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Roz bel laban
Egyptian rice pudding with orange blossom, baked until browned on top (fel forn)
Roz bel laban (rice with milk) is the pudding of Egyptian homes and dessert shops alike, sold in clay pots and little foil cups across Cairo and eaten all year, especially in the evenings of Ramadan. It is made with short Egyptian rice cooked slowly in milk, thickened with a little cornflour so it sets creamy and spoonable, and scented with vanilla or orange blossom water. This is the roz bel laban fel forn version, finished in a very hot oven so the top blisters with brown spots, the way the Cairo dessert shops sell it. Serve it cold, scattered with pistachios or coconut. Chef's tip: stir the cornflour into cold milk before adding it; dropped straight into the hot pot it turns into lumps you can't whisk out.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
To serve
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ oz short-grain rice (Egyptian or pudding rice) and 1 cup water in a heavy pan and simmer over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until the water is almost absorbed and the rice is swollen.
10 minStep 2: Pour in 900 ml of the 3 ¾ cups whole milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook over a low heat for 20–25 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the rice is completely soft and the milk has thickened and looks creamy.
25 minStep 3: Stir 2 tbsp cornflour into the rest of the ½ cup whole milk until smooth. Add it to the pan with 3 ⅛ oz sugar, stirring all the time, and cook for 3–4 minutes until it thickens to the texture of thin custard. Take off the heat and stir in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp orange blossom water.
4 minStep 4: Ladle into 6 small ovenproof pots or ramekins. Spoon a little 4 tbsp single cream on top of each if you like; it helps the top brown.
Step 5: Heat the grill to its highest setting (or the oven to 475°F, top heat). Put the pots on a tray near the top and cook for 5–8 minutes, until the tops are blistered with dark brown spots. Watch closely; a common mistake is walking away, and they go from spotted to burnt in a minute.
7 minStep 6: Cool, then chill for at least 3 hours. Serve cold with 2 tbsp pistachios or 2 tbsp desiccated coconut. They keep for 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does roz bel laban take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of short-grain rice (egyptian or pudding rice)?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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