Orange Blossom Water

Meghli is a traditional dessert made to celebrate the birth of a baby. It is good for the baby’s mother and is served to guests when they come to offer their congratulations. In Damascus, Meghli is called Carawya (the word carawya is the Arabic for caraway), it is rice flour pudding spiced with caraway. But in Hama, Meghli is different, Meghli Hamwi is boiled water spiced with anise and fennel.

Let’s make Meghli Hamwi:

1. Ingredients of Meghli Hamwi are: water, anise seeds and ground anise, fennel seeds and ground fennel, sugar, desiccated coconut powder, chopped walnuts, almond halves, pistachio halves, and cashew halves.

2, 3, 4. Put aluminum pan over medium heat, and add 10 g anise seeds.

5. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute.

6, 7, 8, 9. Put roasted anise seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside.

10, 11, 12. To same pan and over medium heat, add 10 g fennel seeds.

13. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute.

14, 15, 16, 17. Put roasted fennel seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside.

18, 19, 20, 21, 22. Measure 20 g desiccated coconut powder, 60 g chopped walnut, 60 raw almond halves, 60 g raw pistachio halves, and 60 g raw cashew halves, and set aside.

23. Bring glasses.

24. 25. Add 1 tablespoon ground walnut in each glass.

26, 27. Add 1 tablespoon almond halves in each glass.

28, 29. Add 1 tablespoon pistachio halves in each glass.

30, 31. Add 1 tablespoon cashew halves in each glass. Set glasses aside.

32, 33. Another way of serving Meghli is in teacups.

34. Repeat the same with teacups. Add 1 tablespoon ground walnut in each teacup.

35, 36. Add 1 tablespoon almond halves in each teacup.

37, 38. Add 1 tablespoon pistachio halves in each teacup.

39, 40. Add 1 tablespoon cashew halves in each teacup. Set teacups aside.

42, 43, 44. Put aluminum pan over medium heat, and add 20 g anise seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute.

45. Transfer roasted anise seeds into a bowl.

46, 47, 48. To same pan and over medium heat, and add 20 g fennel seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute.

49. Transfer roasted fennel seeds into same bowl of anise seeds.

50, 51. Pour 1000 ml into a saucepan.

52, 53. Add 60 g sugar to water.

54, 55. Add the mixture of roasted anise seeds and roasted fennel seeds to same saucepan.

56, 57, 58. Turn on heat, stir and keep over high heat until it starts to boil.

59. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.

60. Place a sieve over a jug.

61. Pour the liquid through the sieve.

63, 64, 65. Discard the seeds, and keep the liquid.

66 to 73. Bring the glasses and the teacups that were filled with the nuts, and fill with liquid up to 1/2 inch (1 cm) below the top of the glass or the teacup.

6 to 73. These are the glasses and teacups filled with the liquid.

75, 76, 77. Bring ground anise, ground fennel, and desiccated coconut powder.

78, 79. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground anise to each glass.

80, 81. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel to each glass.

82, 83. Add 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut powder to each glass.

84, 85. Repeat the same with teacups. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground anise to each teacup.

87, 88. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel to each teacup.

89, 90. Add 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut powder to each teacup.

91, 92, 93. Meghli is ready.

94. Serve Meghli hot and immediately. Drink the liquid and eat the nuts with spoon.

Meghli Hamwi

From: Family Recipe / Servings: 4 glasses (capacity of glass = 170 ml) and 2 teacups (capacity of teacup = 150 ml)
PDF Text Only / Print With Images

10 g anise seeds, roasted and ground into powder 10 g fennel seeds, roasted and ground into powder 20 g desiccated coconut powder 60 g chopped walnuts, (medium chopped) 60 g raw almond halves 60 raw pistachio halves 60 g raw cashew halves 20 g anise seeds, roasted 20 g fennel seeds, roasted 1000 ml water 60 g sugar

Ingredients of Meghli Hamwi are: water, anise seeds and ground anise, fennel seeds and ground fennel, sugar, desiccated coconut powder, chopped walnuts, raw almond halves, raw pistachio halves, and raw cashew halves. Put aluminum pan over medium heat, and add 10 g anise seeds.. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute. Put roasted anise seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside. To same pan and over medium heat, add 10 g fennel seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute. Put roasted fennel seeds in a spice grinder and grind it until turn into powder, and set aside. Measure 20 g desiccated coconut powder, 60 g chopped walnut, 60 raw almond halves, 60 g raw pistachio halves, and 60 g raw cashew halves, and set aside. Bring glasses. Add 1 tablespoon ground walnut in each glass. Add 1 tablespoon almond halves in each glass. Add 1 tablespoon pistachio halves in each glass. Add 1 tablespoon cashew halves in each glass. Set glasses aside. Another way of serving Meghli is in teacups. Repeat the same with teacups. Add 1 tablespoon ground walnut in each teacup. Add 1 tablespoon almond halves in each teacup. Add 1 tablespoon pistachio halves in each teacup. Add 1 tablespoon cashew halves in each teacup. Set teacups aside. Put aluminum pan over medium heat, and add 20 g anise seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute. Transfer roasted anise seeds into a bowl. To same pan and over medium heat, and add 20 g fennel seeds. Stir continuously until fragrant and slightly smoking, about 1 minute. Transfer roasted fennel seeds into same bowl of anise seeds. Pour 1000 ml into a saucepan. Add 60 g sugar to water. Add the mixture of roasted anise seeds and roasted fennel seeds to same saucepan. Turn on heat, stir and keep over high heat until it starts to boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Place a sieve over a jug. Pour the liquid through the sieve. Discard the seeds, and keep the liquid. Bring the glasses and the teacups that were filled with the nuts, and fill with liquid up to 1/2 inch (1 cm) below the top of the glass or the teacup. Bring ground anise, ground fennel, and desiccated coconut powder. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground anise to each glass. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel to each glass. Add 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut powder to each glass. Repeat the same with teacups. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground anise to each teacup. Add 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel to each teacup. Add 1 teaspoon desiccated coconut powder to each teacup. Serve Meghli hot and immediately. Drink the liquid and eat the nuts with spoon.

Notes and Tips

The pan used should be aluminum.

The nuts used should be raw, without skin and unsalted.

Check my video:
Making Meghli Hamwi

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 23rd, 2017 at 5:22 PM and is filed under Syrian Baking and Desserts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.