Sahlab is a popular wintertime drink throughout the Middle East. The drink is made with milk and salep, a flour made from the tuberous root of a species of orchid, Orchis mascula. Salep has a faintly floral taste, but the drink is mainly consumed for its thick texture. Other flavorings, such as orange blossom water and rose water, are added to the drink just before serving and it is traditional to dust the cup with a couple pinches of cinnamon.
Pure salep is notoriously difficult (and expensive!) to come by outside of Turkey, so you’re more likely to find powdered mixes with cornstarch, sugar, and a small amount of salep sold in Middle Eastern groceries. I’ve also seen people ditch the salep altogether and use cornstarch in its place. Even when only made with cornstarch, sahlab is a great drink for those chilly winter nights and a good alternative for those who don’t like tea or coffee. Salep is also a key ingredient in Turkish ice cream (dondurma), which is known for its chewy texture and resistance to melting.
And, oh yeah! A giveaway. Many months ago, a company I had never heard of approached me and asked if I would like to host a giveaway on my site. I went along with it, despite their somewhat slimy SEO tactics because in the end everyone likes free stuff, right? In the months since the giveaway, they’ve approached me two more times asking me to host another giveaway and sweetening the deal by adding $25 each time. I could offer a $75 gift card for a site I’ve never shopped at before. Maybe the winner will buy something related to food. Maybe not. Instead, I’ve decided to host a giveaway of my own. I often post recipes with ingredients that, depending on where you live, may be difficult to find. If you’ve ever wanted to experiment more with Arabic cooking, but haven’t had the chance, one lucky person (maybe you!) will be receiving some of my favorites – pomegranate molasses, tahini, fava beans, sumac, and sahlab.
To participate, leave a comment (just one!) and tell me what you would like to cook with any of the ingredients offered in the giveaway. The winner will be randomly chosen on March 8th.
Also, I will be taking a small break from blogging. My mom will be visiting San Francisco this week and I’ll need a couple days to recover after she leaves. See you next month!
Sahlab
Print this recipe2 cups milk (I always use whole milk, but use low-fat or non-fat if you’d like)
sugar, to taste (if using pure sahlab powder or cornstarch, most if not all pre-packaged sahlab mixes already include sugar)
2 tablespoons sahlab powder or cornstarchOptional flavorings and garnishes:
Rose Water (1/2 teaspoon per serving)
Orange Blossom Water (1/2 teaspoon per serving)
Almond Extract
Vanilla
Shredded coconut
Chopped nuts (pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts)
Ground cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg, for dustingAdd the milk (and sugar, if using) to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until hot, then add the sahlab powder or cornstarch and stir constantly until the mixture thickens. If adding extra flavorings, like rosewater, orange blossom water, almond extract, or vanilla, stir those in once the drink has thickened. Divide the drink into individual cups and garnish with chopped nuts, coconut, and dust with cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg.
Serves 2
Try the recipe index for more ideas.
Related posts:
- rice pudding with orange blossom water
- qamar el-deen drink (apricot drink)
- medjool date and pistachio spice bread
- san francisco summer stew & a giveaway
- giveaway winner
Tags: arabic, beverage, dessert, egyptian, middle eastern, snack, vegetarian, winter
I just found your site, and am having such a great time bookmarking tons of recipes!
I’ve actually had rose water on my list of things to buy and play with for about a year….this inspired me to get on it. I need to try this turkish ice cream.
I wanna make falafel! Can you believe I’ve never made it before? Also, I have a long list of recipes of yours to try…
I’ve been interested in making the “Turkish potato salad” that you wrote of, the one you tried at the end of your accelerated German class. It looks so simple and delicious, and I’m very curious about the sour/tart tang of sumac.
And since seeing the picture in your latest post, I’d love to try my hand at sahlab. It brings to mind a Middle East-inspired atole de avena. Mmm…
I would love to make the pomegranate and pistachio cookies! Are people who live outside the US eligible? I’m from a small town in Canada.
@Helen – Yes! I’ll ship the items anywhere in the world. Thanks for bringing that up, I forgot to include that in the post.
Ooo… I’ve never heard of sahlab before! Sounds interesting, in a good way.
I’d love to try sahlab and make falafels.
I can’t wait to try making sahlab! It looks delightfully creamy!
If I were to win your contest, I would love to use the pomegranate molasses. I recently went to a Middle Eastern restaurant and had the most wonderful Muhammara Walnut Spread that was drizzled with rich pomegranate molasses. Now I’m hooked and would love to try making this at home.
I’d love to try your sumac carrots recipe – this is the time of year that the appeal of root vegetables starts to wear thin, so it would be fun to try a new flavouring.
mmmmmmmm i love sahlab ty for the recipe i will try it but this time i will make it with pure powder can u give me an advice to make it right?
Nour, if you’re going to use pure salep – prepare it just like I laid out in the directions. You may want to scale back a little bit. As I mentioned in the post, I’ve never actually made sahlab with pure salep. So you’ll have to tell me how it comes out!
And just curious, where do you live? I’d love to know where I could get pure salep…
Hey Rose, Luckily I am already smitten with many Middle eastern staples (yay for pom molasses!) but I have yet to try salep. I haven’t even seen it where I am… and I am meaning to make ful one day with my canned faba beans.
You love healthy breakfasts, Janet. You must make ful!