Ramadan dessert · 20 minutes
Muhallebi Recipe (Rose Milk Pudding)
Slurry first. Stir constantly. Flower water off heat.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenMuhallebi is a silky milk pudding set with cornflour and scented with rose or orange blossom water, a quick Ramadan dessert. It turns lumpy or tastes starchy when the cornflour isn't dissolved or cooked through. The fix is a cold slurry, constant stirring, and simmering 2 minutes after it thickens.
The 3 laws of muhallebi
Why this recipe works
Dry cornflour
Dissolved cornflour can't lump.
Stop at first thickening
Removes the starchy taste.
Boiled aroma
Keeps the scent bright.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Pudding
The NineFoods pudding gauge
Is it thick enough?
Coat a spoon and draw a line through.
Method · 3 stages
Step by step
Slurry
- Whisk cornflour into 1 cup cold milk until smooth.
Thicken
- Heat remaining milk with sugar and mastic, pour in slurry, stirring constantly.
- Use the gauge above.
Set
- Off the heat, stir in rose water and pour into bowls.
- Chill until set and top with pistachios.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Cornflour not dissolved.
Fix next time
Make a cold slurry and whisk constantly; strain if needed.
Why
Too little cornflour or undercooked.
Fix next time
Cook 2 minutes past thickening.
Why
Not cooked through.
Fix next time
Simmer 2 minutes after it thickens.
Why
Exposed while cooling.
Fix next time
Cover the surface with wrap.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Cornflour | Setting | Rice flour, for a firmer pudding |
| Full-fat milk | Creaminess | Half milk, half cream |
| Rose water | Aroma | Orange blossom water |
| Mastic | Traditional aroma | Skip it |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Chilled, with pistachios and a drizzle of rose syrup.
Store
Fridge 3 days, covered.
Reheat
Serve cold.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 6 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is it thick enough) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Muhallebi FAQ
What is muhallebi?
An Arabic milk pudding thickened with cornflour and flavoured with rose or orange blossom.
Why is my muhallebi lumpy?
The cornflour was not fully dissolved in cold milk first.
Is muhallebi the same as kheer?
No. Kheer is thickened with rice; muhallebi with cornflour.
Can I make it dairy free?
Yes, use almond or oat milk with a little extra cornflour.