil. Turn heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continually and adding a little more milk if needed. Place in six serving bowls then sprinkle with the cloves and serve.