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
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.
Ashtalieh/ Ashtalleya with Desiccated Coconut
Description
Ingredients
- Sugar Syrup:
- 3 cups sugar
- 11/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
- Pudding:
- 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
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the sugar syrup. Place the sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar.Once it boils reduce heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Do not cover the saucepan.Add the orange blossom water and simmer for 1 more minute.Set aside to completely cool down.
- 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!
Video
Notes
Another fantastic Lebanese Pudding worth learning:Â Mouhallabia with Apricot Coulis
18 Comments
Looks like delicious dessert, I need to give it try.
Wow! Sounds intriguing!
You make it seem sooooooooooo easy, Hadia! I really love the garnish of pistachios, too! Very impressive!! xo
Sounds good!
Looks exquisite ! Do you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut? Ty
What do you mean by mastic gum, crushed with a pinch of sugar?
What is mastic gum? Where do I buy it?
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
what’s the arabic for ashtalieh, ashtalleya? not finding it right away in al-mawrid. this looks very tasty & will try soon!