Arabic recipesSweets
Roz bil Laban: Creamy Arabic Rice Pudding with Mastic & Pistachios
Roz bil laban is the beloved Egyptian and Levantine chilled rice pudding in which plump short-grain rice is pre-tenderised in water before simmering slowly in milk, silky qishta cream, crushed mastic and orange blossom water. Topped with bright green pistachios, it sets spoonably lush rather than stiff.
Also known as:Egyptian & Levantine rice pudding (Roz bil Laban / Rizz bi Halib)Middle Eastern mastic and orange blossom rice puddingChilled pistachio milk pudding
Servings6
Prep time10 min
Cook time35 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- 100 g short-grain rice, given just one quick cold rinse
- 350 ml water for par-cooking
- 1 litre whole milk
- 120 g caster sugar
- 1 tin (170 g) qishta table cream
- 1 level tbsp corn starch whisked into 3 tbsp cold milk
- 3 mastic tears pounded fine with 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp orange blossom or rose water, chopped pistachios to garnish
Preparation Steps
- 1Combine the lightly rinsed short-grain rice and 350 ml water in a saucepan and simmer gently for 12 minutes until the grains bloom soft and absorb nearly all the water.
- 2Pour in the whole milk and cook uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often so the rice releases its natural starch without catching.
- 3Stir in the sugar and qishta cream until melted, then whisk in the cold corn-starch slurry and bubble gently for 2 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
- 4Take off the heat immediately and fold in the sugar-pounded mastic and orange blossom water to capture their full fragrance.
- 5Ladle piping hot into bowls, cool uncovered for 20 minutes to form the classic rippled cream top, then chill and scatter with crushed pistachios.
