Layali Lubnan (Lebanese Nights, a Semolina Pudding)

Layali Lubnan, small round with pistachios and rose petals on small cake satnd
Layali Lubnan (Lebanese Nights, a Semolina Pudding)

Layali Lubnan (ليالي لبنان), or Lebanese Nights, is a delicious, cold semolina pudding that has to be made ahead and so, is perfect for entertaining. And it’s also a pretty easy recipe to make!

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

What is Layali Lubnan?

It’s a cold dessert made with semolina and milk, and served with scented, homemade rose syrup. Traditionally, this was a popular dessert for the breaking of one’s fast at Ramadan, as well as at Easter for the Levantine Catholics.

But let’s just take a look at the name first, shall we?

  • Layali (ليالي) = nights
  • Lubnan (لبنان) = Lebanon

So, Lebanese Nights!

Layali Lubnan is a delicious semolina pudding that’s meant to be served cold. It has an almost sponge-like texture and is a rather rustic affair. You can serve it with just the pistachios and rose syrup.

Or, you can even serve it topped with fruit slices, like bananas or berries.

Depending on the clients, I’ve even served this Lebanese Nights dessert with strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries in the summer.

And in the winter, with chocolate sauce and cream. Got to please that Western palate, no?

pouring syrup on Layali Lubnan
Layali Lubnan

Lebanese Nights Recipe

I think it’s a fairly easy recipe to make. Have all the ingredients at hand, as always, and just follow the steps outlined in the recipe card below. This is what we’ll be doing:

  • Heat the milk, semolina and sugar to make the semolina base (about 7 minutes).
  • Pour into a dish and chill for 6 hours.
  • Make rose syrup and chill. (3 ingredients: water, sugar and rose water).
  • Top with traditional homemade ashta or mascarpone.
  • Serve with rose flavoured sugar syrup drizzled over.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

Layali Lubnan Ingredients

Layali Lubnan is made with the simplest of ingredients:

  • water
  • semolina
  • sugar
  • rose water
  • mastic beads or cornflour (cornstarch in the US) – ok, maybe mastic isn’t simple 😉
  • cream (double cream, ashta, or, my favourite ashta substitute, mascarpone)
  • ground pistachios
  • and I’m also using crushed dried, edible rose petals

Let’s take a look at some of them.

Semolina

Medium-coarse semolina is preferable for layali lubnan. This is because it lends a better texture to this Lebanese dessert, giving it a slightly spongy feel.

If you can’t get it at your local supermarket, any Middle Eastern or Indian grocer ought to stock it. Failing that, and if like me, you are too lazy to head out in these current times, online is the way to go. I have Amazon Prime, so I tend to get many things delivered that way. This is the coarse semolina I ordered last.

Layali Lubnan (Lebanese Nights, a Semolina Pudding)
this was done in a small spring form, in the back left, is the finished glass dish

Rose Water (or Orange Flower Water)

You know I use this a lot – in Middle Eastern recipes, Indian recipes, and definitely in drinks. Rose water is essentially water that has been infused with the aroma of rose petals, nothing else.

You should be able to find rose water easily next to (or close to) vanilla in baking aisles, along with orange flower water, another traditional flavouring in Middle Eastern cooking, and most definitely in layali lubnan. This is the one I get that’s on Amazon, although mine comes from Ocado, the guys who deliver my groceries.

Mastic (optional)

Mastic is an ingredient that is popular in the Levant and the Mediterranean. It is the dried form of the resin from the Pistacia Lantiscus tree, grown mainly on the island of Chios in Greece.

It has so many uses, but for culinary purposes, it is used as a thickening agent as well as a flavouring. It has a musky and woody aroma, and to my nose, just the tiniest hint of frankincense. Some say it also has hints of vanilla, but I’ve yet to get that. I know, a whole post is needed.

It has a stringy consistency when heated, and that is the texture it imparts in dishes that use it. Imagine super thin mozzarella or the effect of parmesan in risotto.

I have a confession: I’m not a fan. I don’t think it does much in terms of flavour and aroma, and cornflour, to me, is a better thickener. So that’s what I’m using here. But I shall list mastic as an optional ingredient for you. Tell me what you think.

When buying mastic, whether for Layali Lubnan or other recipes, be sure to get the real deal. Genuine mastic is only produced on the island of Chios. This is the one I always get from Amazon.

lebanese nights dessert
the texture is just a little spongy, almost, but not quite, cake-like

Cream for Layali Lubnan

The cream traditionally used in Layali Lubnan is ashta, which is homemade Middle Eastern clotted cream. I promised some readers an easy version of this soon.

Click here for homemade ashta recipe.

If you don’t fancy making your own ashta, all you need is either fresh double cream (thick cream/the whippable kind) or mascarpone, my forever-favourite.

Mascarpone has such a beautiful, well rounded flavour with hints of vanilla that I almost always use it when fresh cream is called for, and to replace ashta, if necessary.

All we do, is whip it with a wooden spoon to lighten, then spread it over our semolina base.

Lebanese Nights Topping

Ground Pistachios

You need only about a tablespoon of pistachios, but to a certain extent, how much or how little, is a matter of preference. I prefer to have whole pistachios that I pulse in the chopper, for a fresher taste and aroma. But I shall leave this up to you.

Crushed Rose Petals

These are another of my favourite toppings for Middle Eastern and South Asian desserts. You want to get your hands on edible dried rose petals, then just blitz them in your spice mil to get a semi fine powder. In the UK, Waitrose stocks them, and this is what the little tub looks like, also found on Amazon.

However, because I use them a lot, I tend to get this bigger amount from Amazon, and it’s also more cost effective.

Crushed/Ground Edible Rose Petals

Assembling Layali Lubnan

The traditional or common method is to pour the hot, cooked semolina mix into a glass dish, which is then chilled before being topped with cream and pistachios.

You would then cut the layali lubnan into squares and serve it on individual plates. In fact, there is no reason why you can’t just scoop a portion up with a large spoon, instead of slicing it. Just like you would “proper” pudding. Remember rustic?

However, many years ago, when I was still single and living in London and being practically adopted by every well meaning Middle Eastern and South Asian family, I came across a different method.

There was a cafe on Edgeware Road in London that I would stop off at after work and gym, that served this most amazing of Lebanese Nights dessert. They were assembled in little springform tins that had been dusted with ground pistachios. And that’s a method that I tend to use more often than not, which I’m also giving here.

Well, that was a lot more information than I was intending to write! Shall we get our aprons on?

If you like the recipe, leave me a comment and let me know. And if you’re feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating! Shukran!

And if you make the recipe, share it on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood

Lin xx

More Middle Eastern Desserts

pouring syrup on layali lubnan

Layali Lubnan Recipe (Lebanese Nights Dessert of Sweet Semolina)

Layali Lubnan which means Lebanese Nights is a cold semolina pudding topped with cream, rose (or orange flower) syrup and crushed pistachios.
4.96 from 25 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern
Keyword: easter, eid recipes, nowruz, ramadan
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 6 hours
Servings: 16 (12-16)
Calories: 314kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Equipment

  • small saucepan
  • large saucepan
  • ladles and spoons
  • weighing scales
  • large bowls
  • glass dish measuring roughly 23 cm x 23 cm (9" x 9") anything similar will do
  • OR a 9" or 10" round springfrom cake pan
  • offset spatula (palette knife) or non sharp knife
  • chopper/spice mill

Ingredients

Semolina Base

  • 1 litre fresh milk (full fat or half)
  • 175 g semolina medium coarse
  • 200 g white sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in the US) OR 3 mastic beads
  • 1 Tbsp rose water or orange flower water

Simple Rose Syrup

  • 300 g sugar
  • 250 ml water
  • 1 Tbsp rose water or orange flower water

Topping

  • 500 g homemade ashta or mascarpone (or double/thick cream – this is a generous amount, 400g will do too, depending on the size of your tub)
  • 30 g ground pistachios more, or less, up to you
  • 1 heaped tsp crushed edible rose petals

Instructions

Make the Rose Syrup

  • In a small saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a simmer on high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour into a heatproof jug.
    Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour into a heatproof jug.
  • Leave to cool on the counter for 5 minutes, then stir in the rose water. Place in the fridge until needed. Your syrup will thicken as it cools.

Let's make the Semolina Base

  • Place the milk, semolina and sugar into a large saucepan (about 20cm/8" across).
  • Make a paste of the cornflour with a little of the milk from the saucepan (don't worry about any semolina in the mix). Pour this cornflour paste into the saucepan of milk.
    If using mastic, grind them into powdered form with a pestle and mortar and drop the powder into the saucepan. It doesn't have to be superfine. If truth be told, I just drop them whole when I'm using them. They melt.
  • Heat this milk and semolina mix on the stove on medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
  • At around the 2-minute mark, you'll notice the semolina mixture begin to thicken. Turn the heat down to medium and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4-5 minutes. You want to cook it until it resembles thick cake batter. You may need more time, depending on your heat.
    You know it's ready, if you are able to make a "path" with your spoon, as shown in the image.
  • Lightly "glaze" your dish by dipping a pastry brush into the rose syrup and spreading all over the base of the dish. This will moisten the base and discourage it from sticking.
  • Pour this hot semolina mix into a glass dish and leave on the counter for 10 minutes.
  • Then, cover with clingfilm and chill for 4 hours.

Topping the Semolina Base

  • Tip the mascarpone into a medium-sized bowl and lighten with a wooden spoon. Just so you can spread it with the back of a butter knife or a pallette knife.
  • Spread the mascarpone all over the firm semolina base. It doesn't have to be smooth like icing, as we'll be topping it with nuts.
  • Place back in the fridge for 1 hour or until you are ready to serve. Cover with clingfilm again. This will allow the mascarpone to firm up a little, so it will be less messy.

Serving Layali Lubnan

  • Scatter the ground pistachios all over the layali lubnan, followed by the rose petals.
  • Slice and serve with the rose syrup on the side. Without the rose syrup, the pudding is only mildly sweet.
    lebanese nights dessert

Will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    Alternative Springform Cake Pan Method

    • Dip a pastry brush in the sugar syrup and spread the syrup all over the base and a little up the sides of your cake pan. Or all over of you want more pistachio coating.
    • Scatter ground pistachios all over turning the pan on its side and letting the nuts roll to cover as much of the pan as you like.
    • Pour the hot, cooked semolina base onto the pistachio covered cake pan. Leave to cool on the counter for 10 minutes, then cover with clingfilm and chill for 4 hours.
    • After 4 hours, release the springform. Take a spatula and lightly nudge the layali lubnan base off the cake pan onto your chosen platter or cake stand. It should be sturdy enough, so don't worry.
    • Lighten the mascarpone and spread all over. Chill for another hour to allow the mascarpone to settle and stiffen slightly.
    • Then garnish with the pistachios and rose petals and serve with syrup.

    Notes

    Nutrition is based on 2% fat milk
    Because of the chilling time, if I’m making this for a party, I always make it the night before. If I’m taking it to a friend’s place for dinner, and have the time, I make it in the morning. But don’t top with pistachios and roses until just before serving.
    Making it the night before or hours ahead, allows the dessert to settle, flavours to mingle and it will also be less messy when cut because of the mascarpone.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 442IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
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    4 thoughts on “Layali Lubnan (Lebanese Nights, a Semolina Pudding)”

    1. 5 stars
      Shukran sister, the whole family enjoyed this so much we are making a huge portion this weekend and having friends over for iftar. A thousand blessings upon you for your generosity.

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