4 portions
500ml milk
4 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp cornstarch
50ml water
a little bit of
rose water
a little bit of
orange blossom water
+ rose petals
+ pistachio
It
is a wonderful dessert – so simple… so unforgettable.
I
discovered it for the first time in the sweet shop of a Romanian (half
Jordanian) pastry chef in my hometown and I got hooked.
I
rediscovered it in Iran, as harire badam
– the almond version.
How
to make it?
Whenever
you crave something sweet and you’ve got milk, as a basic ingredient, you can
start smiling because you’ll love it.
Pour
the milk into a large pan (low-medium heat), add the sugar, and stir slowly.
Separately,
dissolve the cornstarch into water.
When
the milk starts boiling, pour the cornstarch/water mix into the pan. Continue
to stir until it thickens.
Pour
a little bit of rose water and a little bit of orange blossom water and stir
some more.
Transfer
into ramekins, bowls, or cups.
I
use a small grater to grate a pistachio nut onto every portion obtained. In
this case, I also used rose petals bought in Iran.
Let
the dessert cool a bit and – if you have the heart not to eat it on the spot –
put it into the fridge overnight.
In
the end, muhallabieh is a milk pudding. And milk always brings along a little
bit of magic. ♣
