Saffron Ice Cream (Bastani Sonnati)
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| heavy cream | 300 ml |
| sweetened condensed milk | 150 ml |
| pure saffron, ground and bloomed in 1 tbsp hot water | 0.1 g |
| culinary rose water | 2 tsp |
| shelled pistachios, chopped | 30 g |
| frozen cream, cut into small shards (optional) | 30 g |
Equipment: mixing bowl and whisk, freezer container with lid.
About this preparation
Bastani sonnati, the traditional Persian ice cream, is yellow with saffron, scented with rose water, chewy from salep and studded with pistachio and shards of frozen cream. Ice cream reached Iran through the Qajar court and came to the streets in the 1920s, when Akbar Mashti opened Tehran’s first shop near the railway; his recipe is the one every Iranian means by bastani. Buy it from an Iranian grocer if you can. This is a simple no-churn version for a float; it has no salep, so it is softer than the real thing.
How to make it
- Bloom the ground saffron in a tablespoon of hot water for 10 minutes.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks. Fold in the condensed milk, saffron water and rose water.
- Fold in the pistachios and, if using, the frozen cream shards.
- Freeze in a covered container for at least 6 hours. Let it soften 5 minutes before scooping.
Yield and storage
- Makes about 600 ml, enough for 8 floats.
- Keeps 2 weeks frozen, covered; it picks up freezer smells after that.
Tips and troubleshooting
- Rose water varies by brand; start with 1 teaspoon and taste the base.
- For the frozen cream shards, freeze a thin layer of cream on a tray and break it up: this is the texture Iranians look for.
- Store-bought is fine and usually better; look for “bastani sonnati” or “Akbar Mashti” style.
Different concepts of this preparation
1. Classic saffron and rose
The recipe above.
2. Pistachio-heavy
Double the pistachios and add a drop of orange-blossom water.
3. Faloodeh float
A scoop of rose-lime faloodeh in place of ice cream for a lighter, icier drink.
4. Beyond cocktails
Serve between two thin wafers the Tehran way, or over fresh carrot juice.
Allergen note
Contains dairy, tree nuts (pistachio).
Development notes
- Status: draft recipe, not yet taste-tested.
- First proposed formula; measure your own yield and adjust.