Malabi — rosewater milk pudding with rose syrup

i. Origin & history

Thickened milk puddings have been made in the Middle East for over a thousand years. Muhallabiyya appears in medieval Arabic cookbooks, where some versions were made with rice and even included shredded chicken — a reminder that sweet and savoury were not always separate, and a link to the Turkish chicken-breast pudding tavuk göğsü. The name is traditionally said to honour al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra, an Umayyad general of the seventh century, whose Persian cook is supposed to have created the dish for him. It is a well-loved story but not one that can be proved.

Over the centuries the dish became lighter: rice flour and starch replaced the meat, and rosewater and orange-blossom water perfumed it. Muhallabiya is made today from Egypt and the Levant to Iraq, Iran (as fereni, made with rice flour) and Turkey (muhallebi), and it is a classic Ramadan dessert, cheap, light and cooling after the fast.

Malabi is the shortened form of the name used in Israel and parts of the Levant. There it has become a street food in its own right: vendors sell it from carts in Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Jerusalem, set in plastic cups, drenched in sticky pink syrup and topped with chopped peanuts or pistachios and desiccated coconut. Many versions are made with cornflour and water or coconut milk rather than cow's milk, so that they are dairy-free and can follow a meat meal under kosher rules.

Its relatives include Turkish kazandibi, the Indian ground-rice pudding phirni and the Persian saffron rice pudding sholeh zard, all part of the same broad family of perfumed milk desserts.

ii. How much starch makes it silky, not rubbery

Malabi is a starch-set pudding: cornflour, mixed with cold milk and stirred into hot milk, swells and bursts as it approaches boiling and forms a gel as the pudding cools. The amount of starch determines everything. Too much, and the pudding sets firm and rubbery, like a blancmange that can be turned out; too little, and it stays a thick cream. Malabi should be in between — set enough to hold the syrup on its surface, soft enough to tremble and to be eaten from a spoon like silk. About 60–70 g of cornflour per litre of milk gives that texture.

The pudding must be cooked properly. Cornflour only reaches full thickening when it boils, and cooking it for a minute or two after it starts to bubble removes the floury, raw taste. Constant stirring prevents lumps and stops the milk scorching on the base, which would taint the delicate flavour.

Rosewater goes in at the end, off the heat, because its fragrance fades when boiled. The pudding is poured straight into serving cups while hot and smooth; once it begins to set it becomes lumpy if moved. Covering each cup while it cools prevents a skin.

The syrup is the other half of malabi. A simple sugar syrup flavoured with rosewater and coloured red, or a raspberry or pomegranate syrup, adds sweetness, colour and a slight sharpness against the mild milk.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 6 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 800 ml whole milk
• 200 ml double cream
• 65 g cornflour
• 80 g caster sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1½ tbsp rosewater, or to taste
• 100 g sugar (syrup)
• 100 ml water (syrup)
• 80 g raspberries, fresh or frozen (syrup)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp rosewater (syrup)
• 40 g pistachios, chopped
• 2 tbsp desiccated coconut, lightly toasted

Whole milk with some cream gives a richer pudding; all milk is lighter and traditional. For a dairy-free malabi, use coconut milk, almond milk or a mix of coconut milk and water. Rosewater varies widely in strength; taste and add gradually. Orange-blossom water is a common alternative. The raspberry syrup gives natural colour and sharpness; the street-style version is plain sugar syrup with rosewater and red colouring. Peanuts are the cheap street topping, pistachios the festive one.

iv. Method

1. Whisk the cornflour with 200 ml of the cold milk until completely smooth.
2. Heat the remaining milk, the cream, sugar and salt in a heavy pan until steaming.
3. Whisk in the cornflour mixture and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk and reaching into the corners, until it thickens and starts to bubble, about 5–7 minutes. Keep stirring for 2 minutes more.
4. Off the heat, stir in the rosewater. Taste and add a little more if you like.
5. Pour at once into 6 glasses or bowls. Tap them gently to level, cover with cling film touching the surface or a plate, and cool, then chill for at least 4 hours.
6. For the syrup, simmer the sugar, water and raspberries for 5 minutes, crushing the fruit. Strain through a sieve, stir in the lemon juice and rosewater and cool; it will thicken slightly.
7. To serve, spoon a layer of syrup over each pudding and scatter with pistachios and coconut.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Mix the cornflour with cold milk first. Added straight to hot milk, it forms lumps that never dissolve.
• Stir constantly. Milk scorches quickly once thickened, and burnt milk ruins the delicate flavour.
• Cook past the first bubble. Two minutes more removes the starchy taste and gives a full set.
• Pour while hot. Once it begins to set in the pan, it turns lumpy when poured.
• Go easy on the rosewater. Too much tastes soapy; it should be a perfume, not the main flavour.
• Add toppings at the last minute. Nuts soften and coconut absorbs syrup if left for hours.

vi. Variations

Street-style malabi is dairy-free, made with water or coconut milk, and topped with red rose syrup, peanuts and coconut. Muhallabiya with orange blossom is the common Lebanese and Syrian version. Mastic muhallabiya adds ground mastic for a resinous note. Iranian fereni uses rice flour. Modern versions are flavoured with pomegranate, cardamom or saffron.

For other perfumed puddings, try Turkish kazandibi, Persian sholeh zard or Indian phirni; for a set apricot pudding from the same region, see qamar al-din.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve malabi well chilled, in small glasses or bowls, with its syrup and nut topping, as a light dessert after a rich meal, at Ramadan iftar or on a hot day. It pairs well with mint tea or Arabic coffee.

The puddings keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 3 days; add the syrup and toppings just before serving. The syrup keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge. Malabi does not freeze well — the starch gel weeps and turns grainy.

ix. More from Middle Eastern

• Kazandibi — caramelised milk pudding
• Qamar al-Din — apricot pudding
• Aish el-Saraya — bread pudding with cream
• Turkish Delight — rose lokum
• Phirni — Indian ground-rice pudding
• Sholeh Zard — saffron rice pudding