Prep time 15 min ( excludes refrigeration time).
Creamy Mahalabeya, an aromatic pudding flavoured with orange blossom, rosewater, pistachios, and honey. This was one of my favorite desserts as a child growing up in Cairo and it always brings back wonderful memories. This custard-like pudding is the Middle Eastern equivalent of Italy’s Panna Cotta or France’s Blancmange and is characterized by the combination of dairy and orange and rose extracts.
What gives this dessert its distinctive flavor is Mastic, a Greek flavoring obtained from the resin of the Mastic tree. Sold in packs of hardened resin crystals, when crushed and used in cooking, releases its characteristic pine/cedar flavor and is available on Amazon. The recipe works without this ingredient and you will enjoy the floral scents of rosewater and orange blossom water but it won’t have quite the same exotic taste.
The pistachios are another important component of the recipe for flavour and texture rather than simply a topping.
Mahalabeya – Middle Eastern Milk Pudding
by
Derek Farwagi
Equipment
- 2 ramekins
Ingredients
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 tbsp White sugar
- 2 tsp Corn starch
- A pinch of crushed Mustic Available from Middle Eastern food stores and Amazon. and gives the dessert its unique flavor.The recipe does work without that ingredient but you will miss out on its distinctive flavor.
- ½ tsp Rose water
- ½ tsp Orange Blossom water
- Honey for topping
- Chopped Pistachios for topping.
Instructions
- Simmer 1 cup of milk and sugar in a large pot over medium-high heat and whisk until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes.
- Mix together 1/2 cup cream and cornstarch to make a paste. Whisk the paste into the boiling milk mixture and reduce the heat. Stir in the crushed mastic and continue to whisk constantly over a medium-low heat until the pudding is thick and custard like in texture. Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water and orange blossom water.
- Serve into small bowls or ramakins. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours – the pudding will thicken as it chills. Top with pistachios and honey.
Nutrition
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