Emirati Chami Cheese

December 2, 2025pub

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Emirati Chami Cheese (جبنة كامي) and blessed 54 years since the founding of the United Arab Emirates. My lovely friend Najla, whom I met through Instagram, shares my love for food. And in typical Emirati fashion, Najla is extremely generous and gifts me dates from her family’s farm often. This time around, she also sent me some Emirati ghee and a YouTube video with the instructions for making chami (Kami) cheese which is the tangy Emirati alternative to Italian ricotta, it is made from drinking yogurt and is often savored with dates and ghee. Have you ever tried it?
Happy National Day to the UAE and its people!

Makes: about 1 small bowl

My beautiful cheese board with brass inlay calligraphy is from @kashidadesign

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Emirati Chami Cheese

BY YASMINE IDRISS

Ingredients

1 liter drinking yogurt
A handful of soft dates
Emirati ghee, for drizzling

Method

1)
Pour the yogurt into a large pot and place it over low heat.
2)
Let it warm gently, stirring once or twice only.
3)
Keep it on low heat until it reaches the edge of a simmer. You’ll notice the yogurt starting to split and separate.
4)
When you can pull it slightly from the sides of the pot and see that it has fully separated, turn off the heat.
5)
Cover the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes to finish separating.
6)
Line a sieve with a cheesecloth. Pour the mixture in and let the whey drain until you get a soft cheese.
7)
To serve: stuff the cheese into the dates and drizzle with Emirati ghee.

About Yasmine

Hello! My name is Yasmine Idriss Tannir, I am from Beirut, Lebanon. I am originally a Graphic Designer, graduated in 2002 from the American University of Beirut.
Dubai has been our home since 2007.

As a child, cooking and food meant family and friends gathering around a table, laughing and chatting for hours. I think this is what instilled the passion for cooking and baking in me.