Moughleh

A common dessert amongst countries of the Levant region, this nutritious pudding is usually made to celebrate the birth of a new baby. It is also common amongst Christian Arabs to serve Moughleh at Christmas time to honor the birth of Jesus Christ. My grandmother used to make it during the holiday season and I remember her standing at the stove stirring for quite a while, to make sure it reached the perfect consistency. When I became a mother, this recipe was passed down to me. What’s nice about this dessert is that you can control the sweetness to your liking and still get lots of scrumptious flavor from the natural sweetness of the coconut flakes and nuts.

Preparation time

• 10 minutes + soaking nuts

Cooking time

• 30-40 minutes

Serves

• 8 pax

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup rice flour
• 2 tbsp. caraway
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

For the Garnish

• Coconut flakes
• Nuts: pistachio, pine nuts, almonds (soaked in water for few hours or overnight)

Method

• Boil 6 cups of water with sugar, caraway and cinnamon.
• In another bowl, combine 2 cups water with rice flour.
• Slowly add the rice mixture to boiling water and continue to stir until it starts to thicken. This may take time, but remember not to stop stirring.
• Turn off the stove and keep covered for 30 minutes.
• Place in small ice cream bowls or 1 large bowl and decorate with the garnish.