Muhallebi: Milk Pudding Technique

Measure the rice flour into a bowl. Pour a ladleful of the cold milk over it and whisk until no dry flour remains and the mixture is fully smooth. The dispersion must be complete before any heat is applied — adding rice flour to warm milk produces instant lumps that cannot be recovered.

Pour the remaining cold milk into a heavy-based saucepan. Add the rice-flour slurry and whisk to combine. Place over a medium flame and stir constantly with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, working the base and sides of the pan without pause. This is where the dish lives or dies: any rest during the heating phase — even momentarily — produces either a scorched base or lumps that cannot be smoothed out. Continue until the mixture thickens to a consistency that coats the back of the spoon and holds a line drawn through it.

Add the sugar and stir until fully dissolved. The pudding will tighten slightly as it absorbs the sugar. Continue stirring over the heat for a further minute until the surface shows a slow, reluctant bubble.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the rosewater and stir through. The fragrance of the rosewater should be immediate and clean — adding it off heat preserves its volatile esters, which prolonged heat would dissipate.

Ladle the pudding into individual bowls. Allow to set at room temperature until the surface is firm and no longer trembles at the centre when the bowl is moved, then transfer to the refrigerator until fully cold and set.