Faloodeh

Faloodeh (Shiraz rosewater and lime noodle sorbet)

Faloodeh is a semi-frozen Persian dessert from Shiraz, often cited as one of the oldest frozen desserts in the world. Fine rice vermicelli is suspended in a sweet syrup scented with rosewater and sharpened with lime, then chilled until slushy and served cold.

Prep

20 min

Cook

10 min

Total

30 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •200 g (7 oz) fine rice vermicelli (faloodeh noodles), If unavailable, use the thinnest rice vermicelli you can find; wheat vermicelli is a last-resort substitute and will not freeze the same way
• •400 g (2 cups) granulated sugar
• •500 ml (2 cups) water
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) rosewater, Food-grade rosewater; start with less and adjust, as potency varies by brand
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh lime juice, From about 2 limes
• •1 g (a pinch) saffron threads, Optional, bloomed in 1 tbsp hot water
• •60 ml (¼ cup) cherry syrup or sour cherry cordial (sharbat-e albalu), Traditional topping; pomegranate molasses is a common substitute
• •1 whole lime, cut into wedges, For serving

Steps

1. 1 Bring 500 ml (2 cups) of water to a boil in a small saucepan with the 400 g sugar, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Simmer 3–4 minutes to make a light syrup.
2. 2 Off the heat, stir in the rosewater, lime juice, and bloomed saffron if using. Taste and adjust: the syrup should be sweet, floral, and clearly tart. Set aside to cool completely, then chill in the refrigerator until cold.
3. 3 Meanwhile, cook the rice vermicelli in a large pot of lightly boiling water for 2–3 minutes, until just tender but still holding its shape. Do not overcook: the noodles must remain springy and able to be chewed, not soft like pasta.
4. 4 Drain the noodles in a fine-mesh colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to stop the cooking and wash off surface starch. Drain very well.
5. 5 Transfer the cold noodles to a freezer-safe metal or glass dish (traditionally a wide, shallow tray). Pour the chilled rose-lime syrup over them and toss so the noodles are evenly coated and separated.
6. 6 Place the dish in the freezer. Every 30–45 minutes for the first 2–3 hours, scrape and stir the mixture with a fork, breaking up ice crystals so the noodles stay loose in a semi-frozen, slushy texture rather than freezing into one solid block.
7. 7 The dessert is ready when it has the consistency of a firm granita: spoonable but icy, with distinct, chewable strands of noodle throughout. If it freezes solid, transfer to the refrigerator 30–45 minutes before serving to soften to the right texture.
8. 8 To serve, spoon the faloodeh into chilled bowls. Drizzle each portion with cherry syrup or pomegranate molasses, and tuck a lime wedge on the side for squeezing over the top. Serve immediately while still icy.
9. 9 Safety note: serve the same day it is made. If holding longer than 24 hours, keep frozen and re-scrape before serving. Do not refreeze once thawed.