Umm Ali (pronounced ooom-Ali) literally means ‘the Mother of
Ali’ in Arabic. It is a traditional
Egyptian dessert, served hot, and can best be described as the Arab version of
bread pudding.
The history of this dessert is hilarious. Picture it, two wives married to the same
man. One decides she wants to be
Top-Wife and has the other wife murdered. To
celebrate she serves Umm Ali to the people of Egypt.
Sounds like The Young and the Restless meets Top Chef if you ask me.
A long, long time ago, Umm Ali (the first wife) was married
to Ezz El-Din Aybek, ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt. Along comes wifey #2, Shagaret El Dorr who
decides the throne is only large enough for her (assumedly ample) derriere and
has Umm Ali axed. To ‘celebrate’ her
solo wife status Shagaret aka Cruella di Ville summons her chefs to create the utmost delectable dessert to serve to Egypt.
And when I say Egypt, I mean the whole dang country, not some teeny,
tiny, hicktown…nope, holy friggen EGYPT.
The chefs’s ultimately come up with a pastry dish flavored
with milk and honey and name it after their obviously preferred boss, you know
the non-murdering one, Umm Ali.
If dessert wasn’t bad enough to celebrate this poor woman’s
demise, Cruella, ahh sorry, Shagaret also adds a gold coin to the plate. Dessert AND money? Man she must have known they hated her, who
could say no to that?!
Typically this dessert is made with puffed pastry that has
been pre-baked, however with this
recipe I’m using croissants. There are
many versions out there, but think of this dessert as a blank canvas. Use whatever spices, nuts, or toppings your
family prefers. If you cannot find rose
water in your area, swap it out for orange essence and orange zest, or vanilla
extract with cinnamon. The possibilities
are endless. I even considered using
chocolate milk with a shooter of Bailey’s but then one could really get side
tracked and I figured it’s best to share the original version with you first.
Ramadan Kareem if you are celebrating!
Umm Ali
Ingredients
200 grams croissants (about six 4” croissants) day old and stale
50 grams white sugar
2 teaspoons rose water
1 liter low or full fat milk (skim is not recommended)
100 ml heavy cream
100 grams assorted nuts (any combo, I used almonds, cashews, and
pecans) toasted and chopped
75 grams dried mixed berries (or raisins)
Directions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees F). Spray a medium sized (I used 9x13 inch) baking dish with non stick
spray. Tear croissants into large pieces and cover the bottom of the dish. *Note: you will only need one baking dish although I've shown two below; I ended up tripling the recipe since I had so many extra croissants.
In a medium sized saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a boil. Remove from heat and slowly add sugar. Stir to dissolve. Add rose water.
Pour milk mixture directly over the torn croissants.
Sprinkle with the toasted/chopped nuts and dried berries.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm, preferably with ice cream or a
dollop of whipped cream.
Enjoy!
recipe adapted from IICA
Umm Ali history sourced from Eat Like an Egyptian
Last day I too made this Umm Ali." Legend has it that Umm Ali is named after Sultan Ezz El Din Aybak’s wife, back in the 13th century. She made it for a victory celebration, and distributed it among the people of the land. Her name stuck to this tasty dish ever since.
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