Sakizli Muhallebi (Blancmange With Mastic)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 litres of milk
• 1 1/4 cup sugar (300 gm)
• 25 gm corn starch
• 50 gm rice flour
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp crushed mastic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• To garnish: 1 tblsp shelled pistachio nuts (unsalted), 1 tblsp almonds (unsalted)

Directions

Put in a saucepan the milk, sugar, salt, and the mastic (dilute the mastic with a little of the milk in the mortar before adding to the pan) and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Put the corn starch and rice flour into a bowl and slowly add 1 cup of water, stiffing constantly until it is well mixed with no lumps. Pour this mixture very slowly into the boiling milk, stirring constantly.

Continue to stir until the mixture thickens, then pour either into one large or several individual bowls. Leave to cool.

Coarsely grind the pistachio nuts and almonds separately and sprinkle in alternate rows on the blancmange.