MEGHLI
Meghli is the sweet par excellence that is associated with newborns, especially with newborn boys. Lebanese home cooks make industrial quantities of meghli whenever new children are born. They keep some at home to serve those who come to congratulate them on the happy occasion and send out the rest to family and friends to share in the happiness. Meghli means “boiled” in Arabic, and the pudding does indeed need to boil, for a minimum of an hour, before it reaches the right consistency. Some people boil it for less time, but the resulting pudding is bland and watery. You can buy a ready-made meghli mix to which you add water and boil for less time. It is an acceptable alternative, but it is well worth your while making your own from scratch, even if it means time stirring the mixture until it thickens into the velvety fragrant custard-like mixture. It’s traditional to sprinkle shredded coconut over the pudding, although I’m not so fond of it myself. If you would like to include it, simply sprinkle a little over the pudding before adding the nuts.
SERVES 4
⅔ cup (100 g) ground rice
2 tablespoons ground caraway seeds
1 tablespoon ground anise
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (200 g) raw cane sugar
FOR GARNISH
¼ cup (50 g) pine nuts, soaked in boiling water for a couple of hours
¼ cup (50 g) shelled walnuts, soaked in boiling water for a couple of hours
¼ cup (50 g) blanched almond halves, soaked in boiling water for a couple of hours
Put the ground rice in a large pot. Add 2½ quarts (2.5 liters) water. Add the ground caraway and anise and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 25 minutes, still stirring all the time. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring as you go. Add the cinnamon and stir for another 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low, add the sugar, and stir for a further 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour into a single shallow serving bowl or into 4 or 6 individual ones, depending on their size. Let the pudding cool before garnishing with the drained nuts. Serve chilled or at room temperature.