{A Turkish style milk pudding}
EDIT – I made some mistakes in the measurement section of the recipe. It’s been updated now! Sorry for this, guys!
I found myself craving for milk pudding lately. Kazan Dibi (which literally means burned -bottom milk pudding), or similar.
In the kitchen, after two litres of milk, a few burned pans, finally I have been able to recreate my favourite milk pudding!
Phew. It´s been long coming, but I have wanted to make Kazan Dibi at home for so long. I first tasted it at a party a few years back. It was made by one of the Turkish ladies I used to know. The taste was lovely – cold, refreshing, creamy, with the caramelised part on top. I remember asking the lady for a recipe, but like a lot of home-cooked dishes, she did not have a proper one. Her descriptions left me clueless without any extract measurement. And of course, there came the language barrier.
The trick to make milk pudding, I found, is in the ratio of starch and rice flour. I first tried a 100% rice flour based pudding, and the result was a bit too heavy and grainy. Greg Malouf has a100% corn starch based recipe, but it lacked texture. A combination of these two flours produces much better pudding.
A few recipes I came across call for the cooked pudding mixture to be beaten in a mixer for around 10 minutes. This step is not essential, but very helpful to keep the mixture lump free and elastic while caramelising the bottom part.
My pictures don´t do the pudding justice. This was an early batch while I was a bit unsure of how long to cook the caramel. My latter attempt yields much deeper color and flavours.
This is a perfect dish to bring to potluck, or if you need to feed a crowd. People are generally very fond of milk pudding. I think this will also work with almond milk if you want to keep it dairy-free.
Burned bottom milk pudding(Kazan Dibi)
Adapted from here and other recipes/instructions
I think mastic-flavoured milk pudding rules! Rose water and orange blossom water can also be used as well. But there is something about mastic fragrance that I really love – deep, refreshing at the same time spicy. Yeah, I am that addicted. 
Equipment: a round/square pan that can be used on the stove. I used a 30cm diameter aluminium pan.
The pudding (enough to serve 6-8 or more)
6+1/2 cups of milk
½ cup heavy cream (or use 7 cups of milk in total)
4 grains of mastic
1/4 cup rice flour (50g)
3/4 cup corn starch (95g)
1 cup sugar (220g)
The caramel
2 tbp unsalted butter
2-3 tbps sugar
Method
1 – Crush the mastic with a bit of sugar in a mortal and pestle until finely ground.
2 – Combine the two flours in a bowl. Take 1 cup of milk from the milk mixture and gradually dissolve the flours. Make sure there is little lump.
3 – Put the rest of the milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan together with the sugar and ground mastic. Slowly bring it to the boil, stir frequently until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the flour mixture through a sieve into the pot to get rid of any lump. Bring the fire to small-medium, stir the milk frequently until the mixture thickens. (it will resembles thick cream or thick cooked custard).
4 – Turn off the fire. Now this is the optional part: pour all the mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer and constantly beat the mixture at small speed while preparing the next step. If you don´t want to do this, set the mixture aside and cover.
5 – Now, the caramel part. Put your pan into the stove with medium-high flame. Melt the butter and make sure that it coats the pan nicely. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar and rotate the pan so that the sugar is caramelised nicely. Once the sugar is dark, take around 1 cup of the pudding mixture and pour into the hot pan. It will sizzle, and bubbles will develop after 1-2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool down a little.
6 – Gently pour the remaining mixture onto the pan, make sure not to mess up the burned layer. Cool down totally then chill for at least 3-4 hours.
7 – To serve, use the knife to cut the pudding and use a spatula to take the piece and invert it onto a serving plate. Serve chill and enjoy!
What an interesting pudding. I have never seen it in Lebanese restaurants here- is it known by any other names? And your pictures certainly do it justice!
Perfect for Ramadan iftar!!!
Terrific! I love Middles Eastern food. That pudding looks just heavenly and so irresistible.
oh I have eaten this in Turkey and first the name kind of scared me but its was luscious and creamy and I remember thinking to myself, I should try it!
I love kazan dibi. My grandfather used to make it and I always helped him crush the mastic "tears" with the mortar and pestle. Lovely Ahn. You brought some memories back.
I do love a good milk pudding. And while I've heard of mastic I'm yet to try it. But I hope to eventually, and this pudding sounds like a lovely introduction!
Haven't read the recipe yet but it just sounds so good! I have all the ingredients needed so i think i am going to be making it this week
hmm i've never heard of this before but it sounds like it would be a lovely light and creamy dessert.. can i ask where you might be able to buy mastic? i've never heard of it before!
For some reason the texture of pudding remind me with my traditional cake. but oh boy… I forget the name, only remember the taste. great recipe of yours btw!
Christine, I bought mastic in a middle eastern shop in Sydney Rd, Brunswick. You can also find it in Greek groceries!
Anh that caramelized burnt bottom is absolutely stunning you are showing quite the craftmanship here. Beautiful job and pics!!
I've never had this but it looks and sounds delish! And your photography is so stunning. Wow. Just beautiful.
wow, fascinating recipe! Loved reading about Kazan Dibi. I like the idea of orange blossom or rose water too. It sure looks delicious
Wow, this looks gorgeous! I've never heard of Kazan Dibi, but it looks absolutely delicious. Anything with burnt sugar and I'm there!
This sounds absolutley divine to me – and I'm sure I would have burned the milk a few times as well
*gasp* Never had this but from the looks of it, it's delicious!
You had me at Burnt Bottom
Hahahaha
i love any type of milk pudding so this is def something id LOVE to try soon! i wonder if they sell them in turkish restaurants…will keep an eye out next time! (oh and im also curious about mastic – something i hear about often but have no experienced with before!)
Oh my! I'm in love! I'm partial to a good milk based pudding. This looks amazing Anh!
A pudding like this is total comfort food, Anh! I can't wait to try it….copied the recipe already!
Oh my God this looks so good and i`m sure that it is delicious too. I think it is not a very difficult recipe so i will give it a try, thanks a lot for sharing.
I love the sound of the caramelised/burnt bottom of the pudding. Id probably find myself eating just that part and leaving the rest behind =)
This sounds yum..In north india we have a similar dessert which is made by (almost) burning milk, however it is not a pudding, something different..I love this turkish version!! Love your beautiful serve ware.
I'm a huge fan of Turkish cuisine, it's one of the best in the world and healthiest too. This milk pudding looks so delicious!
This pudding is new to me and looks sooooo delicious!
Anh, look delicious! gloria
No surprise that I adore this (and your photos)… this is the food of my upbringing.
We love a nice milk pudding…mastic is such a nice addition, I love its almost pine-y flavor. This looks delicious!
I would love to make this milk pudding. I've only had milk pudding once or twice, but each time I eat it…I want more. Thank you for sharing with me, my friend! I hope you are having a relaxing Sunday. As always…this looks delicious (and I'm sure it tastes even better)!
Reminds me a little of a thicker version of flan, what with that lovely burnt caramel to it. Yum!
Ooh, I love puddings. This sounds amazing.
Bravo, it looks beautiful and delicious and hopefully worth your burned pans & multiple efforts!
-jaw drop-
awesome pudding and pictures. Just one question…what is mastic?
I love milk pudding and not tried a burnt one before. Looks great and loving the props!
Wow that looks and sounds so unique and amazing. Thanks for taking the time to perfect it so we could enjoy this amazing recipe!
WizzyTheStick, it's a flavouring ingredient commonly used in middle eastern and greek cooking. http://www.gourmetshopper.com.au/shop/product.php?productid=218
this pudding looks really interesting. and I've never heard or taste of it. but i really like the idea of burnt bottom maybe becoz i love creme brulee hehe although totally diff thing but i guess similar concept ;p
I have never tried this pudding before. Never even heard of mastic. But a Turkish pudding infused with rose water/orange blossom water…I can similar imagine this milk pudding is aromatic lovely!
I have never had this and it does sound good. I am just imaging it to be a burnt custard.
This is delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe! For people in the US & Canada looking for Mastic (Chios Mastiha), get it from http://www.mastihashopny.com. It is the official shop of the Cooperative of Mastic Growers.
We have this recipe as well back in Greece, with the same name, that is Turkish. We usually make this dessert using Buffalo milk..
What can I use instead of mastic?
Hi Subhadra, vanila or orange blossom water flavour will be great.