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MY MOTHERS MEGHLI

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Serves: 6

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  • Vegetarian
What does this mean?

This is one of my all time favorite Lebanese deserts and it happens to be the traditional pudding served in Lebanon to celebrate the birth of a baby. When visitors come to see the new born usually bearing gifts, the parents of the new baby are expected to serve Meghli. Because this pudding is all about celebrating birth, Meghli is also served on Christmas Eve as it is a feast celebrating the birth of Christ.

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Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons caraway powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 9 cups water
  • ½ teaspoon ground anise seed
  • 3 tablespoons whole anise seed
  • 9 fl oz water (extra)
  • almonds (soaked in water and peeled)
  • pistachios (soaked in water and peeled)
  • pinenuts (soaked in water and peeled)

Method

  1. Start by boiling the 1 extra cup of water with the 3 tablespoons of whole Anise Seeds.
  2. In a large pot, kept away from the stove, mix the rice powder, sugar, caraway, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of ground Anise Seed and the 8 cups of water. The rice powder MUST be mixed in cold. After mixing everything well, put the pot on the stove and start stirring. Add the cup of boiled water strained of the Anis Seeds. Let the mixture simmer away while you stir constantly, until it starts boiling.
  3. When the mixture reaches boiling point, this means you are between 30 minutes to 1 hour away from the finishing line. To test it to see if its done, get a plate and pour a tablespoon's worth of Meghli. Let it cool. The Meghli should not run when you tilt the plate but rather just hold itself.
  4. Once done pour the mixture DIRECTLY INTO ITS SERVING DISH: A Pyrex if it is aimed for the buffet or individual cups that are at least 3 cm deep.
  5. Cover the Meghli with a sheet of Clingfilm stuck directly to it as you would do to a custard. Wait for the Meghli to cool. Put it in the Fridge.
  6. Now the nuts, the aim is to get them cleaned, peeled and luminous. If they have their skins on, soak them in boiling water for an hour or two, drain them, peel them and rub them clean. When ready to serve, take the Meghli out of the Fridge and cover it completely with the nuts, one is not supposed to see the Meghli underneath.

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