• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
butfirstchai.com
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Middle Eastern
  • South Indian
  • Subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Middle Eastern
  • South Indian
  • Subscribe
×
Home » Recipes » Arabic Dessert

Halawet El Smeed | Semolina Pudding with Mastic

Modified: Dec 11, 2024 · Published: Mar 26, 2017 by Famidha Ashraf · Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe

Halawet Smeed is a simple semolina pudding flavoured with mastic and orange blossom water. It is made differently across the Levant and can be served warm or cold with or without nuts.

halawet smeed

When I made Halawet Smeed the first time, I did not add any food colour like Sawsan's pink Kraiza. But after I made Beet Chocolate cake, I had some beet puree and the only dessert that came to my mind was this. So, made a small batch with the coloured water from the leftover beet puree.

Jump to:
  • Halawet El Smeed
  • Ingredients
  • How to make it?
  • Substitutions
  • Variations
  • 📖 Recipe Card
  • 💬 Comments

Halawet El Smeed

Halawet Smeed aka Kraiza is traditionally made with fine semolina, sugar and water. If you add milk instead of water, then it becomes Layali Lubnan! There are versions with cheese, milk, crushed nuts and some that are served warm! Going by the name of the dish, there should be no cheese unless it is Halawet el Jibn (sweet cheese), another popular Arab dessert with clotted cheese rolled in semolina dough.

As recipes have room for customization, feel free to add milk, and nuts, and serve hot, warm, or cold- there is no end to possibilities because we are talking about Semolina!

kraiza semolina pudding

Ingredients

  • fine semolina
  • sugar
  • water
  • food colour
  • mastic beads
  • orange blossom water

How to make it?

Making this semolina pudding is super easy. All you need to do is dump all the ingredients into a deep pot, stir until thickens, pour it into a tray and chill it to have it cold or you may serve it warm! So simple but results in melt-in-mouth deliciousness.

I have flavoured this halawet with Orange Blossom water and mastic gum. I used the beet just to add natural colour and you don't get the taste of beetroot because the orange blossom water and the mastic cover it up. You can make Halawet El Smeed by substituting the beet water with just plain water and a dash of food colour.

Substitutions

  • fine semolina: If you don't have fine semolina, you can use coarse. Just pulse it a few times in the processor. But don't make it into powder.
  • mastic beads: If you cannot source this, then skip it.
  • orange blossom water: If you cannot source this, then replace it with rose water.

Variations

There are a few variations that you will find on the internet. With the same list of ingredients but a few added steps will result in totally different flavour. I love my friend, Farida's version of toasting semolina and adding simple syrup.

halawet smeed

📖 Recipe Card

halawet smeed

Halawet El Smeed | Semolina Pudding with Mastic

Halawet el Smeed is a type of semolina pudding sold across the Levant as coloured slices that are flavoured with mastic and orange blossom water.
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate SaveSaved!
Prep Time: 8 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 48 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 pieces
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Famidha Ashraf
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup fine semolina
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 cups water, see notes
  • 1 drop food colour , of choice or use beet juice
  • 3 mastic beads , crushed with a teaspoon of sugar
  • ½ teaspoon orange Blossom water , or rose water or any flavour you like

Instructions

  • Add the semolina, coloured water, sugar and crushed mastic into a deep pot.
  • Cook over low to medium heat while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens.
  • Stir in the orange blossom water and take the pudding off the heat.
  • Pour the pudding into any wide tray to about 1 cm thickness. You can pour them into individual serving cups or a brownie pan to cut them into equal squares.
  • Allow the pudding to cool down completely and then refrigerate it for at least two hours.
  • Cut and serve cold as is or with some crushed nuts.

Notes

Water: You may stir in some water to the beet puree and strain it to use.
Colour: You may use your favourite food colour or skip adding colour to keep it original. 

Nutrition Info

Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.4g | Protein: 1.1g | Fat: 0.1g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: arabic, middle eastern
Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

More Arabic Dessert Recipes

  • A plate of ghraybeh cookies studded with pistachios.
    Ghraybeh Cookies
  • kaak el eid cookies
    Ka'ak el Eid | Date Paste Cookies
  • a platter filled with bracelet baklavas
    Bulbul Yuvasi Baklava (Nightingale Nest)
  • kataifi truffles with condensed milk
    Sweet Kataifi Truffles
10 shares

Reader Interactions

Comments

No Comments

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Mr.F and Famidha

Hey, I'm Famidha

An Indian chai lover in the UAE. As a passionate food blogger, I share a diverse collection of recipes spanning the Middle East and South Asia. With each dish, I aim to spark your culinary curiosity and encourage you to try new flavours and cooking methods.

about me

Popular

  • Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
    Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad
  • A bowl of cucumber salad with a small bowl of roasted peanuts by the side.
    Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad
  • chickpea sundal recipe
    Chickpea Sundal
  • fatteh chickpeas
    Fatteh Hummus

Seasonal

  • Chocolate Brownies with Avocado pieces
    Chocolate Brownies with Avocado
  • chocolate salami served in a round plate.
    Chocolate Salami without Eggs
  • a plate of chocolate date balls
    Chocolate Date Balls
  • rocky road bars in a plate
    Rocky Road | Chocolate & Marshmallow Squares

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Media Mentions

Newsletter

  • Sign Up!

Contact

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2025 But first Chai

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required