Mahalabia (Middle Eastern Milk Pudding)

Step 1

Combine ½ cup cold milk and cornflour / cornstarch. Whisk till smooth.

Step 2

In a medium saucepan, add the remaining milk along with the sugar and crushed cardamom seeds. Turn the heat to medium until the mixture is hot and starts to smoke, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Step 3

Once the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is nearing a simmer, add the cornflour / cornstarch and milk mixture, in an even stream, while whisking. Whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken and you see small bubbles along the sides of the pot.

Step 4

Turn the heat to low and continue whisking until the mixture reaches a pudding consistency. (Whisking is very important at this stage or else the bottom can burn and lumps can form. In case lumps do form, pass the pudding through a sieve to smooth them out.)

Step 5

Once the pudding has thickened (it will continue to set up a bit too as it cools), remove the pot from heat. Pour the pudding into small dessert bowls. (This quantity will yield 3 – 4 small dessert bowls.)

Step 6

Refrigerate the bowls for a couple of hours until the pudding is chilled through.

Step 7

Right before serving, garnish the mahalabia with crushed pistachios and edible rose petals. (Or see the above article for other garnish ideas,)