Israeli Malabi (Rosewater Milk Pudding)

About This Recipe

Israeli Malabi is a real, traditional Israeli dish, known as Rosewater Milk Pudding. A silky, chilled milk pudding delicately perfumed with rosewater, topped with a bright red berry syrup and chopped pistachios.\n\nMalabi has roots across the broader Levant and Middle East, brought into Israeli cuisine through waves of immigration, and it remains a beloved cold dessert especially popular during the hot summer months.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Israeli home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 Lwhole milk
• 100 gsugar
• 5 tbspcornstarch
• 100 mlcold water
• 1 tbsprosewater
• 200 gfresh or frozen strawberries(for syrup)
• 3 tbspsugar(for syrup)
• 1 tbsplemon juice(for syrup)
• 3 tbspchopped pistachios(to garnish)
• 1 tspdried rose petals(optional, to garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the slurry

   Whisk cornstarch with cold water until smooth.

2. 2

   Heat the milk

   Warm the milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, without boiling.

3. 3

   Thicken

   Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency, about 8 minutes.

4. 4

   Add rosewater

   Remove from heat and stir in rosewater.

5. 5

   Chill

   Pour into serving glasses or a bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until fully set and cold.

6. 6

   Make the syrup and serve

   Simmer strawberries with sugar and lemon juice for 10 minutes, then blend or mash until smooth. Cool, then spoon over the chilled pudding and top with chopped pistachios and rose petals if using.

Variations

• •

  Use a mixed berry syrup instead of pure strawberry for a more complex fruit flavor.

• •

  Some versions add a splash of orange blossom water alongside the rosewater for extra floral complexity.

• •

  Top with shredded coconut in addition to pistachios for extra texture.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions