Roz Bil Haleeb (Rice Pudding)

Roz bil halib is a Middle Eastern rice pudding style dessert that is so easy to make.  This dessert recipe is filled with flavors I love and remember eating as a child.  I enjoy making this pudding in the summer time because it is so refreshing.  The unique flavors of roz bel haleeb include mastic, rose water and orange blossom water. Orange blossom water is a flavoring syrup made by distilling flowers from orange trees and is generally added to many Arabic, Turkish, Lebanese desserts. Mastic gum is a natural substance extracted from the trunk of the mastic tree an evergreen shrub found in the Mediterranean and in North Africa.  The flavors of these tasteful ingredients are out of this world! They are typically found in Middle Eastern grocery stores or online.

Roz Bil Haleeb

1 C Dry short grain rice or Egyptian rice

4 C Milk

1 1/3 C Sugar (or less)

1/4 Teaspoon mastic gum (Arabic gum)

2 Tablespoon orange blossom water 

1 Tablespoon rose water (optional)

1. Wash the rice well and place in a pot with 4 cups of water and soak for 10 minutes.

2. Strain the rice and boil it in a pot with water on medium heat until the rice is tender and the water becomes thick and starchy.

3. Once the rice cooks and water thickens add the milk and sugar and stir constantly on medium heat.

4. After about 20 minutes of stirring add the rose water, orange blossom water and ground mastic.

5. Stir for another 5 minutes on low and place in individual serving cups.

You can garnish this yummy delight with pistachios, coconut and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Place in the refrigerator when it cools and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.