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when i prepare for any big occasion or important time of year, like ramadan, eid, or end of year holidays (both mentally and with stocking the pantry), i find myself thinking more and more about the foods that anchor us. and those ingredients that tie us to our roots, our families, and our memories. and for me, there’s one ingredient that always seems to be at the center of those moments: samneh.
you might already know that samneh is clarified butter or ghee, but for me, it’s more than that. it’s a connection to the past, a bridge between generations, and a way to bring a dish closer to home. whether it’s melting over a bowl of fragrant rice or drizzling over crispy vegetables, samneh is that warm feeling of family for me. in the arab world, there are many ways of preparing samneh. the way we prepare it at shawarmaji, which is the jordanian style, stems from traditions of how our grandmothers used to make it in the mountains of jordan. it's a spring tradition, so they would go out and pick fresh spring herbs, like chamomile and nettles, and infuse the ghee with those herbs as well as some spices. like a lot of traditionally prepared preserves, each grandmother had her own recipe.
contents, benefits, and how ours is different
samneh is something i’ve known my whole life. growing up in amman, it was always at the center of cooking the food i looked forward to most. my grandmother, teta nahla, would spend hours in the kitchen cooking, and the earthy scent of turmeric and spices filling the air was the signal that something delicious was on its way.
at shawarmaji, we’ve worked hard to recreate that feeling i had using the same herbs and spices, but with my own additions as well. the result is a samneh that’s as aromatic and soulful as the food it’s used to make. it’s an ingredient that breathes life into whatever you choose to cook with it.
our samneh is unique because it contains the following ingredients combined:
dried chamomile - my favorite calming herb. chamomile helps with sleep and mild anxiety. it also helps with gastrointestinal health. (the reason why food with samneh makes you extra sleepy).
dried nettles - helps with arthritis relief, blood sugar management, prostate health, and helps reduce risk of kidney disease. there are many more benefits to this ancient super herb!
turmeric - everyone knows about this super spice that has so many benefits. its rich in antioxidants. its also anti inflammatory and rich in other nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, iron, potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, and dietary fiber. it's also what gives our samneh its unique color.
fenugreek - has many benefits from heart health to blood sugar control, and even gut health. but the thing I am most familiar with is that it helps with milk production for new mothers. one thing my wife requested of me after our daughter was born was to make things with fenugreek in them.
mahlab - is the seed of the sour cherry fruit native to the levant. it's a common spice used in cooking. it also has many benefits from anti-inflammatories to antioxidants and more!
cardamom - one of my favorite spices. it helps with oral health, digestion, and even lowers blood pressure.
bulgur - bulgur is cracked wheat, and it's what we use to help absorb the excess water in the butter to help clarify it so we can get that pure fatty goodness.
what samneh means to me
as soon as i take a whiff of samneh, it takes me to amman. it's almost a part of every memory i have. it transports me to my younger self waiting for my grandmother's delicious food at her house, to fatteh friday mornings and watching samneh and samneh-fried nuts sizzle as soon as they hit the fatteh, to late nights eating knafeh by the slice with my friends, to some of the best mansaf i have ever eaten. amman really did teach me how to eat, and samneh was there every step of the way.
the unique components of samneh that make that beautiful aroma are so nostalgic to me, and it's why it was one of the first things i wanted to recreate even though we have no real use for it at shawarmaji.
here's a classic scene of my teta (grandmother), nahla, with a feast she had prepared for us. i'm sure a lot of samneh went into that meal ;)
how we use it
samneh is just another fat, so you can use it in any way you would normally use butter or oil. these are the main ways we use it:
rice - either adding it to your pot in the beginning to toast the rice before adding water, or adding a dollop at the end when the rice is done cooking and still hot; just let it melt away on the rice for a few minutes.
desserts - the king of desserts in my opinion is knafeh, and knafeh is such a simple dish that is made up of only 4 ingredients - cheese, dough, samneh, and syrup - so it's important to have high quality ingredients to make good knafeh. and the more samneh, the better (trust me). we also use it in all the different arabic desserts; everything from baqlawa to mamoul cookies. it's really a baker's best friend.
sauteing - this probably covers the majority of how we cook with it. we also use samneh to saute or shallow-fry things like eggs, veggies, or even as a base for a stew. i can't tell you how much of a flavor difference this makes, even for simpler foods like scrambled eggs.
toasting nuts - we like to garnish many of our rice dishes with toasted nuts like almonds and pine nuts, and using samneh for this is the best! you can always save the excess in a separate jar for later use to toast more nuts. and if you're making a dish like fatteh, the toasted nuts + hot samneh are poured over the dish as a rich garnish that also completes it with flavor and an additional layer of texture.
recipe: roasted smash potatoes
one of my favorite things to make at home, especially around this time of year, is roasted smash potatoes with samneh. it’s a crowd-pleaser, and it’s really easy to prepare. here’s how i make it:
ingredients
2 pounds baby potatoes
3 tablespoons shawarmaji samneh
shawarmaji aleppo salt to taste
(optional)
4 garlic cloves, smashed
fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
prep
1. preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. in a large pot, cover the potatoes with water, generously add salt, and bring to a hard boil for about 10 minutes or until they are fork-tender but not too soft.
3. drain the potatoes and let them cool for a few minutes.
4. in a baking pan, dollop half of the shawarmaji samneh and spread around the area the potatoes will be. arrange the potatoes on the pan and gently smash them with the back of a spoon or any flat utensil until they are flattened but still intact.
5. drizzle the remaining samneh over the potatoes and season with aleppo salt. (optional) add the smashed garlic cloves to the potatoes.
6. roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy on the edges.
7. (optional) when you take the potatoes out of the over, garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a side of your favorite shawarmaji sauce trio.
watch me make the full recipe here or by clicking the photo below to see how easy and satisfying it is to make these delicious potatoes with samneh.
thank you to every one of you who continually support our small family business, allow me to share my musings, and give me the opportunity to live my dream by serving our community the food that i love (and live) to eat.
peace, love, and toum,
chef mohammad abutaha
