Sultjash

Ingredients

Pudding

• 180 gshort grain rice, rinsed
• 400 mlwater
• 1.5 litreswhole milk
• 180 gcaster sugar
• 1 pinchfine salt
• 1strip lemon peel
• 1short cinnamon stick
• 30 gunsalted butter

To set the top

• 2large egg yolks
• 100 mlwhole milk
• 2 tbspcaster sugar

To finish

• 2 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tbspcaster sugar

Directions

1. Simmer the rinsed rice in the water with the salt for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the water is nearly gone and the grains have begun to split.
2. Add the milk, lemon peel and cinnamon stick, bring to a bare simmer and cook uncovered on the lowest heat for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring often and scraping the base.
3. It is ready when the grains have swollen and softened completely and the milk has thickened to loose cream but still pours freely; it firms a great deal in the oven and again when cold.
4. Stir in the sugar and the butter and cook 5 minutes more, then lift out the lemon peel and cinnamon stick.
5. Pour into a shallow earthenware or metal tray about 28 by 20 cm and level the surface.
6. Beat the yolks with the 100 ml milk and 2 tablespoons of sugar and brush this over the top in a thin, even coat; this is what browns into the burnished skin.
7. Bake at 200°C (400°F) fan for 20 to 25 minutes, until the surface is blistered and deep brown in patches, like a caramelised custard. Move it under a hot grill for the last 2 minutes if it is still pale.
8. Dust with the cinnamon and sugar while hot, cool completely, then chill at least 3 hours and cut into squares. Sultjash is eaten cold, straight from the tray.

Technique

• The browned top is the whole point and the difference between sultjash and a plain milk rice. Without the egg wash and the blast of high heat it stays pale and tastes like nursery pudding.
• Add the sugar late. Sugar competes with the starch for water and rice added to a sweetened milk stays chalky no matter how long it cooks.
• The Albanian version is set noticeably firmer than Turkish sutlac, firm enough to cut, which is why it is baked in a tray rather than in individual dishes.

Substitutions

• Pudding rice or arborio both work; long grain does not release enough starch and gives a thin, watery set.
• A vanilla pod split into the milk can replace the lemon peel, though lemon and cinnamon is the standard Albanian pairing.

Variations

• Individual earthenware dishes are used in restaurants, browned the same way and served in the dish.
• A richer Shkodër version stirs 100 ml of double cream in with the sugar.

History

An everyday Albanian sweet, also made in bakeries in individual clay dishes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sultjash?

Sultjash is a dessert from Albania: rice pudding baked with a browned cinnamon top, eaten cold. An everyday Albanian sweet, also made in bakeries in individual clay dishes.

How long does Sultjash take to make?

Sultjash takes 10 min of preparation and 1 hr 20 min plus chilling of cooking. The recipe makes 1 tray, 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Sultjash?

Yes, within limits. Pudding rice or arborio both work; long grain does not release enough starch and gives a thin, watery set. A vanilla pod split into the milk can replace the lemon peel, though lemon and cinnamon is the standard Albanian pairing.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sultjash?

The browned top is the whole point and the difference between sultjash and a plain milk rice. Without the egg wash and the blast of high heat it stays pale and tastes like nursery pudding.