Mariam learns her grandmother’s favourite rice pudding recipe. A small mix-up with a spoon helps her notice why careful recipe notes matter.
01Read the Arabic story
تَعَلُّمُ وَصْفَةِ جَدَّتِي الْمُفَضَّلَةِ
اِسْمِي مَرْيَمُ. زُرْتُ جَدَّتِي يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ، فَوَجَدْتُهَا فِي الْمَطْبَخِ. قَالَتْ: «سَأُحَضِّرُ الْأَرُزَّ بِالْحَلِيبِ، فَهُوَ حَلْوَايَ الْمُفَضَّلَةُ». سَأَلْتُهَا: «هَلْ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ الْوَصْفَةَ مَعَكِ؟» فَرِحَتْ وَأَعْطَتْنِي مِئْزَرًا. وَضَعْتُ دَفْتَرِي عَلَى طَاوِلَةٍ قَرِيبَةٍ لِأَكْتُبَ الْخُطُوَاتِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ. كَانَتْ تَعْرِفُ الْوَصْفَةَ مِنْ ذَاكِرَتِهَا، أَمَّا أَنَا فَأَرَدْتُ وَرَقَةً أَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهَا عِنْدَمَا أَنْسَى بَعْضَ الْخُطُوَاتِ.
أَخْرَجَتْ جَدَّتِي كُوبًا مِنَ الْأَرُزِّ الْمَطْبُوخِ وَكُوبَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَلِيبِ. قَالَتْ: «نَحْتَاجُ أَيْضًا إِلَى مِلْعَقَتَيْنِ صَغِيرَتَيْنِ مِنَ السُّكَّرِ». وَضَعَتِ الْأَرُزَّ وَالْحَلِيبَ فِي قِدْرٍ، ثُمَّ بَدَأَتْ تَطْبُخُهُمَا. وَقَفْتُ بِجَانِبِهَا وَرَاقَبْتُهَا وَهِيَ تُحَرِّكُ الْخَلِيطَ بِمِلْعَقَةٍ خَشَبِيَّةٍ.
عِنْدَمَا طَلَبَتْ مِنِّي السُّكَّرَ، أَخَذْتُ مِلْعَقَةً كَبِيرَةً. قَالَتْ: «اِنْتَظِرِي، نَسْتَعْمِلُ مِلْعَقَةً صَغِيرَةً لِهَذَا الْمِقْدَارِ». بَدَّلْتُ الْمِلْعَقَةَ قَبْلَ إِضَافَةِ السُّكَّرِ، وَقِسْتُ مِلْعَقَتَيْنِ صَغِيرَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ أَضَفْتُ السُّكَّرَ. بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ أَصْبَحَ الْخَلِيطُ أَكْثَفَ، فَأَطْفَأَتْ جَدَّتِي النَّارَ وَوَزَّعَتِ الْحَلْوَى فِي أَوْعِيَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ.
تَرَكْنَا الْحَلْوَى تَبْرُدُ قَلِيلًا، ثُمَّ تَذَوَّقْنَاهَا مَعًا. كَانَ طَعْمُهَا لَذِيذًا، فَابْتَسَمَتْ جَدَّتِي. كَتَبْتُ الْمَقَادِيرَ وَتَرْتِيبَ الْخُطُوَاتِ فِي دَفْتَرِي، وَوَضَعْتُ خَطًّا تَحْتَ كَلِمَةِ «صَغِيرَتَيْنِ». قُلْتُ: «فِي زِيَارَتِي الْقَادِمَةِ سَأُحَضِّرُهَا مَعَكِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى». قَالَتْ: «وَأَنَا سَأَقْرَأُ وَصْفَتَكِ!»
Show English translationHide English translation
My name is Mariam. I visited my grandmother on Friday and found her in the kitchen. She said, “I will make rice pudding. It is my favourite dessert.” I asked her, “Can I learn the recipe with you?” She was pleased and gave me an apron. I put my notebook on a nearby table so that I could write down the steps afterwards. She knew the recipe by heart, but I wanted a page I could return to if I forgot some steps.
My grandmother took out one cup of cooked rice and two cups of milk. She said, “We also need two small spoonfuls of sugar.” She put the rice and milk in a pot, then began cooking them. I stood beside her and watched as she stirred the mixture with a wooden spoon.
When she asked me for the sugar, I picked up a large spoon. She said, “Wait. We use a small spoon for this amount.” I changed the spoon before adding the sugar, measured two small spoonfuls, then added the sugar. A little later, the mixture became thicker, so my grandmother turned off the heat and divided the dessert into small bowls.
We left the dessert to cool a little, then tasted it together. It was delicious, and my grandmother smiled. I wrote the quantities and the order of the steps in my notebook and underlined the word “small” describing the two spoonfuls. I said, “On my next visit, I will make it with you again.” She said, “And I will read your recipe!”
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مِئْزَرًا | an apron |
| الْمَطْبُوخِ | cooked |
| قِدْرٍ | a cooking pot |
| تُحَرِّكُ | stirs |
| خَشَبِيَّةٍ | wooden |
| الْمِقْدَارِ | the amount |
| أَكْثَفَ | thicker |
| الْمَقَادِيرَ | the quantities |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- Track the stated amounts: one cup of cooked rice, two cups of milk and two small spoonfuls of sugar.
- Follow the corrected mistake: Mariam changes the large spoon before measuring and adding the sugar.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Family Members in Arabic: 12 Useful Words
زُرْتُ جَدَّتِي
Review the family word used when Mariam talks about her grandmother.
Food and Drinks in Arabic: 15 Words for Everyday Meals
الْأَرُزَّ بِالْحَلِيبِ
Connect the words for rice, milk and sugar with the ingredients in the story.
Kitchen Items in Arabic: 10 Words for Everyday Objects
فِي قِدْرٍ
Review the pot and spoon vocabulary used while preparing the dessert.
