Best Iranian Ice Cream Recipe
When we talk about Iranian ice cream, we mean saffron ice cream or Bastani Sonati (Persian: بستنی سنتی). One of the most fabulous Persian desserts ever is this traditional ice cream. It’s one of the ice cream recipes you’ll cook again and over again at home. This classic hot summer dessert only requires a few ingredients, making it easy to make at home. This flavorful ice cream is addictive. Iranians commonly serve it as ice cream sandwiched between two thin wafers, but it’s also excellent on its own. Pistachio nuts, saffron, rose water, and flakes of frozen clotted cream make up Persian ice cream; Persian ice cream gets its exquisite, unusual flavor from a mix of these components.
History of Iranian Ice Cream
According to legends, Persians were the first to create iced meals, explaining why Iranian ice creams taste so lovely! They made a sherbet treat out of vermicelli (a kind of pasta) and rose water about 400 BC, later called Faloodeh. Faloodeh (also known as Faluda and Paloodeh) is a traditional Iranian dessert made with rose water, lime, rice vermicelli noodles, and cherry syrup. Persians found Faloodeh nearly by accident when they poured syrups on the snow and noticed how pleasant it tasted. Still, Iranians use Faloodeh daily in summertime. The Persians discovered that freezing dairy products was an equally delightful treat sometime after the invention of sherbet. They were so in love with the rose water taste that they still use it as a basis of ice cream even nowadays.
Where to Buy Persian Ice Cream?
As the name implies, you can buy authentic Iranian ice cream in its homeland of Iran, where you may purchase it in shops or from restaurants where they produce it freshly. It’s also available in adjacent countries and around the globe, albeit it may not always be 100 percent authentic when purchased outside of Iran. Iranians use genuine saffron to produce the final product, and the churning process must be lengthy. If you live in the West and wish to experience Persian ice cream, your best choice is to look for a specific Persian shop, cafe, or ice cream parlor or make it at home.
Persian Ice Cream Ingredients
You may always create Persian ice cream at home if you’re unable to locate any Persian ice cream in the neighborhood or if there isn’t a Persian ice cream parlor near you. If you have Iranian friends and want to make them happy, Persian ice cream is a fantastic option; you can even make it as a birthday present for your Persian friend; after all, what gift is better than a piece of nostalgia?
Let’s introduce you to the ingredients of Persian ice cream.
- one to two pounds of vanilla ice cream
- one to two teaspoons of rose water
- Crispy wafers
- Pistachios as required
- Saffron as required
Directions of no churn saffron ice cream:
- Pour 2 teaspoons of cream onto a small dish lined with plastic wrap and spread it evenly. For 2 to 3 hours, place the container into the freezer. Do this the night before if possible to save yourself a lot of time. You can use it as a top to provide a little more creaminess to the recipe.
- To make it easier to combine with the other ingredients, place the vanilla ice cream in a big mixing container and let it melt for 10–15 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and don’t let the ice cream melt entirely since it can refreeze with water crystals.
- Using a kettle, bring some water to a boil and pour half a cup of saffron into a mixing bowl. Dissolve one-fourth teaspoon of finely grated saffron in a small amount of hot water, constantly stirring, until the color becomes a rich, golden hue. Before adding the saffron to the water, you may crush it with the back of a teaspoon if it’s in bigger chunks.
- Allow the saffron to brew for some minutes before pouring it into the container with the ice cream and stirring well. Ensure that you carefully mix the ice cream with a consistent yellow hue throughout, giving it that unique Iranian ice cream tint.
- After that, add half a cup of rosewater and carefully mix everything together. This phase will result in a delightful mild flowery taste that will be very pleasant on hot summer days.
- Based on your and your guests’ preferences, you may choose to include the pistachio nuts into the ice cream at this point so that they are infused throughout, or you may want to incorporate them later as a topping.
- If you want to make sure that everything is well combined, you can use a whisk or a hand mixer, but a big wooden spoon will work just as well. Because everything in the original recipe is by hand, you better follow the original direction.
- Iranian ice cream is ready; enjoy!