My Top 3 Exotic Desserts

Over the last few years I have eaten a variety of exotic and weird food.  In order to block from my mind the totally gross stuff I have tried, I am going to recommend to you the BEST stuff I have tried. Below are the three awesomest (and two weirdest) desserts that I have ever had and that I think everyone should eat at some point in their existence.

1) Tub Tim Krob – Thailand

I discovered Tub Tim Krob at the buffet in the Radisson Hotel in Bangkok. Okay, not the most exciting place in all of Bangkok to eat, but hey…it was a work thing, and free, so I’m not complaining. After having it on the 2^nd night of my trip, I purposely sought it out for just about every meal after that for the next 6 days.

Tub Tim Krob, or Red Rubies, is jellied water chestnuts in coconut milk. You add shaved or cubed ice to the milk to make it really cold. Sounds totally weird right? Well, it totally is. But it is also the most amazing dessert in the world (like totally J).

2) Um Ali (or Om Ali?) – Egypt by way of United Arab Emirates

I first tried Um Ali on a dinner boat cruise down the Dubai Creek. It was part of the dinner buffet and I remember wishing I hadn’t eaten any of the dinner cause then I probably would have had like 10 helpings.  I think I still had 3 anyway.

Um Ali (or Yum Ali as I like to call it) is a Middle Eastern bread pudding-ish sort of dessert, though I would say it’s a million times better than any bread pudding I’ve ever had. From what I’ve read about the dish, it originated in Egypt. I’ve seen some recipes that include raisins and others that have pistachios, pecans or hazelnuts, but in general it is puff pastry covered in cream, sweetened milk, almonds and coconut and baked to ooey-gooey perfection. This one doesn’t make the list of weird cause it’s not actually weird. But it does make the list of the best things you will ever put in your mouth.

3) Gajar Halwa – Pakistan by way of Liberia

I have never been to Pakistan, but I am now a huge fan of Pakistani food. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’ve been eating dinner at the UN Pakistani Battalion in Voinjama, Liberia for the past few weeks and this is where I first encountered Gajar Halwa.

Gajar in Urdu means carrot and Halwa means sweet confection or dessert. Grated carrots are boiled in whole milk until the carrots are cooked and the milk forms little carrot colored curds (say that 5 times fast!) Throw in a little cardamom and a tiny bit of sugar and Bob’s your uncle.  It takes a couple bites to get used to the texture and to wrap your mind around the fact that the tasty treat you’re eating is made of carrots and milk curds, but once you do that…well, it is delish. Maybe it doesn’t win the prize for the best dessert ever, but it’s both weird and tasty and something I actually get to have here, so it’s definitely on my list of favorites. Plus, how can you feel guilty about eating carrots for dessert?