Rose Syrup Panna Cotta or Bandung Panna Cotta is a Malay take on the Italian classic, with the delicious, sweet and musky aroma and flavour of roses.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
What is Panna Cotta?
This is a recipe from my older sister who lives in Malaysia, and is hugely popular with the whole family, no matter which continent that family happens to be in!
She and an aunt from Singapore came to stay with us for a month, when I lost my husband in the summer of 2019. My kids loved this bandung panna cotta so much that she ended up making it 3 times in that month!
It probably doesn’t need any introduction, but let’s do it anyway. Panna Cotta is a chilled, creamy, Italian dessert. The name, panna cotta, means cooked cream, in Italian, and that’s exactly what it is!
Cream and milk are heated up, gelatine is added for firmness, then the whole thing is chilled until needed. Perfect make ahead dinner party dessert!
Naturally, if you’re a vegetarian, there are vegetarian alternatives for gelatine, like agar agar.
Panna Cotta can be flavoured any which way you like it:
- vanilla
- coffee
- butterscotch
- lemon
- orange
- I even have a savoury pesto panna cotta on LinsFood
So our rose syrup panna cotta or bandung panna cotta is flavoured with rose syrup.
What is Bandung?
Bandung is a pink, milky rose syrup drink that is extremely popular in Singapore and Malaysia, especially during the months of Ramadan. It’s a great thirst quencher, and is the perfect way to break one’s fast.
I’ve been making a similar panna cotta, flavoured with rose water that we call rose panna cotta, it’s very similar in flavour and aroma. But that’s a post for another day! On LinsFood!
What is Rose Syrup?
Rose Syrup is a cordial. It was, quite possibly, my favourite childhood drink. A really good rose syrup should be made with nothing else but roses, sugar and water.
However, most shop bought ones, like your lemon, lime and blackcurrant cordials, are going to be full of flavourings and colours. Which is why I started making my own many, many years ago.
On LinsFood, you’ll find 2 recipes for homemade rose syrup (I promise to add them here soon):
- Rose Syrup using organic rose petals
- Rose Syrup using rose water (I call this the cheat’s version)
Rose Syrup Panna Cotta Recipe
Like all panna cotta, this bandung panna cotta is a super easy recipe to make. And this is how we do it:
- Soak the gelatine
- Simmer the other ingredients
- Stir in the gelatine
- Pour into moulds and cool
Super easy, right?
A similar recipe but without gelatine, so perfect for vegetarians (like my kids), is the Middle Eastern Mahalabia, click here to get to the recipe on LinsFood.
Looking for halal gelatine? Do an online search. They’re usually a better quality (higher bloom, see below) than the supermarket variety anyway.
Gelatine Bloom – what does it mean?
Just one more thing before we get cracking, as what follows is a question I get asked a lot.
Gelatine bloom refers to the firmness of gelatine. Or specifically, how firmly a liquid sets with gelatine added to it.
This firmness is measured using a Bloom Gelometer, named after inventor Oscar T. Bloom. The measurement is called the Bloom Strength. A higher number indicates a stiffer product.
Edible gelatine ranges from 125 Bloom to 250 Bloom. There are several different grades of sheet and powdered gelatine. The higher bloom the gelatine has, the less you have to use it and that’s why lower blooms are usually cheaper.
- Bronze grade: 125-155 Bloom
- Silver grade: 160 Bloom
- Gold grade: 190-220 Bloom
- Platinum grade: 235-265 Bloom
So when using gelatine, whether for our bandung panna cotta or any other, it’s always a good idea to know what grade gelatine you’ve got, for the perfect wobble!
And now, let’s get cooking!
♥ If you like the recipe and article, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you! ♥
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
More Desserts and Kuih
Rose Syrup Panna Cotta (Bandung Panna Cotta)
Equipment
- wide, shallow dish
- medium saucepan
- ladles
- 6 small serving glasses or bowls
Ingredients
- 375 ml fresh milk
- 2 tsp gelatine (gold grade, 190 – 200 bloom) if using 170 bloom and less, use 1 Tbsp
- 125 ml evaporated milk
- 125 ml rose syrup
Garnish (optional)
- 2 Tbsp undiluted rose syrup
- dried edible rose petals
- crushed pistachios or almonds
Instructions
- Pour 125ml (1/2 cup) of the fresh milk in a wide, shallow dish and scatter the gelatine all over and leave to soak for 10 minutes, by which time, it will look all spongy.
- Mix the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat, and bring to a near simmer.
- Keep stirring to avoid scalding at the bottom. Once you see bubbles by the side, take it off the heat.
- Add the soaked gelatine in and stir for about 2 minutes. Turn the flame off and strain into your desired moulds. (If your panna cotta is smooth, there’s no need to strain).
- Leave to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Then place in the fridge to set, for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
10 thoughts on “Rose Syrup Panna Cotta (Bandung Panna Cotta)”