Sobia

Method

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1. Rinse the rice once, then put it in a bowl with the coconut and the cold water and soak at least 480 minutes, or overnight.

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2. The rice is ready when a grain crushes easily between your fingers.

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3. Tip the whole lot, soaking water included, into a blender and blend on high for a full 2 minutes.

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4. Strain through a coarse sieve, pressing the solids to get everything through. Do not use a fine sieve or muslin.

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5. Stir in the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and rose water until the sugar has completely dissolved.

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6. Chill until very cold, at least 2 hours.

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7. Stir well before pouring — it settles — and serve over ice with a dusting of cinnamon.

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Chef’s Tips

• Raw soaked rice. Cooking it gives a thin, sad drink.
• A coarse sieve. Fine straining removes the texture.
• It separates on standing — stir before every pour.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.

Pairing Suggestions

• Qatayef
• Zalabya
• Dates

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 3 days. It separates; stir hard before serving.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.