Degchi
A thick, warm milk drink thickened with cornflour and scented with cinnamon, topped with crushed nuts and coconut. A cosy winter-evening treat across the Levant and the Gulf, closer to a drinkable pudding than tea or coffee.
Quick answer: 15 min in total · serves 4 · main ingredients: Milk, Cornflour, Sugar, Cinnamon · amounts in metric and US
Ingredients
- 500 ml 2 cup Milk
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 3 tbsp 3 tbsp Sugar
- 0.5 tsp 0.5 tsp Cinnamon, ground, plus more for garnish
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Dry fruits, crushed, for garnish
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Grated coconut (Optional)
Steps
Timers run only while this tab is open. The Degchi app keeps them running on a locked phone.
- Whisk the cornflour with a little cold milk from the measured amount until smooth.
- Heat the remaining milk and sugar in a pot until steaming.⏱ Warming milk · 4 min
- Pour in the cornflour slurry, stirring constantly, and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.⏱ Thickening · 4 min
- Stir in the ground cinnamon and pour into cups.
- Top with crushed nuts, coconut and a dusting of cinnamon; serve hot.
- Transfer to a serving dish and serve while fresh.
Cook this in the app — get Degchi on Google Play
Get it on Google PlayNot sure you have everything? Check this against your pantry
Frequently asked questions
How long does Sahlab take?
15 minutes in total: about 5 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking.
Is Sahlab hard to make?
Degchi rates it easy. The method has 6 steps, and 2 of them have a timer you can start on this page.
How many people does Sahlab serve?
This recipe serves 4. Use the toggle above the ingredient list to see the amounts in metric or US measures. For more or fewer portions, scale every amount in the same proportion, or use the servings control in the Degchi app.
Is Sahlab halal, vegetarian or eggless?
It is marked halal in our recipe data. It is vegetarian. It has no egg. It has no beef. Check the labels on any packaged ingredients for your own needs.
What will I probably need to buy for Sahlab?
Spice-box items: cinnamon. Fresh items you will probably need to buy: milk. Lentils, grains and other dry goods: cornflour, sugar, dry fruits.
Notes and questions
No notes yet. Ask a question about this recipe, share a tip, or tell us if something needs fixing. Our team reads every note before it appears.
Ask a question or add a note
This recipe in other languages
Used in these posts
Sahlab at Home: Thick, Smooth and Lump-Free
Sahlab should coat a spoon and slide off slowly, closer to a drinkable pudding than a hot milk. The usual failure is lumps or a skin, and both are avoidable.
Aseeda: Smooth Gulf Flour Porridge Without Lumps
Aseeda is flour, water, salt and a well of ghee and sweetness. It takes 15 minutes. Lumps, thin texture and a scorched pot are the three things that go wrong, and each has a fix.
Kunafa at Home: Crisp Top, Gooey Cheese, No Soggy Base
Kunafa is three things done in the right order: buttered strands pressed hard, cheese dried well, and cool syrup poured on a hot pastry. Here is the order and the numbers.
Hot Drinks for a Cold Evening: Chai, Gahwa, Sahlab and More
Six warm drinks from South Asia and the Gulf, how long each takes, what makes them different, and which one suits a quiet night, a guest or a crowd.
Chai Colour Guide: What Amber, Red-Brown and Pink Mean
The colour of a cup of chai tells you which tradition you are in and whether the boil went right. A guide to amber, red-brown, pale beige and pink, with the clues from our recipes.
Kashmiri Pink Chai (Noon Chai): Why It Turns Pink
Pink chai is not tinted. It is a chemical colour change that needs a long boil and a pinch of baking soda. Here is how to get it and what to do when it stays brown.
