Meghli Rice Pudding
Meghli is prepared to celebrate a newborn in the family, and it’s offered to visiting family and neighbours. Its preparation is usually the domain of both grandmothers, giving them one more reason to compete for affection in typical Middle Eastern style.
In the mountains, meghli was the one and only Christmas treat – after all, wasn’t Christ a newborn? And shouldn’t His glorious birth be celebrated the same as one of our own?
Put the almonds and pistachios in separate bowls, cover with water and soak overnight. The next day, peel the skins off and halve the nuts.
Boil 9 cups of water in a large pot. Put the rice powder (flour), sugar and spices into a bowl and add 1 cup of cold water. Mix well, and then add to the boiling water while stirring well. Reduce the heat, bring to a boil again and then let simmer.
Let it cook until it thickens, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
Pour into individual small bowls. Leave to cool. Right before serving, garnish with almonds, pistachios and pine nuts.
Kamal Mouzawak
Founder of Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon’s first farmers market, Kamal is the son of a farmer and producer who grew up in the gardens and kitchens of his surroundings appreciating a good taste for food, life and the experience of food and produce coming from their source of origin. After a career as a graphic designer, Kamal followed a path of food and travel writing, teaching macrobiotic cooking and a stint as a chef on TV preaching his passions as a healthy cook. That all lead to more involvement in change and transformation – social, environmental, and personal; he recently received an award in New York as an “Arab World Social Innovator”. Kamal has been recognized for his powerful impact as a social catalyst using food, community and the individual to celebrate a people around a common language in a country coming out of conflict. Since its launch in 2004, Souk el Tayeb (The market of all good things) had the vision of celebrating food and traditions that unite communities and promoting small-scale farmers, producers and a culture of sustainable agriculture. Today’s Souk el Tayeb is a weekly farmers market, Food & Feast regional festivals, Souk @ School education and awareness programs, el Tayeb newsletter, Dekenet Souk el Tayeb, and the latest project of Tawlet Souk el Tayeb a coop kitchen/restaurant where a different cook/producer prepares the daily lunch.