Samanu

There is no sugar in it at all: the sweetness comes entirely from sprouted wheat.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 1 kg whole wheat grains
• 3 litres water, for the extraction
• 100 g plain flour, optional and not traditional
• 100 g walnut halves, to throw in near the end

Method

1. THERE IS NO SUGAR IN IT AT ALL: THE SWEETNESS COMES ENTIRELY FROM SPROUTED WHEAT. Its article states this plainly and it is the whole reason the dish is remarkable -- samanu in its older form is made entirely of germinated wheat and water, with no other ingredients. What happens is that germination switches on enzymes in the grain which convert its starch to maltose, so the wheat sweetens itself. The paste that results is dark brown, thick and genuinely sweet, and nothing was added to make it so. This is also why it takes a week: you are waiting on a biological process, not a recipe.
2. THE WHEAT IS SOAKED AND SPROUTED OVER SEVERAL DAYS. Its article says the wheat is soaked and prepared for days with the whole process taking up to a week. Soak the grains two days, changing the water twice a day, then drain and spread them in a shallow tray, covered with a damp cloth, rinsing twice a day for three or four days until the green shoots are two or three centimetres long.
3. THE SPROUTED GRASS IS CRUSHED AND THE SWEET LIQUID IS PRESSED OUT. Chop and pound the sprouted wheat, grass and all, with some of the water, then squeeze it through muslin. Repeat with fresh water two or three times and keep all the liquid. It will taste faintly, unmistakably sweet. That liquid is the dish; the squeezed pulp is thrown away.
4. IT IS COOKED ALL NIGHT AND IT IS STIRRED THE WHOLE TIME. Its article describes the final cooking taking from evening until daylight. Six to eight hours at a bare simmer in the widest heavy pan you have, stirred constantly. It thickens slowly, darkens from pale beige to deep brown, and will catch and burn the moment it is left.
5. FLOUR SPEEDS IT UP AND ITS ARTICLE SAYS WHAT THAT COSTS. It records that it is now common to add a little flour to thicken it faster, although this makes the paste taste somewhat bitter and less sweet. So the hundred grams above is marked optional, and the trade is stated rather than hidden.
6. THE WALNUTS GO IN WHOLE NEAR THE END. Its article describes whole walnuts thrown in towards the end of the cooking while making a wish. They stay whole and are found in the finished paste.
7. IT IS A JOB FOR MORE THAN ONE PAIR OF HANDS, AND THAT IS THE CUSTOM AROUND IT. Its article describes a gathering, mostly of women, sitting in a circle around a very large pot through the night, singing, each waiting her turn to stir, with wishes made while stirring. Six hours of continuous stirring is not a one-person task and the custom follows from the method.
8. IT IS GIVEN AWAY WARM IN THE MORNING. Its article has it handed out still warm to neighbours, relatives and friends. It is made for the new year and sits among the symbolic items on the table; its article also records it as a seasonal trade centred on Ashtian, from where it is exported.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Iran · All recipes