About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Creamy milk, cinnamon, honey, pistachios, vanilla, and rose turn this Balkan salep into a warm, fragrant drink that feels nostalgic and luxurious. 🌹

Ingredients

• Salep base ☕
• 🥛 700 ml whole milk (3 cups / 23.7 fl oz) dairy
• 🥄 8 g salep powder, or 18 g cornstarch as substitute (1 tbsp / 0.6 oz)
• 🍯 30 g honey (1½ tbsp / 1 oz)
• 🌿 5 ml vanilla extract (1 tsp / 0.17 fl oz)
• 🧂 1 tiny pinch fine sea salt
• Warm spice finish ✨
• 🌰 30 g pistachios, finely chopped (¼ cup / 1 oz)
• 🌿 2 g ground cinnamon (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🌹 2 g dried edible rose petals, optional (1 tbsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🍯 10 g honey for drizzling (2 tsp / 0.35 oz)

Preparation

• Mix the thickener ☕ In a small bowl, whisk salep powder or cornstarch with 100 ml cold milk (⅓ cup / 3.4 fl oz) until completely smooth. This prevents lumps.
• Warm the milk 🥛 Pour the remaining milk into a saucepan. Warm over medium heat for 4 min, until steaming but not boiling.
• Thicken gently ✨ Whisk in the salep mixture slowly. Cook for 5–6 min, stirring constantly, until the drink becomes creamy, glossy, and lightly thick.
• Add flavor 🍯 Stir in honey, vanilla, and a tiny pinch of salt. Cook for 1 min more, then remove from the heat.
• Pour and finish 🌹 Pour into warm glasses or small mugs. Top with cinnamon, chopped pistachios, dried rose petals, and a thin honey drizzle.
• Serve warm ☕ Serve immediately while thick, fragrant, and creamy. The texture should be spoonable but still drinkable.

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