Sutlage—Muhallabeya

[Guest guest]

Fragrant Milk Pudding (basic recipe with variations)

(serves 6)

 

 

 

Milk puddings with ground rice are ubiquitous in the Middle East. For

the Jews they are the all-purpose dessert of the dairy table and the

traditional sweet of Shavuot and Purim. In Turkey and the Balkans

such a dish was called " sutlage; " in Syria and Egypt, as in the rest

of the Arab world, it was " muhallabeya. " Every community has its own

traditional flavorings and presentation. Use the basic recipe, and

add the flavorings from one of the variations that follow. Each one

transforms the pudding into something special.

 

3/4 cup (150 g) rice flour

5 1/2 cups (1 1/4 liters) cold milk

1/2 cup (100 g) sugar

 

For the flavorings and garnishes, see the variations

 

In a little bowl, mix the rice flour with a cup of the cold milk,

adding it gradually and mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps. Bring the

rest of the milk to the boil in a pan. Pour the rice flour-and-milk

mixture in, stirring vigorously, then cook on very low heat, stirring

continuously until the mixture thickens. If you don't stir every so

often, the milk will thicken unevenly and form lumps.

 

Let the cream cook gently for a few minutes more (in all, 15-20

minutes). Stir in the sugar and cook until dissolved. Stir with a

wooden spoon, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan,

because the cream always sticks and burns at the bottom, and you want

to leave that part behind, untouched. The cream might seem too light,

but it does thicken when it cools. Pour into a large bowl or into

small individual ones and serve cold.

 

Flavoring Variations

 

• The most common way is to add 1-2 tablespoons orange-blossom or

rose water towards the end of the cooking and to garnish with a

sprinkling of chopped almonds and pistachios.

• For a Judeo-Spanish version from Turkey, boil the milk with a stick

of vanilla or add a few drops of vanilla extract or the zest of ½

lemon. Serve sprinkled with I teaspoon cinnamon.

• My favorite pudding is with cardamom — a popular flavoring with

Indian, Iraqi, and Iranian Jews. Add 1 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1

tablespoon rose water a few minutes before the end of cooking.

• Instead of rice flour, you can use cornstarch or a mixture of rice

flour and cornstarch.

 

 

 

by Claudia Roden