The word Layali Lubnan means 'lebanese nights' in Arabic. Lebanese nights dessert is a silky, creamy pudding made with semolina cooked with milk and sugar along with rose essence, and finally topped with whipped cream, rose petals and chopped nuts and served by pouring a rose-flavoured sugar syrup. A quick and easy recipe, and perfect for hot summer days. The authentic recipe calls fro chopped pistachios, but my kids don't prefer pistas, hence i swapped it for chopped almonds. You can add pistas or any nuts of your choice. Try this Arabian dessert and let me know in the comments how it turned out.
INGREDIENTS:
For the Semolina Base:
- Milk- 1 litre (full-fat milk)
- Rava/ sooji / semolina- 2/3 cups
- Sugar- 2/3 cups
- Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp
- Rose essence- 1/2 tsp
- Yellow food colour (optional)
- Oil- to grease the plate
For Garnishing:
- Sweetened whipped cream- 2 cups
- Dried rose petals
- Chopped almonds
- Nuts of your choice
- Sugar- 1/2 cup
- Water- 1/2 cup
- Rose essence- a few drops
PROCEDURE:
- Take a thick-bottomed vessel, add sooji and sugar to it and mix well.
- Add milk to it and mix well until all the sugar dissolves.
- Now switch on the flame and start cooking it while stirring continuously.
- Make sure to keep the flame on medium, as high flame makes the sooji get lumps. You'll notice that the mixture starts to thicken.
- Keep stirring it allow the pudding to thicken more, this process takes around 10-15 mins.
- Lower the flame, check for sugar and add more if required. Add both the flavouring (rose and vanilla) and some yellow food colour and mix well. Yellow food colour is completely optional, you can skip it or even add any other colour.
- Now the pudding has thickened, you need to cook till the consistency is like a thick cake batter and you are able to make a 'path' with your spoon in the mixture. If it's thick as cake batter then you are ready to go.
- Take a greased plate and immediately pour the hot semolina mixture. Make sure that you don't let it cool in the vessel as it won't hold shape as it starts to thicken. With the help of a butter knife or a spatula, even out the mixture.
- Let it come to room temperature, then refrigerate for min 2-3 hrs.
- Meanwhile let's prepare the sugar syrup, heat a pan, add sugar, water and rose essence and boil until the sugar dissolves. Switch off the flame and let it cool completely.
- After 2-3 hrs, you'll see that the mixture has thickened and taken shape. Now spread out a thick layer of whipped cream over it and even it out neatly.
- Refrigerate it again for at-least 2-3 hrs, I prefer refrigerating it overnight.
- Once set, garnish with rose petals and chopped nuts of your choice.
- Cut out into cubes and drizzle sugar syrup over it. Serve right away.
- Layali Lubnan tastes best when chilled. Enjoy!
