Marhaba! Today I want to share with you a recipe for one of my favorite desserts, Rice Pudding, or as the Lebanese call it Riz bi-Halib which translates to Rice with Milk (رز بحليب). This dessert reminds me of my childhood since it was one of the main dishes that my mother cooked and always had ready in the fridge for us hungry kids craving something sweet. Rice pudding is generally a shared food among various Arab cuisines and even non-Arab cuisines such as the Indian, Pakistani, Persian, and Afghani cuisines. What makes this particular recipe ‘Lebanese’ is the taste of the orange blossom water (ماء الزهر) added to the ingredients as you will see below. It is fast and easy to prepare, and I hope you enjoy it. Make it with love and you will find everyone around you cannot get enough of it!

Lebanese Rice Pudding (رز بحليب اللبناني)

Image via Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen

Ingredients (المكونات)
– ½ cup of rice (الارز)
– 4 cups of milk (الحليب)
– 10-12 teaspoons of sugar (السكر)
– 2 tablespoons of corn flour (دقيق الذرة)
– 2 teaspoons orange blossom water (ماء الورد)
– Crushed Pistachio (الفستق) for garnish

Directions (طريقة التحضير)
– Rinse (شطف) the rice and set aside to dry.
– While stirring continuously, boil (اغلي) the milk, and then add (اضف) the sugar and rice for about 15 minutes on low heat.
– When the rice softens, add the orange blossom water and the corn flour. Stir well for another 5 minutes until the mixture hardens. If you want the mixture to harden, add one or two more tablespoons of corn flour, according to your own preference.
– Pour (اسكب) into heat-resistant cups and let it rest for a few minutes.
– Garnish with crushed pistachios and refrigerate to serve cold.

Enjoy 🙂

You can also find a similar version of this recipe and other great Middle Eastern recipes at Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen.

Image by Rudi Riet via Flickr (CC-BY-SA 2.0)

For now take care and stay tuned for upcoming posts!
Happy Learning!
Have a nice day!!
نهاركم سعيد