Greetings dear readers, and allow me to wish all that celebrate a very warm Ramadan Kareem! I can’t believe it’s that time of year again, or furthermore that we’re already 6 days in.
This year Ramadan has been slightly more challenging for me, I won’t lie. A hectic work schedule that doesn’t seem to let up (irrespective of the supposedly shorter working hours) coupled with the short window of time to eat in (thank you, long summer days) has left me tired and drained of energy. On the weekend I even found myself getting faint and seeing spots – not good.
The solution? Eat more!
I realised a couple of days ago that even if I didn’t get hungry I had to force myself to ingest more than one meal a night in the interest of being a functional human being the following day. I’ve been filling up on seasonal fruit like watermelon and mango and ingesting copious amounts of coconut water to aid with hydration too. So far, so good.
The silver lining to this first world problem is that I feel no guilt indulging in the occasional dessert (or four) – after all, I need the calories right?
I tried my hand at veganising a traditional dessert that was one of my favourites as a kid – Muhallabia, otherwise known as Egyptian milk pudding. It’s incredibly simple to make, and tastes almost identical to the original version.
[print_this]
Vegan Muhallabia
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups of unsweetened soy milk*
- 1/4 cup of organic sugar or xylitol
- 3 tbsp of corn starch
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 1/2 tsp rose water (optional)
- Dried rose petals and pistachio to garnish (you can also use raisins, cinnamon, maraschino cherries etc.)
* You could use almond or coconut milk if you’re not a fan of soy – if using almond milk I recommend you opt for homemade if you have it on hand – store bought may render your dessert a little thin. Coconut milk will do the trick too, but will obviously have a slight additional flavour – if that doesn’t bother you then go ahead.
Directions
- Start by dissolving the corn starch in half a cup of the milk – I like to use a tall glass and a strong fork to make sure it fully combines.
- In a medium pot over medium heat, place the corn starch mixture along with the rest of the milk, sugar (or sweetener of choice), orange blossom water and rose water if using. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens enough to evenly coat a wooden spoon.
- Pour the Muhallabia into serving bowls and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before serving. Garnish generously with chopped pistachio and dried rose petals, or whatever else your heart desires.
[/print_this]
A full disclaimer – the first time I tried this I made it from the regular ol’ box you find at the supermarket, subbing soy milk for regular milk – so if you’re lazy you could totally do that also, but trust me this version tastes significantly better.
Light, creamy and aromatic with a hint of crunch and texture from the pistachios. The perfect accompaniment to a post-iftar peppermint tea.
I must say, it is slightly torturous to be writing this post while fasting – but hey, only 10 and a half hours to go.
I hope the rest of ramadan goes smoothly for you! That is a wonderfully looking dessert.
رمَضَان كريم
Thank you, Mihl! Ramadan Kareem to you too.
Hi Nada, happy Ramadan. This looks beautiful and sounds like something my dad used to love — he called it “blancmange.” Anyway, I was wondering what kind of soy milk did you use instead of the boxed, grocery-store kind, that you said was better? You didn’t make your own soy milk, did you?? Thanks and all the best, Lisa
Hello Lisa – so sorry perhaps I was unclear, I meant the boxed Muhallabia mix! I haven’t tried making my own soymilk just yet, but it’s definitely on the cooking bucket list!
For soy milk I buy only non-gmo and organic soy, unsweetened as much as possible. The Granovita organic soy milk is my preferred brand, along with Alpro organic and Eden foods organic unsweetened.
Haha, as I re-read I see that you were totally clear — I just misunderstood (plus not being familiar w/the dessert, didn’t know there was a boxed version!). Thanks for clarifying. I like Eden soy, too. But my current fave soy milk is one called Organic Valley. It has a few more calories per cup than some other soy milks — but calories make things good, right?! I must try this recipe with it.
Hi there, ramadan kareem to you. I thought soy milk is not good & messes up hormones. Good looking dessert, I will try w/almond milk. Thanx
Hello Fatme, some people choose to avoid soy milk but I personally have no problems with it. I consume only organic and non-GMO soy milk, but you should have whatever works best for your body. Ramadan Kareem!
All soy IS gmo. There IS No No gmo soy.and yes soy does mess Up hormones . Check Dr Sebi If you Care about your health..
Yes dear. U are Well informed. Better avoid the soy altogether .
I was so excited to find your website. I’m working on being vegetarian. Lebanese food is one of my favorite cuisines. I adore Muhallabia and can’t wait to try this recipe. Currently cooking pumpkin kibbeh and getting ready to make spanakopita.
Hello Deena, thanks so much for your kind words! It means the world to me that you’re trying out my recipes. I hope you enjoy them and good luck on your journey to vegetarianism!
How long should I keep the mixture cooking? I feel like it is too long, because I tend to eat the Muhallabia (which is supposed to serves 4) by myself!
Hi Ahmed, in my experience it only takes a few minutes for the mixture to thicken up so adjust accordingly as you see fit!
Hi Nada, this looks delicious. I was thinking of making this for my family dinner this christmas. I tend to avoid soy milk – do you think it is possible to swap it for oat milk? Other wise I will just use almond. Thank you very much!
Hello Eva! I honestly haven’t tried it with either but I’d imagine any non-dairy milk would work fairly well in the recipe. Please do let me know how it turns out if you do make it.
I did this with Oatmilk! It was delicious!!
I would personally opt for home-made cashew milk!
I really want to try this! Do you know if the traditional recipe calls for mustek? I’m wondering if adding it might add that extra touch. I have some in my fridge but admittedly have no idea how to use it!
Hi Nihal – do you mean mastic? I think there is a variation that is made with it, you’d have to use the powder form and dissolve it in some water or rosewater before adding in!
Sorry yes that’s what I meant (three years later)! It’s still in my fridge! 🤣
I’m making this dessert tomorrow and will let you know how it turns out. I’m wondering if I could substitute corn flour with rice flour though.
Correction: I mean corn starch*
I’m going to try this!! Looks delicious
This brought tears to my eyes! Talk about taste memories. I spent part of my childhood in Cairo and this was my favorite dessert. Can’t wait to make this for my parents when I visit them. So glad I found your blog