← All recipes Home / Recipes / Plain vanilla milk muhallabia without cream Arab desserts · About 150 minutes Plain vanilla milk muhallabia without cream Mawgoud Kitchen · Published 2026-10-16 · Updated 2026-10-16
Four smooth milk-and-cornstarch pudding bowls without cream or nuts. The total time includes at least 2 hours of chilling.
Ingredients Method Before you start Levantine cuisine Listen to the recipe Start cooking ↓ Print recipe Step-by-step cooking mode Copy recipe link
Total time 150 minutes
Servings 4
Cuisine Levantine Listen to the recipe Play, pause or resume whenever you like. Available voices depend on your device and browser.
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Ingredients Servings 1 2 3 4 6 8 800 ml cold pasteurised milk40 g cornstarch60 g sugar0.5 tsp liquid vanilla, adjusted to product strengthSeason savoury dishes to taste. Quantities scale with servings, but cooking time does not automatically multiply.
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Prepare four small heat-safe bowls of about 250 ml capacity. Measure 200 ml of the cold milk into a bowl and whisk in the cornstarch completely before heating. Put the remaining 600 ml milk and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the milk is hot, without letting it boil over or scorch. Stir the cold starch mixture again because it settles quickly. Gradually pour it into the hot milk while whisking constantly. Gently scrape the pan bottom and sides. When slow bubbles show a gentle simmer, reduce the heat and stir for 2 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not taste the uncooked starch mixture or boil vigorously for a long time. Remove from the heat, stir in vanilla and divide immediately between the bowls. It will set further in the fridge; do not wait for it to become firm in the pan. Let heavy steam subside for only a few minutes, then refrigerate promptly. Cover appropriately once steam has eased. Chill for at least 2 hours until set; bigger portions or deeper bowls may need longer. Serve cold. Use pasteurised milk and a fridge at 4°C or below. Do not leave the pudding unrefrigerated longer than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. This version is plain with no garnish or nuts. A helpful tip ✳ Dissolving the starch in cold milk, then stirring it again before adding, prevents lumps. Allow roughly 2½ hours in total, including 2 hours of chilling, not just cooking time.
An editorial recipe not yet practically tested by the site team. Check actual doneness; times are approximate.
Before you start Can I add more starch to make it set faster? Too much may make it rubbery. Follow the ratio and allow the chilling time. This is a softly set bowl pudding, not a mould for turning out.
Can I use plant milk instead? That changes the recipe: the drink type and sugar affect flavour, texture and allergens. These quantities are for pasteurised dairy milk, not a dairy-free version.
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