Om Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)

Om Ali, which translates as Ali’s mother, is the Egyptian version of warm bread pudding. It’s a rich, satisfying, and simple-to-make dessert that’s most commonly found on the table during Ramadan. Even though I was raised in a Christian Arab household, I associate the dish with Ramadan, because my family always made it when we would host the iftar dinner for our Muslim family friends when I was growing up. 

Om Ali’s popularity stems from how easy it is to make, requiring just a few ingredients that are staples in most Middle Eastern and North African homes. It’s incredibly forgiving — so much so that it’s one of the first things my mom taught me how to make all on my own. I was always so proud knowing that one of the important dishes being served was one I’d created with my own hands. 

Om Ali is so special because it is a distinctly Egyptian dish — especially in a region where there is much overlap in cuisines, as well as constant debate about where recipes originated from. And, while everyone agrees that this is an Egyptian dish, nobody agrees on how it came to be, so whoever you ask will likely tell you a different origin story. 

One of the most popular stories that I’ve heard the most revolves around Om Ali herself, who was the emperor’s second wife. She plotted to kill the emperor’s first wife so that her son, Ali, would become heir to the throne. It’s rumored that this dessert was created when she called on her servants to come up with a new dessert for the celebration. 

Another popular story is that the sultan’s second wife actually plotted his murder because he was planning on taking a third wife. When the news of his death reached his first wife, Om Ali (who herself strongly disliked her husband), she celebrated the news by asking the palace servants to make a dessert with whatever they had in the pantry. 

It’s unclear whether these stories are myth, folk tales, or historical fact, but one thing is certain — the story behind this dessert is still being vigorously debated. 

While I say this dish is easy to make, it wasn’t always the case. The pastry was and still is sometimes made by hand, to create an incredibly delicate and wafer-thin pastry called rokak, which is layered with butter or ghee. The result is so similar to puff pastry that I take the easy route and use frozen puff pastry! One may see interesting variations like using croissants or even palmiers instead of puff pastry, but I’ve found that puff pastry yields the best consistency and taste, and is often the most affordable and foolproof way to make Om Ali. 

I take a slightly different approach to the classic recipe by using coconut milk instead of whole dairy milk. My husband is lactose-intolerant so I tried making it with coconut milk, as you’re meant to add dried coconut in the dessert anyway, and I found that it’s actually lighter and more flavorful (I’ve made the coconut flakes optional in the recipe below). If you’d like to make this recipe vegan, feel free to use vegan puff pastry. 

There really isn’t one way to make Om Ali, so feel free to play around with whatever you prefer when it comes to ingredients and amounts of things — there is room to play and adjust however you like. 

• Swap in other nuts. I use only almonds to keep things simple, but you can use any nuts you like, add more or less, or even forego them altogether. 
• If you don’t like raisins, skip them. But I will say you’d be missing out on how juicy and plump they become in the milk, providing little bursts of fruitiness that cut through the richness. 
• Try it with or without spices. The addition of the spices is also optional, as the recipe doesn’t traditionally require them. However, I like the subtle warmth of cinnamon and cardamom, which takes the flavor to another level.