Classic Mehalabeya with Rose Water and Mastic
By shahdan • June 25, 2016
4 servings
30 min
Easy
This is an easy, straight-forward recipe for classic Mehalabeya. The combination of mastic and rose water give this creamy pudding a very special and delicate flavour. The cream is essential for this recipe because it gives the Mehalabeya its super silky & creamy texture. Whether you eat it plain, keep it classic with a garnish of nuts, or top it with fresh fruits, this is a summer dessert that all your family will love.
Some Tips:
- Remember this ratio: to make classic homemade Mehalabeya, you need 1.5 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornflour for Every cup of milk (250ml cup).
- You can use this recipe for konafa and baklava filling. In that case you don’t have to use cream, and you can reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon per cup of milk, meaning that for every cup of milk you need 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornflour.
- Warming most of the milk quantity without the cornflour- then adding the cornflour dissolved in a small quantity of milk later- saves you the time and effort of whisking the full milk quantity & cornflour from the very beginning.
- Always dissolve cornflour in cold milk or water before adding to any warm liquid to prevent it from making lumps and ruining the dish.
- Remember that Mehalabeya thickens on cooling, so don’t over-thicken the milk to keep it nice and creamy.
Ingredients
- 4 cup milk (1 liter) - لبن
- 4 tablespoon corn flour - نشا
- 6 tablespoon sugar - سكر
- 170 gram cream (170g can of Puck cream is a good option) - قشطة
- 1 tablespoon rose water - ماء الورد
- 4 medium mastic / mesteka pieces - مستكة
- raw nuts (to taste) - مكسرات
- fruits (to taste) - فواكه
Step by step
- Pour 3 cups of cold milk in a pot and heat gently on medium/ low heat. Mix the remaining cold cup of milk with corn flour and sugar and whisk properly, off heat, until cornflour and sugar dissolve.
- When the milk is warm, pour the milk-cornflour mixture into the pot. Whisk continuously until milk thickens (about 10 minutes). If you feel that it hasn't thickened enough, simply mix a teaspoon of cornflour in a 1/8 cup of COLD milk or water and add it to the warm milk mixture and continue whisking until you reach a medium thick creamy pudding. But remember, it should not be too thick because Mehalabeya thickens more as it cools.
- Take it off the heat, add cream and rose water. Using a pestle and mortar, break the mastic into powder and add to the pudding. Stir gently until all ingredients are well combined with the Mehalabeya.
- Pour the mixture in one serving bowl, or 4- 6 small dessert bowls. Let the Mehalabeya cool then place it in the fridge when it reaches room temperature.
- Garnish with nuts or fresh fruits and serve cold.
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