Meghli is prepared in Lebanon when a baby is born and served to everyone who visits. Although it is a dessert, it contains cumin; the proportions of the three spices—cumin, anise, and cinnamon—vary from family to family, but cumin is never left out. The pudding needs 45 minutes of constant stirring. If the rice flour is left unstirred even briefly, it can stick to the bottom of the pot and give the entire dessert a burnt flavor.
Slip the skins off the soaked almonds with your fingers, break the walnuts into large pieces, and drain the pistachios and pine nuts. Put them in separate bowls and refrigerate until serving; wet nuts can spoil quickly at room temperature.
Put the rice flour, all four spices, and granulated sugar in a large pot. Gradually pour in the cold water, whisking until smooth. If you add the water all at once, the flour will clump and the lumps will not break up even after 45 minutes. The mixture should be light brown and fluid.
Set the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Lower the heat and switch to a wooden spoon. Keep scraping the bottom and sides of the pot as you stir. The mixture will thicken and turn dark brown, coating the back of the spoon. It is ready when a line drawn through it with a finger stays open.
Pour the hot mixture into bowls or a wide serving dish and smooth the surface with a wet spoon. Do not cover it with plastic wrap right away; trapped steam will condense and drip onto the surface. Leave it uncovered until it reaches room temperature, then refrigerate.
Sift the shredded coconut over the set meghli, then arrange the walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, and pistachios in groups. Add the nuts just before serving; if added early while wet, they will leave moisture on the surface and make the pudding watery.
Soak the nuts separately in water overnight; soaking makes the skins of the walnuts and almonds easy to remove and leaves the nuts soft rather than hard on the pudding. After pouring the pudding into bowls, refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set.
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