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Mhalabiye Recipe

Name: One Lebaneses Mhalabiye Recipe
Cook time: 2 h 50 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 4 cups whole milk; 0.5 cups granulated sugar; 0.25 cups cornstarch; 0.5 cups heavy cream; 1 tsp orange blossom water; 0.25 tsp mastika (mastic) resin, ground with sugar; 1 pinch fine sea salt; 0.5 cups granulated sugar; 0.5 cups water; 1 tsp fresh lemon juice; 0.5 tsp orange blossom water; 2 tbs rose petal jam or rose petal conserve; 1 portion Lebanese cotton candy (pashmak) or Persian pashmak; 3 tbs shelled pistachios, finely chopped; 1 tsp dried edible rose petals (optional); 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Inspired by One Lebanese

Time2h 50m

Serves6

Lebanese Milk Pudding with orange blossom, mastika, rose petal, Lebanese cotton candy, pistachio crumbles and house made syrup

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Ingredients

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Milk Pudding (Mhalabiye)

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cups Cornstarch

1/2 cups Heavy cream

1 tsp orange blossom water

1/4 tsp mastika (mastic) resin, ground with sugar

1 pinch fine sea salt

House Syrup

1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cups water

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp orange blossom water

Garnishes & Finishing

2 tbs rose petal jam or rose petal conserve

1 portion Lebanese cotton candy (pashmak) or Persian pashmak

3 tbs shelled pistachios, finely chopped

1 tsp dried edible rose petals (optional)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Method

Milk Pudding (Mhalabiye)

Prepare starch slurry

In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of the cold milk until completely smooth and lump-free. Set aside.

Heat milk

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 3.5 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt. Place over medium heat and warm, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is steaming and small bubbles form at the edge (do not boil).

Thicken

Whisk a ladle (about 1/4 cup) of the hot milk into the cornstarch slurry to temper it, then pour the tempered slurry back into the saucepan while whisking constantly. Continue to cook over medium-low heat, whisking vigorously, until the pudding thickens and becomes glossy — about 3–5 minutes. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon.

Aromatics

Remove from heat. Stir in the orange blossom water and the ground mastika (mastic) resin. Taste; if you prefer more floral aroma, add up to another 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water sparingly. Cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

Portion and chill

Pour the pudding into individual serving bowls or a shallow tray (6–8 small glasses). Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

House Syrup

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 4–6 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water. Cool to room temperature. Keep refrigerated for up to one week.

Garnishes & Assembly

Prep pistachios

Finely chop pistachios if not already chopped. Toasting is optional: toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant; cool before using.

Top the pudding

When the mhalabiye is set, spoon about 1 teaspoon of rose petal jam into the center of each pudding. Drizzle 1–2 teaspoons of the house syrup around the jam (adjust to taste).

Add cotton candy and pistachios

Gently place a small portion (a pinch-sized tuft) of Lebanese cotton candy (pashmak) on top of each pudding right before serving so it doesn't dissolve. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon chopped pistachios over each serving and scatter a few dried edible rose petals and a light dusting of ground cinnamon if using.

Serve

Serve chilled. If storing assembled puddings, keep cotton candy aside and add it just before serving to preserve its texture. Leftover pudding (without cotton candy) will keep covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days; syrup refrigerated for up to a week.