Arabic recipesDrinks
Sahlab Recipe: Warm Middle Eastern Spiced Milk Drink with Mastic & Pistachios
Sahlab is the comforting winter milk drink of the Levant and Egypt, made by whisking sahlab powder into cold milk and simmering it gently with crushed mastic and orange blossom water until velvety and pourable. Served steaming in mugs, it is crowned with ground cinnamon, shredded coconut and pistachios.
Also known as:Hot salep milk drinkLevantine and Egyptian winter sahlabCreamy sahlab with nuts and cinnamon
Servings4
Prep time5 min
Cook time10 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- 1 litre cold whole milk
- 3 to 4 tbsp ready-to-cook sahlab powder mix (check packet sweetness; add 3 to 4 tbsp sugar if using unsweetened powder)
- 3 tiny tears of pure mastic gum pounded finely with 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- To top: finely ground cinnamon, desiccated coconut and crushed green pistachios (plus chopped walnuts or almonds if liked)
Preparation Steps
- 1Pour about 200 ml of the cold milk into a jug and whisk in the sahlab powder (and sugar, if the mix is unsweetened) until completely smooth and free of lumps.
- 2Warm the remaining milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, then slowly pour in the cold sahlab mixture while whisking continuously.
- 3Add the pounded mastic and keep stirring steadily over medium-low heat for 6 to 8 minutes until the milk comes to a gentle bubble and thickens to the consistency of pouring custard.
- 4Remove from the heat and stir in the orange blossom water right at the end so its floral aroma stays vivid.
- 5Ladle immediately into warm mugs, scatter generously with ground cinnamon, coconut and crushed pistachios, and serve with a small spoon.
