Mahalabia (lebanese dessert)
On this occasion, we’re heading to Lebanon to try one of its emblematic desserts: Mahalabia, the Arab custard.
You’ll only need one saucepan to prepare this creamy, delicate, and aromatic dish. The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find, with a very suggestive exotic touch. You’ll love the result and how little effort it took to make them.
Let’s begin:
Servings: 6 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes cooking and two hours chilling.
Difficulty: none
You need:
For 6 people
• 1l of milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 7 tablespoons of cornstarch or 12 of rice flour
• 1 cup of liquid cream
• Cardamom, or orange blossom water, or rose water, or cinnamon, or vanilla essence, or…
• For decoration: pistachios, walnuts, pomegranate, fruit puree, honey, shredded coconut…
How is it made?
In a saucepan, heat one liter of milk over medium heat. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and liquid cream and mix well, ensuring there are no lumps. Continue stirring with a whisk (please, not a metal one) for about ten minutes or until you see it acquires the thickness of a pudding.
Remove from heat, add your chosen flavoring (cardamom, orange blossom water, or rose water, whatever you like) and continue stirring to distribute the flavors.
Divide the mixture into small containers and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
When the dessert is cold and firm, you can decorate it with anything you can think of. Traditional recipes often use pistachios, walnuts, or raisins, but you can also add pomegranate, chopped or pureed fruit, honey, shredded coconut, powdered cinnamon… the truth is that it’s such an open recipe that it allows for all kinds of presentations. Find your favorite!
