Kar’ Assali is a beloved Egyptian dessert made of spiced, slow-cooked pumpkin, topped with toasted nuts and a sweet, silky béchamel sauce, perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table.

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Since becoming a naturalized American, Kar’ Asali has become a Thanksgiving staple in our home. Each fall, I prepare this Egyptian dessert to honor my roots and share a taste of my food memories with my kids and Thanksgiving guests. It never fails to shine on our table.

Kar’ Assali at a Glance 

• Cuisine: Egyptian-Mediterranean
• Primary Cooking Method: Oven
• Key Flavor: Spiked with warm spices
• Skill Level: Intermediate

Why this Kar’ Assali is Special 

• Easy: This recipe is an excellent substitute to pumpkin pie.
• Freezer Friendly: Assemble Kar’ Asali, freeze it up to 3 weeks and bake 1 hour before serving.
• Seasonal: It features pumpkin as star ingredient and fill story kitchen with fall scents.
• Unique: It brings a taste of Egypt to your Thanksgiving table.

What is Kar’ Assali

Kar’ Asali, meaning “sweet pumpkin” in Egyptian dialect, is a hearty dessert perfect for holiday celebrations, especially Thanksgiving. Though not light or Keto-friendly, this indulgent treat is easy to make and worth savoring as a delicious addition to any festive table. Kar’ Asali is my Egyptian contribution to an inclusive American Thanksgiving. Kar’ Asali is a beloved Egyptian dessert made of spiced, slow-cooked pumpkin, topped with toasted nuts and a sweet, silky béchamel sauce.

Kar’ Assali’s  Ingredients  

• Pumpkin: Use sugar pumpkins (also called pie or sweet pumpkins), which are small and round or those that are oblong and can look like a wheel of cheese. Avoid field pumpkin types are larger, have watery, stringy flesh, and are best for decorating rather than cooking.

• Sugar: Kara’ Asali or Sweet Pumpkin dish requires a reasonable amount of white granulated sugar or light brown sugar, so it doesn’t overpower the notes of pumpkin and spices.  The amount of sugar in this recipe is optional you can scale it up or scale it down. Monk fruit sugar is an excellent healthier substitute.
• Salt: Given the sweetness of the pumpkin and the addition of sugar, it is advised to add a dash of salt that offsets any excessive sweetness and creates a more balanced after taste.
• Milk & Cream: Use a mixture of full fat milk and whipping cream to make silky bechamel sauce.
• Cream Cheese: Although it is an optional ingredient, adding cream cheese to béchamel sauce brings extra creaminess, body, and a subtle tang that enhances the sauce’s flavor profile.
• Butter or Ghee: Use either butter or ghee as a base for the bechamel sauce.
• Spices: Use whole spices to infuse the milk and ground Pumpkin spice blend is all you need to amp up this Egyptian dish.
• Aromatics: Vanilla, mastic and orange blossom are delightful addition that jazz up this dessert and elevate it.

How to Make Kar’ Assali 

Making Kar’ Asali is straightforward and doesn’t call for exceptional culinary skills, just scroll down to read the detailed instructions and watch the step-by-step  video:

Step 1: Prepare the pumpkin

Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and the strings, and cut in approx. 1 inch cubes. To save time, use pre-cut and cleaned pumpkin chunks from the fridge aisle or frozen pumpkin will also work just fine in this recipe.

Step 2: Cook the pumpkin

In a heavy bottom pan, mix the pumpkin cubes with the sugar and pumpkin spice. Make sure that the pumpkin cubes are well coated with the sugar. Cook it on low heat for 30-40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender and has expelled enough liquid/water to make the béchamel base.

Step 3: Drain the pumpkin water

Place the cooked pumpkin over a fine mesh sieve fitted into a medium size sauce pan and press the pumpkin with a fork to extract any more liquid the pumpkin is holding up. Reserve the water released to make the béchamel base.

Step 4: Make the béchamel sauce

Place the same medium saucepan where you collected the pumpkin liquid (water) on low heat and incorporate the flour. Stir quickly with a wire whisk until the flour and the pumpkin liquid/water forms a golden smooth paste, quickly before this paste dries out, add the milk and cream (if using any) and keep stirring continuously.  Mix in the the sugar, vanilla, ground cloves and keep stirring until the béchamel thickens. Dip a spoon in the béchamel sauce, if the sauce covers the back of the spoon, then it is ready. Turn off the heat and let it cool slightly until you are ready to assemble the dessert.

Step 5: Assemble Kar’ Assali

Evenly spread the cooked and smashed pumpkin to a baking deep dish and even the pumpkin layer across the dish. Sprinkle the nuts of your choice. With a paddle evenly add the béchamel on top of the pumpkin and the nuts. Sprinkle a spoonful of brown or white sugar on the béchamel to melt in the oven and caramelize the surface.

Step 6: Bake Kar’ Assali 

Preheat the oven to 365°F and bake the dessert for 20-25 minutes until the béchamel is bubbly. To caramelized the béchamel top, turn on the broiler for five minutes.

Step 7: Serve Kar’ Assali 

Serve it piping hot off the oven, warm, at room temperature, or cold. It is your choice!

Possible Variations and Substitutions of Kar’ Assali 

• Use non diary milk to make the bechamel sauce instead of regular milk
• Omit the nuts to consider those with nut allergy.

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q1: Can we substitute Pumpkin with sweet potatoes  Yes you can definitely do that but don’t call it pumpkin dessert in that case. Q2: Can I make this dessert in advance? Yes you can definitely assemble this dessert one day ahead and bake it one hour before serving it. Q3: Can I freeze Kar’ Asali? Yes, you can and then preheat it in a toaster or oven for 15 minutes at 375 °F.

More Egyptian/Fall Desserts  

• Sahlep-Pumpkin Pudding 
• Vegan Pumpkin-Coconut Pudding
• Bouza (Egyptian-Mastic-Pistachios Ice cream)
• Pasta Flora (Egyptian Jam Tart)
• Basbousa Bel Ashta (Semolina Cake filled with Ashta)
• Qatayef (Egyptian pancakes)
• Om Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)

Never Miss an Egyptian Recipe

Chez Nermine blog  is your source of authentic, wholesome, and no-fail Egyptian recipes. To receive our weekly recipe, subscribe to my blog Chez Nermine here. For fun tutorial food videos, follow IG @cheznermine & Facebook page: Chez Nermine Page

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