For someone who is known for her desserts, I post surprisingly few dessert recipes here on Sand Kitchen. I think it’s mostly because I love making them, but don’t have an enormous sweet tooth myself.
This muhalabiya (Arabic: مهلبيه) was my grandfather’s favourite. It’s a dish we had over and over again growing up, and my mum’s was my favourite. Even after I was diagnosed as lactose intolerant at 13, I’d still eat muhalabiya. How could I not?
I decided to make a dairy-free version for all my fellow intolerants (and vegans) out there.
- 1 can coconut milk (approx 2 cups)*
- 2 cups water
- 4 tbsp rice flour**
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 tbsp rose water
- A few strands of saffron
- Before you do anything else, soak your saffron in a tablespoon or two of boiling water. Set that aside so that it picks up colour and flavour. The earlier you do this, the better, and we sometimes do this hours beforehand. All you really need, though, is about 15-20 minutes that the pudding will take to make.
- Mix your rice flour with some water to create a slurry.
- In a pot, add your coconut milk, water, rose water, and cracked cardamom pods and wait until it begins to boil.
- Once you start to see bubbles form, add your rice flour slurry and the sugar. Keep it on a low-medium heat and let it simmer until it begins to bubble again.
- When you’re satisfied that the flavours are incorporated and it has begun to bubble again, fish the cardamom pods out and pour them into little bowls or ramekins.
- Take your saffron water mixture and pour a little bit on top of each one. Alternatively, you could have poured into your milk mix before portioning it out, if you want the saffron flavour and colour throughout.
- Put your muhalabiyas in the fridge to set, a minimum of ~2 hours, up to 4 hours.
As I said, this dessert is a firm family favourite — and I actually can’t ever have it without thinking of my late grandfather. It was his most frequently requested dessert and I can still see the joy on his face when he would have his first bite. That memory alone makes me treasure this dish and this recipe, and isn’t that what food is all about?
After they’ve been in the fridge for a few hours, take them out, and enjoy! They obviously will have the edge of coconut to them, but they’re just as creamy as those made with regular milk and I love the fact that I’m able to have my favourite dessert again. If you try these, let me know what you think — especially if you’re a non-Gulf native.
As always, bilafiya
(well wishes and wellbeing)
Sand Kitchen 
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