Malihi

Malihi, also called malahiyeh, is a Syrian dish known in Hawran. It is built from four things: meat, bread, the dried fermented yoghurt called jameed, and Arab ghee. It is usually eaten at midday.

Why there is no rice

Rice makes a plate bigger and the meat thinner. Malihi leaves the rice out and puts more meat in its place. That is exactly why the dish counts as a sign of generosity — what goes in front of the guest is meat rather than starch.

How it differs from mansaf

Both are cooked with jameed, both sit on bread, both belong to the same desert belt. The difference is the rice and the intent. Mansaf is the tray of a large invitation; malihi is closer to an everyday lunch that also appears when someone drops in.

Where to eat it

It is a house dish. Villages around Daraa and across Hawran know it, and it does not turn up on restaurant menus. If you are asked into a home in the region you may find this coming out instead of mansaf, and not mixing the two is a courtesy your host will notice.