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Loading...A traditional Lebanese dessert served to celebrate new babies and joyful family milestones, this gently spiced rice pudding is perfumed with anise, caraway, and cinnamon, then finished with toasted pine nuts, almonds, and walnuts. The texture is somewhere between a pourable custard and a soft pudding, fragrant with warm aromatics and just sweet enough to highlight the toasty nuts.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time45 mins
Servings6
Yield6 servings
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 240 kcalCalories
- 9 gFat
- 1 gSaturated Fat
- 36 gCarbs
- 2 gFiber
- 25 gSugar
- 4 gProtein
- 10 mgSodium
- 130 mgPotassium
- 45 mgCalcium
- 1.5 mgIron
- 0 mgVitamin C
- 5 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the pudding
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 6 cups water, divided
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground anise
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground caraway
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons rose water
For the nut topping
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons blanched slivered almonds
- 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened desiccated coconut (optional)
Directions
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, whisk the rice flour with 1 cup of cold water until completely smooth with no lumps.
- Add the remaining 5 cups water, sugar, ground anise, ground caraway, cinnamon stick, and ginger; whisk to combine and place over medium heat.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, whisking constantly, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting.
- Simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every few minutes with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom to prevent sticking, until the pudding thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the rose water and an extra pinch of ground cinnamon; cook 1 minute more.
- Lightly toast the pine nuts, almonds, and walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and just golden.
- Pour the pudding into shallow individual bowls or small plates, let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 2 hours until set.
- Just before serving, scatter the toasted nuts and desiccated coconut evenly over each portion.
Cook’s Notes
- Whisk the rice flour into cold water before adding hot liquid; this prevents stubborn lumps from forming.
- The pudding thickens noticeably as it cools, so stop cooking while it still looks slightly looser than your desired final texture.
- For a more traditional flavor, tie whole anise and caraway seeds in a small piece of cheesecloth and simmer them with the rice flour, then remove before chilling.
- Toast the nuts just before serving so they stay crisp against the cool, creamy pudding.
- Meghli can be prepared up to 2 days ahead; cover and refrigerate, and add the nut topping right before serving.
