Aruz Bel-Halib
January 13th, 2017
Aruz Bel-Halib (Rez Bi-Halib) is Syrian rice pudding. It is prepared with Egyptian short grain rice, flavored with mastic and orange blossom water.
Let’s make Aruz Bel-Halib:
1, 2. Put 170 g Egyptian short grain rice in a bowl.
3, 4. Add boiling water to rice.
5, 6, 7. Stir and set aside to soak for 15 minutes.
8. After 15 minutes, drain water from rice.
9, 10, 11. Wash and rinse rice in three changes of water.
12. Drain water from rice and set aside.
13, 14, 15, 16. Put 2000 ml full fat milk in a large pot.
13, 14, 15, 16. Turn on heat, and keep over high heat with continuous stirring using a wooden spoon until it starts to boil.
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17, 18, 19, 20. Allow the milk to boil for 5 minutes, then add rice to milk and keep over high heat with continuous stirring until it starts to boil.
21. Reduce heat and cook over medium heat with continuous stirring for 30 minutes or until milk slightly thickened because of starch released from the rice.
22, 23, 24. After 30 minutes, add 170 g sugar to milk mixture and stir to dissolve.
25, 26, 27, 28, 29. Measure 1 gram mastic tears and put them on a plastic paper, then add 1/4 teaspoon powdered sugar to them.
30, 31, 32. Use a pestle and crush mastic tears with powdered sugar between sheets of a plastic paper.
33, 34, 35, 36. Add crushed mastic mixture to the milk, and keep over medium heat for 10 minutes with continuous stirring.
37. Taste the rice. The texture should be tender but not mushy, at this point rice pudding is done. The total time of making rice pudding from (step 13 to step 37) was 60 minutes.
38, 39, 40. Turn off heat, add 2 tablespoons orange blossom water and stir.
41 to 50. Serve hot rice pudding in small bowls, and set aside at room temperature to cool, then put in the refrigerator uncovered.
51, 52. Skin will be formed on surface after putting in the refrigerator, this is the traditional look of rice pudding.
53. Serve Aruz Bel-Halib cold, and it tastes better if served after two days.
Aruz Bel-Halib
From: Family Recipe / Servings: 8 small bowls (capacity of bowl = 150 ml)
PDF Text Only / Print With Images
| 170 g Egyptian short grain rice
2000 ml full fat milk 170 g sugar 1 g mastic tears 1/4 tsp powdered sugar 2 tbsp orange blossom water
|
Put 170 g Egyptian short grain rice in a bowl. Add boiling water to rice. Stir and set aside to soak for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain water from rice. Wash and rinse rice in three changes of water. Drain water from rice and set aside. Put 2000 ml full fat milk in a large pot. Turn on heat, and keep over high heat with continuous stirring using a wooden spoon until it starts to boil. Allow the milk to boil for 5 minutes, then add rice to milk and keep over high heat with continuous stirring until it starts to boil. Reduce heat and cook over medium heat with continuous stirring for 30 minutes or until milk slightly thickened because of starch released from the rice. After 30 minutes, add 170 g sugar to milk mixture and stir to dissolve. Measure 1 gram mastic tears and put them on a plastic paper, then add 1/4 teaspoon powdered sugar to them. Use a pestle and crush mastic tears with powdered sugar between sheets of a plastic paper. Add crushed mastic mixture to the milk, and keep over medium heat for 10 minutes with continuous stirring. Taste the rice. The texture should be tender but not mushy, at this point rice pudding is done. The total time of making rice pudding from (step 13 to step 37) was 60 minutes. Turn off heat, add 2 tablespoons orange blossom water and stir. Serve hot rice pudding in small bowls, and set aside at room temperature to cool, then put in the refrigerator uncovered. Skin will be formed on surface after putting in the refrigerator, this is the traditional look of rice pudding. Serve Aruz Bel-Halib cold, and it tastes better if served after two days. |
Notes and Tips
Read about Mastic here.
Crush the mastic with powdered sugar before start making the rice pudding.
My grandmother adds Geranium Leaves to Aruz Bel-Halib (Rice Pudding) and it gives a very nice flavor, the leaves are removed before serving in bowls, geranium is known in Arabic as (‘Aterah عطرة). In my old post “Mhallabiet Al-Halib“, I used sugar flavored with geranium, but I couldn’t find it now. Here is the photo of the sugar Geranium Sugar.
Hi ! I love your blog and recipes . Can you give these measurements in US cups and spoons. If possible ? Also the Bhar halabi one too ?
Hi Mariam,
Thanks for following the blog, appreciate it.
170 g Egyptian short grain rice = 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon
2000 ml milk = 8 cups
170 g sugar = 3/4 cup
1 g mastic tears = approximately 1/4 teaspoon mastic tears
Next week, I’ll update the post of Al-Bhar Al-Halabi and will add the measurements in spoons.
I strongly recommend having a scale, because some recipes require accurate measure of weight like (Ma’amoul) or (Halawet Al-Jeben which I’m testing and want write about it soon).
Hi Mariam,
The Measurements of Bhar Halabi:
4 tablespoons ground all spice
1 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/8 teaspoons ground clove
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Mix together using a spoon. Grind using a spice grinder (I did this step to ensure that the spices are well mixed). Sift. Store in a jar and use it when needed.
I apologize. I should give you the recipe earlier, but the past month has been extremely busy.
I will update the post of Bhar Halabi and will add these measurements with new photos.
Thanks for following the blog, much appreciate it.
Hi Dimah,
I hope this time my comment can go through so I can put my “two cents in.” Thank you for doing some changes. This is what I wanted to tell you when I was deprived from sending it couple of weeks ago.
I’m so sorry for the plagiarism. What a shame on people who steal others work and claim it as theirs.
I do hope you will have them caught & penalized as soon as possible. Thank for all you do help us learn new dishes.
Was anything done about the unethical thieves?
Warm regards,
Ghalia
Hi Ghalia,
Thank you so much for your support.
I reported the copied photos / posts to Instagram and Facebook and they removed them. The Arabic website apologized and mentioned the source (my website) on published posts. I informed them that this time I accept adding link to my website but they are not allowed to use / copy my work anymore. If they copy any new post, I will force them to delete it and to delete all the old posts “even if they mention the source”.
Dear Dimah,
You made the beginning of my weekend great to hear that you took action and was successful in stopping them. CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Thank you for all your help & have a great weekend!
Ghalia
Thank you Ghalia ♡♡♡