All over the world, babies are a cause for celebration. From gender reveals to lavish baby showers, celebrating new life is an important cultural rite. In Lebanon, we like to celebrate after the baby is safely delivered. After a small rest period, friends and family come to “barik” or congratulate the new parents on the birth of their baby. During this visit, it is tradition for the new mother to serve “Meghle” among other treats. These celebrations can range from simple intimate gatherings to elaborate celebrations with hundreds of guests. The common element in all of these gatherings is that Meghle must be served.
What’s in Meghle and how did this tradition come about?
Meghle, (Pronounced as megh-lee) is a dessert made from powdered rice. It has the consistency of a pudding and is flavored with different spices like anise, cinnamon and caraway. The nut decorations on top give this dessert a crunchy texture and a fancy feel.
In Arabic, Meghle means ‘boiled’. This spiced rice pudding is traditionally made for new mothers as it is believed to help with milk production due to the spices it contains; cinnamon, caraway and anise.
Win – Win!
The pre-soaked nuts from the topping also assist with digestion and add a boost of protein. Now you can eat dessert and do right by your body!
No baby required
No baby on the horizon? No worries, Meghle is also prepared at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It also frequently appears on the menu of top Lebanese Restaurants around the world.
This dessert is healthy, nutritious and naturally gluten free. Read on to see our favorite Meghle recipe. Don’t be intimidated, it is quite simple to prepare. This recipe yields 4 servings, but is easily doubled for more.
Meghle Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Rice Flour
3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tbs Ground Cinnamon
1 tbs Ground Caraway
1/2 tsp Anise (optional)
4 Cups of Water
Toppings: Choose your favorite combination from: shredded coconut, ground pistachios, sliced almonds, pre-soaked walnuts and pine nuts.
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a deep pot, add the water and whisk.
- Bring to a boil over medium/high heat while stirring to avoid the rice flour from clumping.
- Once boiled, lower the heat and keep whisking until a pudding like texture is achieved, this could take 15-20 minutes.
4. Pour the Pudding into your favorite Zarina bowl of choice and top with your favorite toppings from the list above. Once topped, seal the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 5 hours before serving.
Did you make this recipe and serve it in a Zarina bowl? Please share and tag us! #zarinatableware
We love seeing your elegance and creativity!
Grows with you!
Meghle is wonderful, but we want bowls that can be used for other treats as well. The Zarina dessert bowl collection goes way beyond Meghle, these bowls are also perfect for ice cream, fruit salad and anything else your imagination cooks up!
We hope you will try this sweet treat and incorporate it into your dessert repertoire. Click here to see the Zarina dessert and meghle bowl collection.
Sahtein! (To your good health!)
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