Ingredients:

• 12 cups of water
• 7 1/2 heaped tbsp of maize powdered starch (Niseste) ( Skoni Aravositou)
• 1 1/2 – 2 tbsp of orange blossom water (Anthonero) or rose water (Rothostagma)
• Sugar

Method:

• Pour 10 cups of water in a sauce pan and heat until it is almost at the boiling stage.
• In the mean time, pour the remaining 2 cups of water in a bowl.
• Add the maize powdered starch and dissolve.
• Add the dissolved maize powdered starch to the hot water and stir with a wooden spoon continuously until it starts to bubble.
• Remove from the heat, add the orange blossom water or rose water and stir to combine.
• Sprinkle your bowls with orange blossom water.
• Put the Mahalepi in the bowls and set aside to cool down.
• When it cools down, put it in the refrigerator to get cold.
• In order to save some space in the refrigerator and the Mahalepi to stay fresh and not dry, take it out of the bowls, place all the pieces in a large enough bowl and cover them with cold water.
• When it gets cold, remove from the refrigerator and as it is in the bowl, add some water, Anthonero or Rothostagma, sprinkle with sugar and serve.
• Adding sugar to the Mahalepi is important because the Niseste by it self has no taste.
• Μαχαλεπι με Νερο (Water Base Pudding) is a Great Cypriot Fasting Dessert.
• Mahalepi is usually served during the hot summer days as a cold refreshing dessert, but because it is liked so much it is done all year round.
• A small variation can be done to the recipe if you desire, in addition to the sugar over the Mahalepi to make it sweeter, Rose Syrup (which is sweet) can be used or Spoon Sweets on top before it is served.
• Another variation is to add some Rose Syrup in the mixture during preparation.
• In the older days in Cyprus, especially in the hot summer days, vendors were going from neighborhood to neighborhood selling their cold refreshing Mahalepi.
• In our days, Mahalepi is served in all Cypriot café, made the same Traditional way, enjoyed by Cypriots and vacationers.