Muhallabia, Orange Milk Pudding
Muhallabia is the milk pudding of the Levant, a wobbling, delicate set custard usually made from whole milk thickened with cornstarch, heavily sugared, and perfumed with rosewater. This version keeps its soft, spoonable texture and changes what carries it. Unsweetened soy milk gives it body and a little protein, blended dates do the sweetening with their fiber intact, and orange zest stands in for the flower waters that can be hard to find. The method is the same one cooks have used for centuries: disperse the starch cold, then whisk without stopping over the heat until it thickens and sets. A scatter of toasted almonds and fresh pomegranate finishes it, crunch and acid against the smooth. Make it in the morning to serve cold that night.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Unsweetened soy milk
- 3 tbsp Cornstarch
- 4 wholes Medjool dates, pitted
- 1 whole Oranges, zested, plus 1 tsp juice
- 2 wholes Green cardamom, seeds crushed
- 2 tbsp Almonds, slivered and toasted
- 1/4 cup Pomegranate, seeds
Method
- Blend the dates with 0.5 cup (120 ml) of the soy milk until completely smooth. Dates are the only sweetener here, and blending them into the milk first keeps them from sinking to the bottom as grainy specks instead of dissolving into the pudding.
- Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1.5 cups (360 ml) cold soy milk until no lumps remain. Starch has to be dispersed in cold liquid before it meets heat, or it seizes into knots the moment it hits the pot.
- Combine the date blend, the cornstarch milk, and the crushed cardamom in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens to a loose pudding and just begins to bubble, 5 to 7 minutes. The constant whisking keeps it satin-smooth, and it is that first bubble that sets the starch, so do not pull it early.
- Off the heat, stir in the orange zest and juice. Added at the end, the orange aroma survives instead of cooking away, standing in for the rosewater or orange-blossom water a traditional muhallabia would carry.
- Pour into four cups and chill at least 2 hours, until set. Top with the toasted almonds and pomegranate just before serving. The pudding firms as it cools, and the nuts and seeds are the accent on top, not folded through, so they stay crisp.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 190 calories, 6 g protein, 3 g fiber, 60 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
