Mahalabia (Arabic Custard) Recipe

The mahalabia mouhalabieh are an Arab custard also known as Lebanese custard, since they come from Lebanon, although they are consumed in many Arab countries. Its texture is thicker than our custard, it could be said that its texture is more similar to that of a custard, as they are very creamy and smooth.

Although they are not very sweet, they stand out for their flavor and scent perfumed by the orange blossom water. In some countries they use rose water to give the honey a sweet touch.

Orange blossom custard is a simple and quick dessert to make, it does not contain eggs or wheat flour, it is made with cornmeal. The Arab custards are accompanied with dried fruits, highlighting the pistachios, you can also add dried fruits and a touch of honey. It is an ideal dessert for after a meal full of flavor, this dessert will give the soft touch that was missing! Discover how to make Arabic custard in this article and enjoy.

Ingredients to make Mahalabia (Arabian custard):

• 600 milliliters of milk (2½ cups)
• 100 grams of sugar (½ cup)
• 60 grams of corn flour (Maizena)
• 2 tablespoons of orange blossom water
• 1 handful of nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios)
• 5 tablespoons of honey

How to make Mahalabia (Arabian custard):

1. We put a saucepan with half of the milk, add the sugar. We will have it over low heat and stirring so that the sugar dissolves. When it starts to boil, remove from the heat.
2. We will have the other half of the milk in a jug, we will add the corn flour and stir until it is all well dissolved.
3. Add the milk together with the cornmeal to the hot milk, put the pot back on the heat, we will have it over medium heat and we will stir nonstop until the milk begins to thicken. We will be careful with the fire so that the cream does not stick in the saucepan.
4. When they begin to thicken, remove from the heat, add the orange blossom water, stir to mix well. We let the custard temper.
5. Chop the nuts that we are going to use for the custard. They can be varied or just one, you can also put pieces of dates, dried apricots or raisins.
6. Once the cream has tempered, we mix it by stirring. With the help of a saucepan we will fill some bowls to serve the custard.
7. We put a few nuts on top of the custard, they can also be put at the time of eating them. We put them in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
8. After this time, all that remains is to serve the Lebanese mahalabia with the nuts and a drizzle of honey. We will put a little honey and we will take out the dessert accompanied by more nuts and honey so that each diner can serve himself to his liking.