One of the most elusive but enticing celebratory dishes is something known as meghli, a spiced rice-based dessert made to commemorate the birth of a new child. It is one of the things I most look forward to during family gatherings and on occasion have made it as a dessert on a regular week-night. Some things are special and as such are reserved for befitting occasions but I believe we can elevate meghli into becoming a quintessential Lebanese dessert. Flavoured with caraway, anise and cinnamon and topped with a multitude of optional extras, meghli is a real show stopper.
Ingredients
200g rice flour
2.5l of water
200g of sugar
20g caraway seeds (ground)
10g aniseed (ground)
10g cinnamon (ground)
optional extras: dessicated coconut, blanched almonds, pine nuts, pistachios and sultanas.
Methods
Pour two litres of water in an adequate saucepan, reserving 500ml in a glass jug. Add the sugar to the pan and heat up to boiling point (making sure the sugar has dissolved). Mix the remaining ingredients into the reserved water making sure to mix through thoroughly. Add the mixture to the sauce pan and once again bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let the pan simmer, whisking as it cooks. This will keep bubbling for 30-45mins until the rice flour has thickened the meghli considerably. It sounds like hard work and I guess it is but it'll be so worth it. The cooked mixture will yield twelve small bowls/pots which you should fill as soon as you turn the heat off. Cover the tops with cling film to avoid the meghli forming a skin. You can eat it warm but generally it's eaten colder. Sprinkle with any of the optional extras and tuck in! Addictive, isn't it?
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7 comments:
This looks beautiful and sounds amazing! I need to track down some rice flour and give it a try.
I'm so surprised that you can achieve such a perfect shape with those ingredients, I must try this myself!
looks great, but not to my taste, even though i like cinnamon and aniseed...strange.
Hey! I stumbled across your blog off a link from foodgawker.com... It's so cool to see a young Arab (man!) interested in cooking!
This recipe looks delicious, definitely will try it; I've never actually seen meghli before. I imagine it's something (sort of) similar to roz bi laban?
In any case, I'll be following your posts =)
Great photos! I want to wish you a happy new year! and let you know I have freebies from Lebanon so check them out if interested!
Phoo-D - I really hope you try it. It's one of my favourites.
ivorypomegranate - I was also pleasantly surprised - it was the first time I tried to mould it. It's traditionally served in a dessert glass.
Ibzo - I know you don't really like it but that means there's more for me.
Hebah - Hey! Haha, we're a rare breed. I wouldn't say it's too similar to roz bi laban (rice pudding) because instead of using the grains you're using ground up rice which changed the texture dramatically. This is not to dissimilar to muhallebia in texture, though.
Taste of Beirut - Thanks! Happy new year to you too!
Ah----a caraway pudding....ah that is a powerful digestive aid.....I adore this !
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