Aish El Saraya
If you’re looking for a comforting dessert that’s easy to make and incredibly delicious, then this Aish El Saraya recipe is for you. It features toast bread combined with rich caramel syrup and creamy custard, all topped with chopped pistachios. It’s rich, tasty, and authentic.
Aish El Saraya is a classic sweet Middle Eastern dessert that translates to “the king’s bread” or “palace bread.” It consists of creamy milk-soaked bread with a caramel-infused sauce – truly a royal treat. The toast is topped with a rich, creamy custard that is often flavored with rose water, giving it a comforting and authentic flavor profile.
And if you enjoy this, you’re going to love some of our other traditional Middle Eastern dessert recipes like Authentic kunafa, Quick basbousa, and Flavorful baklava. They are just as delicious and trust me, you’re going to love them!
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Easy to make: This aish el saraya recipe is quite simple and requires only basic cooking skills. The steps are easy to follow, and you’ll have this delicious dessert ready in no time.
- Comfort food: There’s something about the combination of toasty bread, creamy custard, and caramel syrup that’s incredibly comforting. It is a classic comfort food that’s perfect for those days when you need a little pick-me-up.
- Unforgettable flavor: The combination of the rich caramel syrup, creamy custard, and toast bread is a flavor you won’t soon forget. It is delicious, authentic, and incredibly tasty.
- Family favorite: This recipe is a hit with families all over the Middle East. It is likely to become a favorite in your home as well.
🍊 INGREDIENTS
More details about the ingredients and measurements are in the recipe card below!
- Toasted bread cubes: These will form the base of our dessert and add a beautiful texture to the dish.
- Sugar, water, and butter: These are the ingredients you’ll need to make your caramel syrup. Remember to be careful when caramelizing sugar. It can be very hot and cause serious burns.
- Milk, sugar, and cornstarch: This is the base of our custard. Make sure to mix your cornstarch with cold milk before heating to avoid lumps.
- Table cream (qishtah): This is what makes our custard creamy. I have used qishtah because it gives a delicious flavor, but you can use heavy cream instead.
- Pistachios: These will be used to garnish our Aish El Saraya. They add a wonderful crunch and a pop of color to the dessert.
🔪 HOW TO MAKE AISH EL SARAYA
Step 1
In a saucepan, combine sugar and heat over medium-low heat. Allow the sugar to caramelize, remembering that increasing the heat can speed up the process, but it can also cause the sugar to burn and become bitter, ruining your dessert.
Step 2
Once the sugar has turned into caramel and there are no lumps, add the butter and stir until it is well combined. Be careful, as the caramel can sizzle quite a bit.
Step 3
Pour the water into the caramel and butter mixture, keeping the heat on medium. The caramel will harden at first but will start to melt gradually with the heat as long as you keep stirring.
Step 4
Pour the hot caramel sauce over the bread cubes, making sure to coat them evenly. Then, mix the toast until it has soaked up all the caramel sauce.
Step 5
Gently press down on the soaked toast to spread evenly on the bottom of your serving dish.
Step 6
In a saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix the ingredients well and then turn on the heat to medium. Remember to keep stirring to prevent the cream from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the cream has thickened, add the table cream and rose water or vanilla, if using. Keep stirring until everything is well combined.
Step 7
Pour the cream over the toast that you’ve previously layered in the serving dish. Spread the cream on the toast evenly and sprinkle with crushed or sliced pistachios.
Step 8
Cover the serving dish and place it in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours. Serve and enjoy your delicious aish el saraya.
👩🏽🍳 PRO TIPS
- Remove the bread edges: Cut the edges of the toast, the edges turn chewy, and you won’t enjoy this dessert as much.
- Be mindful while caramelizing: On medium low heat, allow the sugar to caramelize. Increasing the heat may speed up the process, but the sugar might burn and get bitter, ruining the dessert.
- Prevent toast cubes from getting chewy: Spread the toast cubes evenly in the serving dish and pour the hot caramel over them. Mix until the toast is soaked, then gently press down to spread it evenly. This will prevent the cubes from getting chewy.
- Stir the caramel and butter: When the sugar turns into caramel and there are no lumps, add the butter. Stir until combined, as the caramel might sizzle.
- Flavor your cream: You can add the flavor you prefer, but with this dessert, rose water, vanilla, and orange go well.
- Table cream substitution: If you can’t get table cream (qishta) where you live, use one cup of milk and one cup of heavy cream instead of two cups of milk in the cream mixture. Add one extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
- Allow the dessert to set: The dessert has to be refrigerated to set. Cutting it before 6 hours won’t give you a clean slice when serving.
📋 VARIATIONS
- Flavored: For a fun twist, try adding your favorite flavor to the cream mixture. You can add a little vanilla extract, rose water, or other extracts.
- Nuts: If you’re a fan of nutty flavors, this variation is for you. Add a generous amount of your favorite nuts to the cream mixture. Or switch the pistachio topping with your favorite nuts.
- Chocolate: For those who can’t get enough of chocolate, this variation is a must-try. Add some cocoa powder to the cream mixture and a sprinkle of chocolate chips on top. The chocolatey twist can satisfy your sweet tooth in the most delicious of ways.
🍽️ HOW TO SERVE
- For a sweet and nutty contrast, serve your Aish El Saraya with a sprinkle of crushed pistachios on top and a side of strong Turkish coffee.
- If you’re in the mood for a light and refreshing dessert, pair your Aish El Saraya with a plate of mixed fruits. The freshness of the fruits can balance the richness of the creamy dessert.
- If you want to go all out on the sweet treat, serve aish el saraya with a side of delicious baklava. The combination of creamy, nutty, and syrupy desserts can make a perfect ending to any meal.
- For a warm and comforting dessert, serve with a cup of Indian chai. The spiced tea can enhance the flavors of the creamy dessert and make it a satisfying sweet treat.
💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Aish el saraya is a delicious Middle Eastern dessert made with toasted bread cubes, a caramel syrup, and a creamy filling. It is a popular dessert in many Middle Eastern countries and is loved for its unique combination of flavors and textures.
While the traditional recipe calls for white bread, you can certainly use any type of bread that you prefer. Just make sure to remove the edges and toast the bread to get the crispy cubes needed for this dessert.
To prevent the sugar from burning and becoming bitter, caramelize it on a medium low heat. This may take a little longer, but it guarantees that your caramel will have the right flavor for aish el saraya.
If the caramel hardens too much when you add the water, don’t worry. Keep the heat on medium and continue stirring. The caramel will start to melt gradually and will eventually reach the right consistency for your dessert.
If you can’t find table cream, you can use a combination of milk and heavy cream instead. For every cup of table cream, use ¾ cup of milk and ¼ cup of heavy cream.
The cream mixture is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. At this point, you can add the table cream (qishtah) and vanilla or rose water.
🌡️ STORING
- Refrigerate: Once the aish el saraya is set, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cold temperature helps to maintain the creamy texture and prevents the dessert from spoiling. Simply keep it covered in the same serving dish to retain its flavor.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, aish el saraya is not suitable for freezing. The cream and bread combination doesn’t freeze well and can result in a texture that is no longer appetizing. It’s best to enjoy this dessert fresh or store it in the refrigerator.
📣 MORE MIDDLE EASTERN DESSERTS
⭐ PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW
If you have tried this recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Aish El Saraya
Ingredients
- 4 cups toasted bread cubes Edges removed
For the caramel syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
For the cream
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups milk
- 5 tablespoon sugar
- 5 tablespoon table cream qishtah
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or rose water optional
For garnish
- Crushed pistachios
Instructions
To make the caramel syrup
- In a saucepan, add the sugar and one medium low heat allow it to caramelized. Increasing the heat may speed up the process but the sugar might burn and get bitter which will ruin the dessert.
- When the sugar turn into caramel and there are no lumps in it, add the butter and stir until combined. Careful, the caramel might sizzle.
- Pour the water on the caramel and butter, Keep the heat on medium. The caramel will harden but will start to melt gradually with the heat and continues stirring.
- Mixing the caramel syrup with the toast
- Spread the toast cubes evenly in a 9×9” or 8×8” serving dish. Pour the hot caramel over the toast and mix until the toast soaks it all.
- Gently press down the soaked toast to spread it evenly in the bottom of the serving dish.
Making the cream
- In a saucepan and without any heat, add the milk, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix the ingredients well and then turn on the heat on medium.
- Keep stirring to prevent the cream from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the cream is thick add the table cream and rose water or vanilla. Keep stirring until well combined.
- I didn’t add any flavoring to my cream I like to enjoy the flavor of the caramel with butter, but usually Aishe l Saraya has rose water.
- Pour the cream on the toast previously layered in the serving dish. Evenly spread the cream on the toast and sprinkle with crushed or sliced pistachios.
- Cover the serving dish and refrigerate overnight or for 6 hours. Cut Aishe El Saraya and serve cold. You can also pour some honey on top when serving.
Video
Notes
- You can add the flavor your prefer, but with this dessert, rose water, vanilla, and orange go well.
- Cut the edges of the toast, the edges turn chewy and you won’t enjoy this dessert as much.
- Table cream, is also called ishta or gaimer and it is fond in most Middle Eastern stores.
- If you can’t get table cream where you live, instead of two cups milk, make it one cup milk and one cup heavy cream and add one extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
- The dessert has to be refrigerated to set. Cutting it before 6 hours won’t give you a clean slice when serving.
