Sütlaç / Rice Pudding

Turkish cuisine is very rich in desserts. Sütlaç or rice pudding is one of the most important desserts of the Ottoman Cuisine and "Sütlüaş" was the original name given to this typical Rumenian dessert. 'Rice Pudding' is widely known throughout the world. People love and eat rice pudding a lot but every country has its own recipe. In the Turkish Cuisine people cook rice pudding with water, milk, rice, sugar and cornflour or flour. Even in Turkey every restaurant has its own unique version. Today, use of vanilla and mastic powder adds new flavors to this traditional dessert instead of the rose water used in the Ottoman Palace Cuisine. Rice pudding being one of the simplest desserts to make and most satisfying to eat is a great treat for your family and guests. It is served cold.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups milk
• 1/2 cup short grain rice
• 1 teaspoon mastic powder or 2 pieces of mastic gum
  
• a pinch of salt
• 1-1,5 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon flour/cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water

How To:

Put milk, salt and rice in a pot. Bring to a boil, keep stirring. Add cold water when it comes to a boil. Thus rice splits. Add in sugar when rice is cooked and keep cooking on low heat. Cook until rice is tender for about 15 more minutes stirring occasionally.

Mix flour / cornstarch, mastic powder with 3 tablespoons water, stir until smooth. Then add this mixture to the pot and cook until mixture thickens. Spare a little of the pudding into a bowl and mix it with the egg yolks stirring continiously, in order to prevent curdling. Then add the egg yolks mixture slowly to the pot.. When done it looks creamy.

Remove from heat and share it into small individual bowls. Place them in the refrigerator. Garnish with  pine nuts, ground pistachios, almonds or hazelnuts. Serve with ice cream on top.

Enjoy!

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