Salep (Warm Turkish Milk Drink)
Thick, silky and dusted with cinnamon, salep is Turkey's beloved winter warmer — hot milk gently thickened until it coats the back of a spoon.
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Ingredients
1 litre whole milk
3 tbsp traditional sahlep drink powder
1 tbsp corn starch, dissolved in 3 tbsp cold milk
2-3 tbsp granulated sugar, to taste
1 sachet (5 g) vanilla sugar, optional
1 cinnamon stick, for infusing (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting
A pinch of ground ginger, optional
2 tbsp finely crushed pistachios, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pour the milk into a heavy-based saucepan, add the cinnamon stick if using, and warm over medium-low heat until steaming but not boiling.
- 2
In a small bowl, whisk the sahlep powder and sugar with a ladleful of the warm milk until completely smooth.
- 3
Whisk the sahlep mixture back into the pan, then stir in the dissolved corn starch and vanilla sugar.
- 4
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-12 minutes, whisking constantly, until the drink thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- 5
Taste and adjust the sugar, then remove the cinnamon stick.
- 6
Ladle into warmed glasses or mugs.
- 7
Dust generously with ground cinnamon, add a tiny pinch of ginger if you like a gentle warmth, and scatter over the crushed pistachios.
- 8
Serve immediately while thick and hot, ideally with a piece of baklava on the side.
Walk through Istanbul on a cold January evening and you will see street vendors ladling steaming salep from big brass urns. Traditionally the drink is thickened with ground wild orchid root, which gives it that famous stretchy, velvety body. Pure orchid salep is rare and expensive these days, so most Turkish households — in Turkey and here in the UK — use a salep drink powder backed up with a spoonful of corn starch, and the result is remarkably close to the real thing.
The secret is patience: keep the heat low and whisk constantly once the milk starts to thicken. Rushing it over high heat is how you end up with lumps or a scorched pan. Ten to twelve minutes of gentle simmering gives you that luxurious, almost custard-like texture that makes salep so comforting.
Serve it piping hot in small glasses or mugs with a generous dusting of cinnamon on top. In Turkey it is the classic partner to a snowy afternoon, a slice of baklava or a few pieces of lokum. Everything you need, from traditional sahlep powder to Antep baklava, is available at Turkish Online Market with delivery across the UK.
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