1174. Qamr Aldeen Rice Pudding

This dish is the essence of Ramadan in the form of dessert. It is no secret how much we love rice puddings in the Arabian Gulf, which is admittedly a strange thing to say since nary a culture doesn't.
What makes this rice pudding so Arabian and Ramadan-ic is the mastica in the pudding and the layer of rose-apricot on top. Missing mastic? No problem, it is such a subtle addition that you can easily leave it out or swap it for vanilla.

Ingredients:

For the rice pudding:
6 cups milk
1 cup Egyptian rice
6 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp mastic paste, optional

For the qamr aldeen:
400g qamr al deen (apricot leather)
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups water, boiling
2 heaping Tbsp cornflour
1 Tbsp rose water
1 Tbsp orange blossom water

Method:

In a pot, place the rice and five of the six cups of milk.
Add the six tablespoons of sugar.
Over medium heat, stir the mixture continuously for 45 minutes from when it starts to steam.
Add the remaining cup of milk and stir until desired consistency reached.
Stir in the mastica paste until distributed; pour the mixture into a serving bowl. It should reach about halfway through. Refrigerate to set completely.
Meanwhile, cut the qamrdeen leather into small squares and put in a bowl. Pour over it the three cups of boiling water, stir, cover with a plate, and let soften for a few hours (can be done overnight in the refrigerator the night before). Pour the mixture in a large saucepan and add the sugar and cornflour dissolved in a bit of water. Bring to a boil and keep stirring until thick. When of desired consistency (note it will thicken further upon cooling), remove from heat, stir in rose water and orange blossom water, and pour over the set rice pudding. Refrigerate the whole thing for a few hours to set and cool before serving.

صحة و عافية