AI-generated image
Kazandibi
Caramelised milk pudding
Kazandibi: Istanbul's milk pudding with a deliberately scorched, caramelised base
Kazandibi means 'bottom of the cauldron', and in the old pudding shops of Istanbul's Beyoğlu and Fatih it is cut from a big tray whose base was caramelised on purpose over a flame. The square is rolled up so the burnished, faintly bitter top hides a soft, cool vanilla pudding inside. Serve it chilled with a dusting of cinnamon and a glass of tea. The traditional palace version had shredded chicken in it; this everyday version is purely milk, rice flour and sugar. Chef's tip: use a heavy-based, non-stick pan or tin and give the sugar a full deep amber before the pudding goes in, because pale caramel just tastes sweet rather than toasty.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 6 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz rice flour
- 1 ⅜ oz cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ oz butter
For the base and to serve
- 4 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Whisk 2 ⅛ oz rice flour and 1 ⅜ oz cornflour with 250 ml of the 4 ¼ cups whole milk in a bowl until smooth, with no lumps.
Step 2: Heat the rest of the milk with 6 ½ oz caster sugar in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat until steaming. Whisk in the starch mixture and keep whisking for 12–15 minutes, until the pudding is thick enough to hold a trail for a second.
15 minStep 3: Off the heat, whisk in 1 tsp vanilla extract and ⅔ oz butter. Keep it covered while you make the base.
Step 4: Butter a 20 × 30 cm non-stick metal tin lightly and sift 4 tbsp icing sugar evenly over the bottom. Set the tin directly over a medium gas flame or hob ring, moving it so the whole base caramelises to deep amber, about 3–5 minutes. Common mistake: stopping at light gold; the flavour only comes when it is properly dark but not black.
5 minStep 5: Pour the hot pudding over the caramel at once and smooth the top. Leave to cool, then chill for at least 4 hours, until firm.
240 minStep 6: Cut into rectangles and lift each one with a spatula, rolling it so the caramelised side faces out. Serve cold, with 1 tsp ground cinnamon if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 41 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kazandibi take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
ŞalgamFermented purple carrot drink
Order an Adana kebab in its home city and a tall glass of şalgam arrives with it, deep purple, salty, sour and often fiery. It is made by fermenting black carrots with a little bulgur and salt for a week or more, and the sharpness clears the palate between bites of lamb and grilled onion. Street carts in Adana sell it by the glass in summer. This home version skips the separate bulgur-sour-dough stage the big producers use. Use non-iodised salt: iodised salt can stall the ferment. Chef's tip: taste from day 5; when it is sour enough to make you blink, strain and chill it, because it keeps fermenting at room temperature.