Spiced Gurdthu Recipe by Kathryn Pauline

Kathryn Pauline

Kathryn Pauline is the creator of the Middle Eastern food blog Cardamom and Tea, where she shares her favorite Assyrian family recipes, as well as her own creations, inspired by the techniques and flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine. She’s an avid baker, and makes everything from traditional flatbreads to stunning cakes.

 Cardamom and Tea

Gurdthu is the kind of treat you make for yourself on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It has all the makings of a perfect weekend dessert: easy to make, satisfies that sweet craving without the guilt of overly-sweet desserts, and can be made with ingredients you probably already have around the house. It's an ultra-creamy rice porridge made with yogurt. Kathryn spices her recipe with vanilla and cardamom, which pair exceptionally well with the creamy texture and slightly sour base.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

Gurdthu

• 1000 grams plain whole milk yogurt (4 cups, 35 ounces)
• 350 grams water (1 1/2 cups, 12.3 ounces)
• 3 grams salt (1/2 teaspoon, 0.1 ounces)
• 50 grams beaten egg (1 egg, 1.7 ounces)
• 120 grams medium grain white rice (2/3 cup, 4.2 ounces)
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, plus more for sprinkling

To Finish

• 6-8 figs, cut into pieces
• Honey, to drizzle on top
• Ground cardamom, to sprinkle on top

You can substitute the figs for berries or any fruit suited to your taste.

Equipment

Method

Begin by rinsing the rice to remove any excess starch.

In a large stockpot, whisk together the yogurt, water, and salt. Beat the egg and whisk it in with the yogurt. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, then combine the seed scrapings and the bean in the pot. Add the bay leaves and cardamom.

Proceed to heat the entire mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. It should take about 10-15 minutes. Once simmering, lower the heat to low so that the mixture remains at this temperature and continue heating while stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked through.

Remove the vanilla beans and bay leaves. You can serve gurdthu warm or at room temperature. Drizzle the top with some honey, sprinkle some cardamom, and adorn with the sliced figs.

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