Sahlab is a widely popular hot beverage in Egypt. Scented with rose water, mastic, and cardamom, creamy smooth Sahlab brings comfort to weathered souls and bodies during bone-chilling winter nights. 

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What is Sahlab 

Sahlab is a widely popular winter hot beverage in Egypt that is made of a white Sahlab dry mix stirred in  milk and brewed on low heat. Once it thickens, Sahlab is served in tall glasses and garnished with an assortment of toasted nuts.

Different variations of Sahlab exist across the former Ottoman Empire, and the differences lie in the choice of flavorings and consistency.For instance, in the levant, some prepare it as pudding rather than a hot beverage. Fundamentally, Sahlab is made of a main ingredients which is Salep, which is basically ground wild orchid tubers. The latter grows in a limited number of countries, such as Turkey, Greece, and Iran. This orchid tubers’ powder has a unique and exotic flavor and scent. It also serves as a thickening agent that lends to the Sahlab drink its creamy, smooth texture. Affected by over-harvesting and climate change, this orchid species became scarce, which pushed up the price of orchid tubers’ powder to record prices and made it hard and extortionate to fetch it worldwide. As a result of the limited supply and extortionate cost of authentic Sahlab/Salep powder, Sahlab aficionados, as well as Middle Eastern food brands, turned to affordable alternatives for orchid tubers’ powder, such as corn flour and rice flour. Moreover, countries like the USA have banned the importation of authentic Sahlab which includes this wild orchid powder. According to The New York Times, “as orchids are included in an appendix to an international agreement meant to protect different species from trade.”

Sahlab Mix: Homemade Versus Store-Bought 

In my diaspora kitchen, I tested several store-bought Sahlab mixes. Honestly speaking,  some were awfully dusty, some were painfully tasteless, and some were better than others. Yet, the latter included artificial ingredients and notorious substances that I am not fond of.

Like anything we prepare in our kitchen, we possess significant control over what goes into our food and, hence, our bodies. The Sahlab mix I am proposing here has 100% natural ingredients, which makes it totally safe for kids to enjoy having Sahlab as well. Pulling together this Sahlab mix is much faster than driving to the closest Middle Eastern Store to my Virginia home. Another bonus is that all the Sahlab ingredients required here you might already have them in your pantry or are one click away. (in the Sahlab recipe below, I hyperlinked all the ingredients so you can order them online if any of them isn’t handy.)

Sahlab Health Benefits 

Thanks to the addition of nuts, warm spices, toasted sesame, and milk, Sahlab is a hot beverage that offers to our body calcium, vitamins, fiber and anti-oxidants. To make your homemade Sahlab sugar-free, feel free to substitute the powdered sugar with Monk Fruit Sugar.  

Sahlab is a Make Ahead Drink

Making a batch of Sahlab mix can last in your pantry for a whole season. It makes a precious holiday gift to friends, family, and neighbors.

Check Out More Egyptian Drinks   

You might also like:

• Kharoub (Carob cold beverage)

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Disclaimers 

• All product recommendations are independent and based on testing.
• This blog is an Amazon Associate. Some links contain affiliates. When you buy through one of our links we will receive a small commission, at no cost to you.

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Disclaimer:Chez Nermine blog is an Amazon Associate. We earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. Our commission doesn’t affect the  price of the product you purchase.

Sahlab (Egyptian Hot Beverage): ‎السحلب

INGREDIENTS  For the SAHLAB Mix 

• 1/4 cup milk powder  
• 1/4 cup corn flour 
• 1/4 cup rice flour 
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar, or monk fruit sugar 
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut, toasted  
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame 
• 2 tablespoons of toasted nuts of your choice 
• 2 tablespoons of whipping cream powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon crushed dehydrated rosepetals (see notes)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed mastic (see notes)

For the SAHLAB Drink 

• 1/2 cup of milk 
• 2 tablespoons SAHLAB blend 

DIRECTIONS 

1. Add the Sahlab powder to the cold milk in a heat-resistant pot and mix well until it is lump-free.
2. Brew the Sahlab over low heat while stirring non-stop for 3-5 minutes or until it thickens and bubbles. Resist walking away and keep stirring so the Sahlab doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.  
3. Serve Sahlab immediately in lovely glasses or cups. Garnish with some toasted nuts of your choice, and enjoy!

NOTES 

• To achieve the floral note of the dehydrated rose, you can swap in rose water to the milk along with the Sahlab mix. 
• Mastic is available online and in Middle Eastern stores across the globe. 
• You can scale up the recipe by multiplying the ingredients.