I just recently became an uncle. My brother and his wife welcomed their first baby into the family. Problem is all that has happened several thousand miles away, in Lebanon. It is customary to buy a ton of candies and sweets to offer the visitors and well-wishers when a baby is born. It’s also customary to make “Meghli”, a pudding made from rice flour, sugar and spices. The word meghli means boiled. Not sure why this particular pudding got the name as opposed to a myriad of other similar ones that are also “boiled”. In any case, it is a delicious taste of childhood for me and just because I am not in Beirut with them it does not mean I cannot make me some Meghli and enjoy it.
So, I called mom and asked her for her recipe. She was nice enough to send it via Facebook in what I call “Anglish”, Arabic but using English letters. It cracks me up how good she is at it.
At the end of the post is my proper adaptation for it. It is very simple. A mixture of sugar, water, rice flour, caraway, cinnamon and anise is boiled till thick. It is allowed to set in the fridge. Then it is served topped with a good helping of raw nuts and coconut shreds. The nuts have to be soaked for several hours in water so they get a nice fresh crunch that goes so well with the soft spiced pudding. I’ve tried it with toasted nuts before and for some reason I do not think it works or taste right. It just lacks a refreshing component somehow.
Meghli
Pudding:
1000 gr water
175 gr sugar
75 gr rice flour
¾ tsp caraway seeds, toasted and ground
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp fennel or anise seeds, , toasted and ground
¼ tsp salt
Toppings:
A few handfuls of raw Pistachios, Peeled almonds and Walnuts
A handful of shredded unsweetened dried or fresh coconut
- Combine all the ingredients for the pudding and bring them to a simmer. Stir the mixture until it thickens. Divide the pudding into small cups or ramekins and chill it.
- Now is the time to soak the nuts in water and keep them refrigerated until ready to serve. To serve it, just drain a handful or so of nuts and top the pudding with it. Sprinkle with coconut and enjoy.