Muhallabieh is a classic and simple Middle Eastern pudding, similar to a blancmange in France or the Italian panna cotta. It is a very traditional dessert in Syria, and is often served in homes and restaurants.
it’s a very frugal pudding that is be made with ingredients you’ll probably already have in your cupboards – milk, sugar and cornflour – but it is then turned into something exotic with a flavoured syrup and pretty garnishes. the original syrup recipe uses a mix of bay and vanilla which I love but i’ve been using rosewater and orange blossom alternatives (just add a few drops when you take the syrup off the heat).
Bergamot, orange blossom, rose water – these are all scents that I really enjoy cooking with. The intoxicating smell of a tiny drop of orange blossom water can transport you to a million different places. It’s traditionally used in Middle Eastern cooking, mainly in desserts, but has also found its way to Europe and is used to flavour madeleines. In Morocco it is also used as a cleanser to wash your hands before you enter a house or take tea – how lovely! Needless to say, this is a Middle Eastern-inspired pudding.
Muhallabieh (serves 6)
50g cornflour
500ml full fat milk
200ml water
80g caster sugar
25g desiccated coconut
For decoration
25g pistachios (nibs or roughly chopped)
For garnish
rose petals
For the syrup
60g caster sugar
60ml water
1 bay leaf
¼ vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
Start with the pudding, whisk the cornflour with 100ml of the milk to make a smooth paste. pour the remaining milk, along with the water and sugar, into a medium saucepan and heat gently so the sugar melts.
When the milk mixture begins to release steam whisk in the cornflour paste. Continue whisking until the mixture boils and thickens so it resembles thick custard.
Remove from the heat and pour into six small bowls or glasses. cover the top of each pudding with cling film to prevent a skin forming (the cling film should touch the top of the pudding) and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or until set.
For the syrup, place the sugar, water, bay leaf and vanilla pod and seeds into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar melts. remove from the heat and allow to cool.to serve, top each pudding with a tablespoon of syrup and a sprinkling of coconut, pistachios and rose petals.
