Kahi wa Gaimer — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Pastry with Clotted Cream, or 'Kibbeh Bil Saneh,' represents the epitome of Iraqi breakfast luxury, where delicate layers of golden pastry meet the rich, velvety embrace of gaimer. Each flaky, buttery morsel yields to reveal a tender interior, while the warm sugar syrup creates a sweet, sticky glaze that clings to every bite. The dish's vibrant golden hue contrasts beautifully with the creamy white gaimer that crowns it, creating a visual feast that reflects Iraq's culinary heritage of combining indulgent textures with aromatic spices. Traditionally served during Ramadan breakfasts and special occasions, this pastry embodies the Iraqi concept of hospitality, where guests are greeted with the most luxurious treats. The marriage of sweet syrup, aromatic rose water, and the luxurious clotted cream creates a symphony of flavors that speaks to Iraq's historical role as a crossroads of civilizations, where Persian, Turkish, and Arab influences blend seamlessly.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup melted ghee
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water for syrup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp rose water
500g gaimer (clotted cream) or thick cream

Instructions

1 Make a soft dough from flour, salt, and warm water, knead for 10 minutes until smooth, divide into balls, and rest covered with oil for 30 minutes.
2 Stretch each dough ball paper-thin on an oiled surface, brush with melted ghee, fold into layers, and repeat stretching and folding to create many flaky layers.
3 Bake the layered pastry sheets in a buttered baking pan at 200C for 20 to 25 minutes until golden, crispy, and deeply flaky.
4 While hot, drizzle generously with warm sugar syrup made from sugar, water, lemon juice, and rose water, then top each portion with a thick spoonful of gaimer cream.

Did You Know?

The term 'gaimer' literally translates to 'the one that has been thickened' in Arabic, referring to the traditional method of heating cream slowly over low heat until it thickens and develops its characteristic rich, buttery texture - a technique that predates the dish itself by centuries and was originally used to preserve dairy in the hot Iraqi climate.