Ashtalieh/ Ashtalleya with Desiccated Coconut
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Talk about the oriental and Middle Eastern desserts that tickle the senses with their aromas and flavors. Ashtalieh/ Ashtalleya is a Lebanese classic made out of simple cupboard ingredients. The pudding is so easy to make and the sugar syrup is equally simple. I enriched the flavor by adding a handful of desiccated coconut that added a delightful rich flavor – perfect for my taste.
Ashtalieh/ Ashtalleya with Desiccated Coconut (Video)
Ashtalieh is one of my favorite desserts to make when entertaining as it can be prepared one or two days before and kept in the fridge.
Unlike custards, Ashtalieh features no eggs. It is thickened with cornstarch; a simple dish that needs just the right proportion of ingredients – milk, cornstarch, mastic gum, orange blossom water or rose water. Watch the video tutorial to learn how to make it!
Ashtalieh features no sugar in the pudding, it is served with sugar syrup on the side
Many people are confused with Ashtalieh and Muhallabia. Both desserts are milky, both are thickened with cornstarch and both are spooned and served in ramekins, the only difference is that ashtalieh features no sugar in the pudding, it is served with sugar syrup on the side while muhallabia is cooked with sugar.
- With few ingredients in your pantry, you will get a gourmet tasty result – a great make ahead dessert!
- You may need to double the recipe if you are serving a large group of people. The recipe makes about 4- 5 ramekins.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups/ 11/2 liters whole milk
- 1/2 cup cornstarch/ corn flour
- 1 cup desiccated coconut, or shredded coconut
- ½ teaspoon mastic gum, crushed with a pinch of sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- 2 cups sugar syrup
- ½ cup pistachio nuts for garnish, optional
Directions:
Prepare the sugar syrup.
- To prepare the pudding: Place the milk, desiccated coconut, cornstarch and crushed mastic in a pot. Place the pot over medium to high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Add the orange blossom water and whisk one last time to infuse the flavors together.
- Divide the pudding into small ramekins. Set aside to completely cool down.
- In the meantime, grind the pistachio nuts using a food processor.
- Garnish the pudding with some pistachios, optional. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Drizzle some sugar syrup over each ramekin just upon serving. Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, share your pictures on Facebook! I would love to see your creations!Hashtag them #Hadia's Lebanese Cuisine
Another fantastic Lebanese Pudding worth learning: Mouhallabia with Apricot Coulis
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Instructions
No Steps Found !
- Course : DESSERTS
- Recipe Type : DESSERTS, DESSERTS, Gluten-free, LEBANESE RECIPES, RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORD
- Ingredient : Milk
18 Responses to Ashtalieh/ Ashtalleya with Desiccated Coconut
Leave a Reply to Lynn Elliott Vining Click here to cancel reply.
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About Chef
Hadia Zebib
I am Hadia, the face behind Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine. I grew up in Beirut Lebanon and I currently reside in Kinshasa, Congo with my husband and my three adorable sons, ...
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Looks like delicious dessert, I need to give it try.
You will love it, Swathi! Xo xo!
Wow! Sounds intriguing!
Thank you, Lynn! Xo xo!
You make it seem sooooooooooo easy, Hadia! I really love the garnish of pistachios, too! Very impressive!! xo
Thank you, Ally! It is an easy to make pudding, yet so presentable and tasty!I am glad you liked!
Sounds good!
Thank you, Lynn! This is so good!
Looks exquisite ! Do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut? Ty
Thank you, Mariam! You need to use unsweetened coconut! Xo xo!
What do you mean by mastic gum, crushed with a pinch of sugar?
Hello! Add a pinch of sugar to the mastic, just to make it easier to crush
What is mastic gum? Where do I buy it?
You can find it at any middle eastern markets. It looks like small rock candy, sugar helps to crush it. I put the mastic gum and pinch of sugar in a hand coffee grinder and it become like powdered sugar.
What deos mastci gum do in this recipe? And what happens if I don’t use it? Will my results still be good?
Looks delicious but what happens if you can’t get mastic gum where you live? We can’t
Tina, skip it, and add a bit of vanilla extract, not the same result, but still satisfying.
what’s the arabic for ashtalieh, ashtalleya? not finding it right away in al-mawrid. this looks very tasty & will try soon!