Baking essentials · Thickeners & gums
Salep powder
Fine flour of dried orchid tubers that thickens hot milk into Turkish salep and gives dondurma its stretch.
Also called: sahlab, sahlep, salepi, salep mix, orchid root powder
Around the world: salep (tr) · sahlab, سحلب (ar) · σαλέπι (el)
Photo: DesignbyNur, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
What it is
Salep (sahlab) is ground from the dried tubers of certain wild orchids and is rich in a gum that turns milk thick and silky. Pure salep is scarce and expensive because wild orchids are protected, so most packets sold are 'salep mixes' of starch, sugar, milk powder and flavourings. It thickens more smoothly and stretchily than cornflour.
How it’s used
- Whisked into hot milk with sugar and topped with cinnamon as a winter drink
- Giving stretchy, chewy texture to Turkish dondurma ice cream
- Middle Eastern milk puddings (sahlab)
Characteristics
- Taste
- Mild and slightly floral; mixes taste sweet and milky.
- Texture
- Fine powder; makes a smooth, slightly stretchy thickened milk.
- Appearance
- Off-white fine powder.
- When cooked
- Must be whisked into cold milk first, then heated while stirring, or it forms lumps.
- Sold as
- powder
- Cooking uses
- Used for thickening, Commonly cooked
- Common in
- Turkish, Levantine, Middle Eastern, Egyptian, Greek
Storage
Cool, dry and dark. Keep tightly sealed and dry; it absorbs moisture and clumps.
Diet, allergens and safety
No major allergens in typical versions. May contain Milk — check the label.
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Dairy-free (check label)
- Egg-free
- Gluten-free
- Nut-free
- Soy-free
- Caffeine-free
- Salep mixes often contain milk powder; check labels for dairy.
Nutrition per 100 g
- Energy
- 381 kcal
- Protein
- 0.26 g
- Carbohydrate
- 91.27 g
- Fat
- 0.05 g
- Fibre
- 0.9 g
- Sugars
- 0 g
USDA FoodData Central: Cornstarch (a close stand-in).
Substitutes
Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.
- Cornstarch — About 1 tbsp per cup of milk, with a little vanilla or orange blossom water; less stretchy.
Related ingredients
Recipes with salep powder
Salep
Turkish · 14 min · 228 kcal · Vegetarian