Salep (Hot Turkish Milk Drink)
سحلب (ترکی گرم دودھ کا مشروب)
When winter arrives in Istanbul, vendors appear on the ferries and street corners selling cups of steaming salep. It's milk thickened with flour made from the dried roots of wild orchids, sweetened and topped with cinnamon. It's thick, smooth and comforting, a little like a drinkable custard. Real salep powder is expensive and rare, so most home cooks, in Turkey and here, use cornflour with a little rose water or vanilla for a very close result.
- ⏱ Total: 12 min
- Prep: 2 min
- Cook: 10 min
- Easy
- Serves 2
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Whisk the salep powder (or cornflour) and sugar into the cold milk in a until completely smooth, with no lumps.
Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, for 6–8 minutes, until it thickens to the consistency of pouring custard.
Stir in the rose water or vanilla if using cornflour, and simmer for 1 more minute.
Pour into mugs, dust generously with cinnamon and sprinkle with pistachios. Serve hot.
Kitchen notes
Whisk without stopping. Salep and cornflour both catch and lump quickly.
It thickens more as it cools. If it gets too thick, whisk in a splash of hot milk.
Ready-mix 'instant salep' sachets, sold in some supermarkets, work too: just whisk into hot milk.
Istanbul’s winter warmer
Salep has been sold on Istanbul’s streets since Ottoman times, from big brass urns kept hot over coals. On a cold, rainy evening, a cup of salep on the ferry across the Bosphorus is one of the city’s small pleasures. It’s also popular in homes, where it’s made in minutes.
Salep powder or cornflour?
Genuine salep powder comes from orchid tubers and gives a slightly stretchy, silky texture and a delicate floral taste. It’s expensive, and wild orchid harvesting is restricted, so even in Turkey many cafés use cornflour-based mixes. Cornflour with a few drops of rose water gets you very close.
The method
It’s simple: whisk the thickener into cold milk, then heat slowly while whisking until it thickens. The constant whisking keeps it smooth. Cinnamon on top is essential.
Serving
Serve hot in mugs on winter evenings, with a slice of cake or a few biscuits. Children love it as a cosy alternative to hot chocolate, and it’s a nice change from haldi doodh before bed.
Questions people ask
What is salep made from?
Real salep is flour made from the dried tubers of certain wild orchids. Because it's rare, its export from Turkey is restricted, and most salep outside Turkey is cornflour-based.
How is it different from badam doodh?
Badam doodh is flavoured with almonds and saffron and stays thin. Salep is thickened to a silky, custard-like texture and topped with cinnamon.
Can I make it dairy-free?
Yes, with almond or oat milk and cornflour. Use a little extra cornflour, as plant milks are thinner.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 210
- Protein
- 8 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
