كراوية / مغلي

Warmly spiced caraway pudding commonly served during special occasions.

To me, karawya (ka-rao-ya) -- or meghli, as it is also known -- is the dessert of happiness. It is a celebratory pudding that is served in the Middle East to mark a new baby.

I've been waiting eight months to make this! A close relative of mine recently welcomed a new baby and gave me a wonderful reason to make this traditional Middle Eastern dessert.

Karawya is a sweet rice pudding spiced with cinnamon and caraway. Unlike regular rice pudding, this dessert is an earthy brown colour and contains no visible grains of rice. It is topped with shredded coconut and nuts and is served either warm or cold.

This pudding is very easy to make as it only requires a handful of ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

The ingredients

Rice flour: This will form the base of the pudding. It also acts as the thickening agent so no additional starch is needed.

Caraway: This is the star ingredient of the pudding. You will need 1.5 tablespoons of ground caraway.

Sugar: Use granulated sugar. This recipe calls for less than the typical amount of sugar, so make sure you taste it and adjust the sugar levels accordingly.

Cinnamon: 1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.

Nutmeg: Buy whole nutmeg and grate it using a mini grater.

Anise: I like the mild licorice flavour that anise adds to desserts. You will need ½ teaspoon of ground anise.

Desiccated coconut: You can use either sweetened or unsweetened. Since I use less than the typical amount of sugar in the pudding, I like to use sweetened coconut as a topping.

Mixed nuts: Traditionally, shredded coconut, blanched almonds and pistachios are used. Some people even add pine nuts and walnuts. If you are using whole or chopped nuts, you should blanch them or allow them to soak in water for a few hours. If you are using ground pistachios, there is no need to soak them. All these ingredients should be easy to find as they're readily available in most grocery stores.

Water: You will need 5 cups of water for the pudding and about 1.5 cups for blanching.

How to make karawya/meghli

Caraway pudding - a staple for nursing mothers

Caraway seeds and star anise have been traditionally used around the world to increase a nursing mother's milk supply. In the Middle East, the new mother's relatives will make batches of this delicious rice pudding to both feed the mother and to serve guests who come to meet the new baby.

Serving, Storing and reheating karawya/meghli

In Syria, karawya is served warm. In Lebanon, meghli (as it is known there) is served cold. Across the Middle East, caraway pudding is served in a small bowl or dessert cup and garnished with desiccated coconut and a medley of nuts.

It can be stored in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, simply place a bowl in the microwave or reheat it in a small saucepan on the stove.

Common Questions

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