Sütlü muhallebi (milk pudding)

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Sütlü muhallebi is a light, milk-based pudding that's popular in Cyprus, Turkey and across the Middle East, with local variations in ingredients and toppings.

In our recipe, milk is whisked together with sugar, vanilla extract, rose water and cornflour (cornstarch), then gently cooked until thickened into a smooth custard. Once ready, it is ladled into small bowls and topped with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts and pistachios. The result is a delicate, fragrant dessert that can be enjoyed while warm and creamy, or chilled and set from the fridge.

Cypriots sometimes add ground mezdeki (mastic gum), which is a resin harvested from the mastic tree. It has a pine-like aroma that gives the pudding a fresh flavour, making it particularly refreshing when served chilled in the summer as an after-dinner dessert. This version is known as damla sakızlı muhallebi in Turkish. We have provided guidance in our recipe if you would like to use this optional ingredient for a variation in flavour.

Sulu muhallebi is another dessert that uses cornflour as a thickening agent, but simply uses water in place of milk to create a rose-flavoured jelly that's perfect for the summer. See our sulu muhallebi recipe if you would like to try it. ‘Sütlü’ means ‘with milk’, while ‘sulu’ means ‘with water’ in Turkish, giving each dessert its name.

Makes 4 servings | Preparation time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes | Additional time for cooling and setting (optional)

Cooking tips:

• Ground mezdeki (mastic gum) is optional and a little goes a long way. We find ⅛ tsp gives a perfect gentle flavour, but you can adjust to taste. You will need to grind it finely using a pestle and mortar, adding a pinch of sugar to prevent it becoming soft and sticky while grinding.

  
  

• Orange blossom water can be used instead of rose water, and almond extract instead of vanilla extract.

  
  

• Once sütlü muhallebi begins to thicken, it does so quickly, so you will need to whisk continuously to ensure a smooth, lump-free custard. You will also need to increase the speed of whisking as it thickens.

  
  

• If you plan to chill sütlü muhallebi, you will need to loosely cover the servings with a large tea tray and tea towel to prevent a hard skin from forming on the surface while they cool.

Ingredients

For the muhallebi:
​1L milk	80g white sugar
​½ tsp vanilla extract	1 tbsp rose water
⅛ tsp ground mezdeki (mastic gum) - optional	100g cornflour (cornstarch)
To serve:
Ground cinnamon	20-40g walnuts, chopped
10-20g pistachios, finely chopped

Hob heat settings

Method

1. In a large saucepan, heat 900ml of the milk over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes.

   
   

2. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, rose water and ground mezdeki (if you are using it) and cook for 1 minute, whisking continuously until the sugar has fully dissolved.

   
   

3. In a bowl, dissolve the cornflour in the remaining 100ml milk. Pour the mixture in and whisk continuously until a smooth, thick and creamy custard forms - about 10 to 15 minutes. It will remain fairly thin at first, then thicken quickly towards the end. When the muhallebi is ready, large bubbles will rise to the surface and pop when you pause stirring briefly.

   
   

4. Ladle the sütlü muhallebi into small bowls and sprinkle with a little ground cinnamon, chopped walnuts and chopped pistachios. The dessert can be enjoyed warm while creamy, or chilled and set from the fridge. If you let the servings cool, you need to loosely cover them with a tea tray and tea towel to make sure a hard skin doesn’t form on top.