Lebanese · Desserts

Mouhalabieh

Milk set with cornflour, perfumed with rose and orange blossom, and scattered with pistachio. Barely sweet, eaten cold, and the whole thing takes fifteen minutes.

25 min prep and cooking plus 3 hr chilling until set 3 hr 25 min start to finish Serves 6 servings Easy
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Mouhalabieh

Photograph credit: Mahalabia by Miansari66 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

How to Make Mouhalabieh

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  1. Whisk the cornflour into 200 ml of the cold milk until completely smooth with no lumps.

  2. Heat the remaining 800 ml milk with the sugar until steaming but not boiling.

  3. Pour the cornflour slurry into the hot milk in a steady stream, whisking constantly.

  4. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring without stopping. Once it bubbles, keep it there for 2 full minutes — it will thicken sharply.

  5. Take off the heat and stir in the rose water and orange blossom water. Taste, and add more only a few drops at a time.

  6. Pour into six glasses or a shallow dish and press cling film onto the surface if you dislike a skin.

  7. Chill at least 180 minutes, until set and completely cold. Serve scattered with pistachios, rose petals and a thread of honey.

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Notes for Getting It Right

  • It must actually boil for two minutes, or it will not set.
  • Flower waters off the heat. Boiling drives them off.
  • Add the rose water cautiously — strengths vary wildly.

Serving Suggestions

  • Arabic coffee
  • Fresh dates
  • Sweet tea

Keeping and Reheating

Refrigerated for 3 days, covered. It does not freeze — the starch weeps on thawing.

Mouhalabieh: Questions and Answers

How long does Mouhalabieh take to make?

10 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking, plus 3 hours of chilling until set, so allow 3 hours 25 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.

Nutrition per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

293Calories
7gProtein
46gCarbs
9gFat
1gFibre
33gSugar
70mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.

First published ; last changed .