Tripoli Shmeiseh Dessert

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, whisked with 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• Orange blossom water can also be added
• 1 teaspoon ground mastic
• (Grind the mastic in a blender with a little sugar until it turns into a powder; otherwise it will not blend with the liquid mixture.)
• 1/2 cup ground pistachios
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Method

1. First prepare the syrup: put the sugar and 3/4 cup water in a pot over medium heat, stir until the sugar dissolves, then let the syrup boil for 12 minutes.
   Timers: 12 min
2. Mix the rice flour with 1 cup water in a bowl. Add the flour mixture to the boiling syrup along with the starch dissolved in cold water and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice; boil the mixture over low heat for an additional 2 minutes.
   Timers: 2 min
3. After adding the flour and boiling it with the syrup, you will obtain a somewhat thick mixture.
4. Stir continuously over low heat using a wooden spoon.
5. When the mixture begins to clump, add the rose water and mastic, and continue stirring until the mixture becomes thick and slightly translucent.
6. Place the pot on a clean surface. Transfer the mixture to a greased bowl dusted with powdered sugar. Leave the sugar dough aside to rest for a few hours or overnight, covering the bowl with a towel or plastic bag.
7. When preparing Shmeiseh for serving, take a ball of the rice dough, dip it in a bowl of powdered sugar, and with the end of a wooden spoon make a hole in the center. Place cream or ashta into the hole, sprinkle ground pistachios on top and serve immediately.
8. Or spread it on a platter with ashta.