An authentic Turkish rice pudding with zerde, with flavors and ingredients used it will take you back to Ottoman times.
Astar means lining and sütlaç is the rice pudding’s name in Turkish. After making the sutlac (pronounced as sutlach), while it is cooling we will prepare another layer called “Zerde”. This time we are going to cook the rice only with water, flavoring it with rose water and coloring it with special saffron and spice. This will be our lining for the first layer.
Ingredients For Astarlı Sütlaç (Turkish rice pudding with zerde):
- For the “sütlaç” layer:
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1+1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk ( Cooked all three until soft )
- 1 liter of milk
- 1 heaped tbsp corn starch ( mixed with 1/3 of water )
- For the “zerde” layer:
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp rice
- 3 cups water in total ( add two first then add more if needed )
- 1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup water
- 1 pinch of saffron (7-8 pieces) soaked in 1/4 cup water if using
- 1/3 cup + more if preferred sugar
- Less than 1/8 tsp turmeric for color
- Currants, pine nuts, ground pistachios for serving
How To Make Astarlı Sütlaç
Cooking “Sütlaç” (Turkish rice pudding) Layer:
- I have 1/2 cup broken rice washed and drained for “sütlaç”. You can use any preferably starchy rice type for the recipe. But we prefer this since it cooks in shorter time and reliese its starch easily and its cheaper as well.
- I added 1 an a half cup water and half cups of milk. And pinch of salt.
- I’m gonna cook until it is soft. And after that I added 1 liter of whole milk, less than half cup granulated sugar and cooked for another 10 minutes.
- In traditional recipe they thickened the rice pudding only with rice boiling for a longer time. But we’re doing with corn starch in modern days. Just mix the starch with 1/3 cup water until well mixed. Then pour into the simmerind milk, rice and sugar mixture while whisking.
- It will begin thickening right away, cook for 1-2 more minutes and our “sütlaç” base is ready. The “sütlaç” should be still runny. It will be thicken more when it’s gonna cool down. Pour it to the serving bowls half way and let them cool down. Check these glass footed bowls set or these similar to ones I used.
Cooking “Zerde” Layer
- First I started to cooking rice in the water again. Then soak the saffron in some hot water for about 5 minutes before adding to the mixture.
- if you can’t find saffron, you can use turmeric powder to give some extra flavor just about tiny bit less than 1/4 of a tsp. I used both of them.
- And I cooked until it is soft and thickened, the water can evaporated, so be careful and add more water. I total I used 3+1/2 cups.
- Add the sugar, and then the corn starch-water mixture for thickening. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and the “zerde” layer is ready to pour over our sutlach.
- Pour the zerdes over cooled sutlachs to cover and have a nice layer. After pouring all portion the access zerdes over them until it is finished.
Traditionally Astarlı Sütlaç (Rice pudding with zerde) is decorated with pine nuts and currants. But since I didn’t have pine nuts, I used ground pistachios and currants to decorate. But silvered pistachios also would be nice to use. I served my desserts with the first Iftar menu I shared recently. On the menu, I had Muceddere and koftas. You can serve these desserts with your menus too. Bon Apetit!
An Authentic Turkish Rice Pudding With Zerde
Astar means lining and sütlaç is the rice pudding’s name in Turkish. After making the sutlac (pronounced as sutlach), while it is cooling we will prepare another layer called “Zerde”.
Ingredients
For the “sütlaç” layer:
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1+1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup milk Cooked all three until soft
- 1 liter of milk
- 1 heaped tbsp corn starch mixed with 1/3 of water
For the “zerde” layer:
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp rice
- 3 cups water in total add two first then add more if needed
- 1 tbsp corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup water
- 1 pinch saffron soaked in 1/4 cup water if using
- 1/3 cup sugar + more if preferred
- 1/8 tsp turmeric for color or less
- Currants, pine nuts, ground pistachios for decorating
- 1 tbsp rose water optional
Instructions
Cooking “Sütlaç” (Turkish rice pudding) Layer:
- I have 1/2 cup broken rice washed and drained for “sütlaç”. You can use any preferably starchy rice type for the recipe. But we prefer this since it cooks in shorter time and reliese its starch easily and its cheaper as well.
- I added 1 an a half cup water and half cups of milk. And pinch of salt.
- I’m gonna cook until it is soft. And after that I added 1 liter of whole milk, less than half cup granulated sugar and cooked for another 10 minutes.
- In traditional recipe they thickened the rice pudding only with rice boiling for a longer time. But we’re doing with corn starch in modern days. Just mix the starch with 1/3 cup water until well mixed. Then pour into the simmerind milk, rice and sugar mixture while whisking.
- It will begin thickening right away, cook for 1-2 more minutes and our “sütlaç” base is ready. The “sütlaç” should be still runny. It will be thicken more when it’s gonna cool down. Pour it to the serving bowls half way and let them cool down.
Cooking “Zerde” Layer
- First I started to cooking rice in the water again. Then soak the saffron in some hot water for about 5 minutes before adding to the mixture.
- if you can’t find saffron, you can use turmeric powder to give some extra flavor just about tiny bit less than 1/4 of a tsp. I used both of them.
- And I cooked until it is soft and thickened, the water can evaporated, so be careful and add more water. I total I used 3+1/2 cups.
- Add the sugar, and then the corn starch-water mixture for thickening. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and the “zerde” layer is ready to pour over our sutlach.
- Pour the zerdes over cooled sutlachs to cover and have a nice layer. After pouring all portion the access zerdes over them until it is finished.
Notes
Traditionally Astarlı Sütlaç (Rice pudding with zerde) is decorated with pine nuts and currants. But since I didn’t have pine nuts, I used ground pistachios and currants to decorate. I served my desserts with the first Iftar menu I shared recently. On the menu, I had Muceddere and koftas. You can serve these desserts with your menus too. Bon Apetit!
