Making stretchy ice cream with a centuries old recipe - How to make booza at home

Making stretchy ice cream with a centuries old recipe - How to make booza at home
Making stretchy ice cream couldn't be easier. I'll show you how to make booza at home, without any special tools. This ice cream stretches and bounces like no other and is a great alternative to regular ice cream. I'm Obi from Middle Eats and I'm on a mission to show you how to cook delicious food from across the Middle East. Leave a comment with any recipe requests you'd like to see me cook.
For about 500ml or 17 fl oz of ice cream:
1L (4 Cups) whole milk (if using UHT milk, substitute 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of cream)
200g Sugar (1 Cup)
1 Tablespoon Salep powder
3-4 Pieces of mastic
Directions:
Crush mastic to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle
Combine mastic, sugar and salep powder in a bowl
Place a heavy bottomed pot on medium heat and add your milk, allow to heat until gently steaming
Once the milk is steaming but not boiling, add the sugar and spices to the pot
Stir immediately to combine, then continue to stir for 30-40 minutes
Once the mixture resembles condensed milk and has thickened, remove from the heat
Pour the mixture out into a large bowl that will fit in your freezer
Whisk the mixture in the bowl for 3-5 minutes before placing in the freezer for 30-40 minutes
Remove from the freezer and whisk the mixture once more for 3-5 minutes, making sure to scrape down the sides. Using your whisk stretch the mixture upwards
Repeat this freezing and whisking process 4-6 times until the mixture has thickened and is stretchy
Serve into a bowl or ice cream cones, and top with some chopped pistachios
To make the Konafa cones, directions are here:
cleobuttera.com/middle-easter...
My konafa video:
• Egyptian Cream filled ...
I ordered my salep from this seller in Greece:
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Salep-Sahl...
00:00 Intro
00:54 Salep and Mastic, why do we need them
01:52 Making the Booza base
03:13 Freezing Process
05:21 Making Konafa Cones
07:24 Final product and serving
/ itsmiddleeats

[@befroggled]

The Kunafa cones are genius!

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks, fell in love when I saw them years ago. Been waiting to try them out.

[@fighttheevilrobots3417]

The Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul is where I learned about this Ice cream. I would travel to Istanbul often from America as a child (My father was Turkish) and he would take me to the Bazaars, it completely blew my mind as a little girl. I remember that there was a gap of a few years between visits and there was the same man making Bouza in the bazaar each time, and as a kid this amazed me. I thought this dessert was truly magic. He would spin and twirl the ice cream in a performance that amazed me even as I grew into a teenager. As half of my family history is middle eastern.... food and memory are intimately linked. Thank you.

[@MiddleEats]

That's a lovely memory! It really is a magical food to see and eat.

[@Non-BinaryembodimentofMrcleans]

im from syria and grew up with Damascus stretched icecream, it looks a bit looser than what im normally used to but it looks divine :)) will def try!

[@mrtechie4858]

4:11 "You will repeat this process 4-6 times, Each time Whisk, Stretch and Scrape your Booza" I was laughing so hard, sounded more like a Middle Eastern yoga class 😂

[@MiddleEats]

Ah yes the Booza pose, where you start off really firm and stretchy then you slowly melt into a pile on the floor 😂

[@RhapsodyOfJoy]

@@MiddleEats 🤣

[@balancedeats1335]

We tried it and it was amazing. Just a tip for others, don't over freeze then mix more than 3 times. I found to become kind of loosing the stretchiness after a while.

[@violetautumnanderson]

First off, I love your accent! Secondly you outdid yourself with the Konafa cones. This is just amazing, thank you for the video.

[@MiddleEats]

Thank you Violet ☺️. Hope you try this out

[@A_T216]

Human ingenuity really shines through with food preparation techniques. Absolutely fascinating!

[@anastasiapavitch7789]

Looks delicious, thank you for sharing the recipe and sharing these wonderful tips.

[@noeminagy-gyor1860]

I watched this video a while ago and as we holidayed in Antalya, I bought some proper salep as well as mastic. Cannot WAIT to try this recipe out 😳♥️

[@TheArteditors]

allegedly mastic only grows on Chios island, it is not a pine pistacia lentiscus, hence its other name lentisque and it's related to pistachios, they do share the same resinous woody profile, my local Syrian restaurant had this. I might try it, loved the texture gummy and chewy. your channel is underrated you need more subscribers

[@WW-wn4ef]

Very common misconception. :) In the EU, countries can sort of "trademark" certain food names. For example, only cheese made in Greece can be labeled "feta," even though the exact same cheese can be made anywhere. The same goes for mastic. While the trees grow all over the Mediterranean, for business purposes only the product from Chios can be labeled "real mastic" in the EU.

[@Anon_E_Muss]

I've always wanted to go to Syria and try their world famous ice cream, thank you for giving me the opportunity to try it at home!

[@user-yw7bn6yw6f]

In jordan we have the famous ice cream shop known as Bekdash that does this ice cream with the mastic flavour, it slaps so hard. But in London there are some good spots for it, Levant Book Cafe and Diwan Damas are probably the best ones.

[@renatevanstraaten5871]

It looks absolutely delicious! I’ll be sure to try this recipe out

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks, be sure to send me some photos on Instagram. I'd love to see how it turns out.

[@ianspeckmaier9565]

Cool to see how far your presentation has come since this video!

[@sanaam9684]

Great chef thank you for sharing🌹😋😍👌

[@chrisschanen]

This looks amazing. Unfortunately I live in rural Wisconsin I think I would probably have to order all these ingredients online or try to see if I can get them either in Milwaukee or next time my son goes to Chicago he can go to the Middle Eastern store for me 🤣

[@hossamgebeily]

I am Egyptian living in Canada. We have an ice cream store called Gelati 3azza in Alexandria. They specialize in sticky ice cream. Loved them as a kid. How the heck do i find these ingredients here in Canada for me to try? Lol. Thank you for all your videos! You’re doing an amazing job bro!

[@ismailaly2497]

OMG!!!! I am from minnesota originally from cairo We would go from Cairo to Alexandria just to eat that ice cream.

[@hossamgebeily]

@@ismailaly2497 😅

[@nadamohsen91]

I'm also from there and love Azza 😀 Now there's also al asdeqaa chain which does all milk products and they do amazing mastic pistachio sticky stretchy ice cream

[@hossamgebeily]

@@nadamohsen91 Im visiting Alex next month for the first time in 7 years. I can't waitttt!!!

[@nadamohsen91]

@@hossamgebeily search for al asdeqaa shop. usually I go to the one in Moustafa kamel street (smouha) they have that famous mastic pistachio one, eat one for me please as I'm in Dubai 😂 however i was just there two months ago

[@user-nq1qc8hb9v]

Do you actually use pine resin? Cause mastich resin from mastich trees is something quite different Thanks for the nice and easy instructions I'll definitely try it

[@MyRx777z]

I tried this ice cream out couple years ago and it was so good and very memorable because it reverted of what i thought i knew about ice cream. The price was twice the price of a normal one that you buy at an ice cream store though.

[@aggy5372]

that's because mastic is extremely expensive

[@MonkeymagicsMum]

This looks amazing! And so different. Would love to try.

[@MiddleEats]

Oh it is! The texture is so satisfying and perfect for hot summer days. Hope you try it out!

[@thetruth8225]

My mother and I were looking for the true Sahlab that she used to use in the bouza to make it stretchy; unfortunately, my mother passed away and i am still not finding the true Sahlab. I will be appreciative if you would tell me where i can find it?

[@athanasiosxirogiannis9468]

Hi, thanks for your Video! Is there anything else that could possibly replace the mastic? Honey?

[@peterromano4405]

i WILL try it. And as you identify that it melts FAST. I am confused in seeing others serve bouza very theatrical and the rolled bouza or Arabic Ice cream rolled with pistacio...Maybe there the SAME issue with melting FAST that i didn't realize, YES ice cream will melt UNDERSTANDABLE and how to manage it under the various ways to serve it.. THANK YOU

[@erayxx5259]

Is there a role of sugar in thickening of the mixture or thickening caused by only the sahlep?

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

Nice

[@wintermanmuzika7650]

Nice job 👍🏻

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks!

[@tweritf2880]

Рахмет үлкен!

[@darkzy5047]

Hello again I tried it so many times but it didn’t work...what whole milk do you use?I think is that

[@alxxxx70]

Hi there I am really enjoying your channel Well done. Is the سحلب you are it is the drinking one that we find and middle Eastern shop or a different. Thanks

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks. No the drinking one will not work for this recipe, you need raw salep powder or Sahlab Kham Mat7oon. You may be able to find it at a spice shop, but it is quite rare. Your best bet is searching online

[@alxxxx70]

@@MiddleEats thank you

[@pasha92]

I assume it resembles the taste of the sahlev drink that made from this same root. Often flavored with a bit of rose water and topped with cinnamon and coconut flakes and pistachios. When I do it myseld I also grate some nutmeg. What if you add these flavorings to the ice sahlev when you cook it? I think it would be nice!

[@MiddleEats]

Yes, it's designed to mimic the flavour of it. Nutmeg sounds perfect for it. I think it will work well to make the ice cream!

[@amb654]

Can I use other edible gum

[@sarah-leechaar1822]

Does it becomes hard when you put it in freezer for long time ? If you add cream, will it be still stretchy even after being in freezer for long time ?

[@MiddleEats]

Yes it does get hard just like any ice cream. As with anything that is frozen, it forms ice crystals. The cream won't stop it from going hard, but will give it a nicer texture and flavour.

[@FuriousCheddar]

Few places in ramallah serve this too.

[@MiddleEats]

Yes it's definitely popular all across the middle East

[@FuriousCheddar]

@@MiddleEats I always thought it was a regional thing in some parts of the levant but that's cool to hear. I've been wanting to give this a try for quite a long time lol

[@junpak9234]

I’m trying to buy some salep but the one I’m looking at says it is a Greek salep DRIED root. Is all salep powder dried? Thanks

[@MiddleEats]

Yep that's the one

[@quratulain7678]

I'm from pakistan Plz guide from where we can get salep.

[@mambarumba5816]

👍👍👍👌👌👌

[@FutureLaugh]

is it chewy? like gum?

[@jaemin_for_real8796]

So what can you do if you cant find ingredients were you live?

[@wookieface]

Very simple recipe, at least in number of ingredients hahaha. Where did you originally get the recipe from?

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks, yeah it really is and the technique is quite simple too, but just a bit repetitive. I tried a few different recipes from KZbin which I didn't like, then I found this recipe included with the Salep powder. I adjusted the amounts a little till I got the exact result I was hoping for, then the rest is history.

[@tokahelmy259]

But like why is your sahleb not white? Is it different from the white powder one we use to make the drink?

[@MiddleEats]

Yes it is completely different. Real sahleb powder is made from the roots of orchid plants. It's very hard to make and so instead most people have and are familiar with immitation sahleb, the white kind. I have a recipe where I make the white sahlab drink, it's mostly cornflour and milk powder.

[@muhammadjalil3117]

Please how to add multi flavour????

[@carlosandalucia4660]

I am seeing lots of differences between your and other recipes for sticky ice cream. You suggest to not boil the milk, while others do. You trew the sahlep directly into the milk all at once, while others mixed it with sugar first and then add slowly while stirring the milk as quick as possible to avoid sahlep to become crumbles in the milk.

[@MaliohammadDesigns]

I know this comment is really old, but from personal experience the moment you boil sahlep, the moment it becomes a watery mess and will never get stretchy/ thick again. Maybe other videos use fake powder, so it reacts to heat differently

[@stelliferousoofer9044]

gel or liquid food coloring?

[@MiddleEats]

I would suggest using gel colouring if you want to colour it. They tend to dissolve better in high fat mixtures.

[@andrewshakarjian3879]

Can you use Mahleb instead of Sahleb?

[@MiddleEats]

Definitely not, Mahleb is ground cherry seeds, Sahleb is ground orchid root. The only thing in common is 5 letters and that they are both powders 😁. Of course if you want to make a Mahleb Ice Cream, you can make a regular custard ice cream base, and flavour it with mahleb

[@andrewshakarjian3879]

@@MiddleEats thanks!

[@fuadb4910]

Can you make mensaf?

[@MiddleEats]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will do my best to get the Jameed and to figure out how to make it with readily available ingredients. Fingers crossed I can do that soon.

[@fabbro8747]

@@MiddleEats extra salty butter milk did it for me. I can't remember exactly but it was a modification I made on Tess Malloss's Middle Eastern Cookbook. and it worked, it tasted quite close

[@babulaghari9834]

I try this recipe but my ice cream test becom bitter and i feel some smell in structur in sahlab i fell smell but i eat this ice cream in uae sharjah that was too good.

[@fatemakholusi6246]

Salep as in سحلب?

[@MiddleEats]

Yes so real salep is Sa7lab Khaam but it's very difficult to find in Egypt and it's really expensive. You're more likely to find the cornflour Sa7lab in Egypt

[@adnanmustafa5923]

Shouldnt you add a flavour like vanilla?

[@MiddleEats]

Well technically there are two flavours already in this; the mastic which has a pine flavor and is a common ice cream flavouring in the middle East, and the salep which has a flavor similar to chai. You can of course add more flavours if you wanted.

[@katerinatourlitis1435]

I'm sorry but mastic doesn't come from pine trees. This mastic is only made I'm Greece from special tree's .

[@mr.b6917]

I heard you are supposed to use Organic Goats milk instead.

[@MiddleEats]

I'm sure you can use goats milk, but it isn't actually made with it in practice. Goats milk has too much of a funky flavor that would be too strong for the ice cream.

[@lifeofabronovich7792]

I think you're thinking of Dondurma (Turkish ice cream). That does indeed use goats milk but it's kind of different from booza

[@paolo6219]

My mom just made this lmfao

[@darkzy5047]

I made it but it was like normal milk not like conserved milk

[@MiddleEats]

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean. How did it taste?

[@darkzy5047]

@@MiddleEats when it was steaming after 40 minutes wasn’t like conserved milk (thicky)

[@MiddleEats]

Hmm the salep takes time to activate and with me 40 minutes was when it activated. Did you continue to cook it, or did you cool it right away?

[@darkzy5047]

What I did a wrong ?

[@darkzy5047]

@@MiddleEats I continued like 1 hour but it didn’t I guess my mistake was that my sales wasn’t 💯 sales it was with cinnamon .Was that a mistake or not ?

[@salehsalous884]

I tried but taste of milk still exist

[@zeenatansari7160]

I want salap

[@MiddleEats]

Search for Greek Salep online and you should find it for sale, hopefully the same seller is still available

[@FutureLaugh]

6 hours to make a single serving

[@fugenturkoglu]

Don't believe. He is trying to sell fake stuff.