Umm Ali

I went to a few weddings in the last few weeks and I didn’t really enjoy the food as much as I thought I would. But on one of the last events I did attend, there was an Umm Ali there that was lovely, light and sweet. Now I feel like eating it all the time. 

So the first thing I did that weekend was rustle up a dish of Umm Ali myself. I make all these dishes but I never think of sharing my recipes for absolutely everything. But now I think I should just share whatever I make all the time, as my own interpretation. I never say that all the dishes I make are authentic. But they definitely are delicious and totally worth the time of recreating. 

Preparation Time 30 minutes 

Cook Time 15 minutes 

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients 

200 grams/ 8-10 squares puff pastry 

750 ml milk 

250 ml whipping cream 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon green cardamom 

150 grams condensed milk 

1/3 cup sugar 

80 ml heavy cream 

1/2 cup almonds- slivered 

1/2 cup pistachios- crushed 

1/2 cup raisins 

1/4 cup shredded coconut 

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to oven to 180c. 

2. Bake the puff pastry until puffed up and golden. Set it aside to cool completely. 

3. Mix the milk, whipping cream, condensed milk, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon in a saucepan on a medium heat until just about to boil. Turn the stove off before it boils over. Remove the milk mixture from the heat. 

4. Once the puff pastry is completely cooled down, break each square into smaller pieces and place them in a 9x13 casserole dish. Layer the puff pastry with the raisins, nuts and shredded coconut. Reserve some of the nuts for garnishing. 

5. Pour the hot milk mixture over the puff pastry and make sure it is spread out evenly. 

6. Dollop the cream over the surface. 

7. Bake the Umm Ali at 180c for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly, then broil for 5 minutes until golden. 

8. Garnish with more nuts and rose petals. Serve immediately.