Bastani Sonnati
A Persian ice cream scented with saffron and rose water, studded with pistachios, made without a machine.
Photograph credit: Saffron ice cream by Rye-96 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Before You Start
Soften the ice cream for 5 minutes before scooping.
Taste the rose water first; some brands are strong.
Add small pieces of frozen cream for the traditional texture.
Making Bastani Sonnati
Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.
-
Crush the saffron with the sugar and soak in the hot water for 15 minutes.
-
Whip the cream to soft peaks.
-
Mix the condensed milk with the saffron water and rose water. Fold in the cream, then the 50 g pistachios.
-
Pour into a lidded container and freeze for at least 6 hours.
-
Serve in scoops with the remaining pistachios.
What's Going On Here
No ice cream machine, no custard, no stirring every hour: this is a no-churn version of the classic Persian ice cream, and it needs only a bowl, a whisk and a freezer. The result is rich and creamy, perfumed with saffron and rose water, with a faint crunch of pistachio.
The base is whipped double cream folded into sweetened condensed milk. The condensed milk supplies sugar and body, and the whipped cream supplies air, so the mixture freezes soft rather than into a block. Whip the cream to soft peaks, not stiff. Over-whipped cream turns grainy when folded.
Saffron needs to be bloomed. Crush the threads with a pinch of sugar, then soak them in 2 tablespoons of hot water for 15 minutes, until the water is a deep orange. This releases the colour and the flavour. Add the saffron water to the condensed milk with the rose water. Rose water is potent; start with 1 teaspoon and taste.
Fold the two mixtures together gently, stir in chopped pistachios, and pour into a container. Freeze for 6 hours. Serve in scoops, with extra pistachios and, in the traditional way, wafers.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Keeps in the freezer for 1 month.
What to Serve Alongside
- Wafers
- Fresh fruit
- Faloodeh
- Black tea
Still Wondering?
How long does Bastani Sonnati take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking, plus 6 hours 15 minutes of Freezing, so allow 6 hours 45 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 8.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
You Might Also Like
More Persian cooking and desserts ideas from Weekly Delight.
Faloodeh
A Persian frozen dessert of thin rice noodles in a rose-scented sugar syrup, scraped into icy shards and served with…
Chocolate Ganache
Equal parts dark chocolate and hot cream, stirred until glossy. Pour it as a glaze, cool it into a frosting or whip…
Chocolate Mousse
Four ingredients and no gelatine: melted chocolate, egg yolks, whipped whites and a little cream. The air is all…
Chocolate Pots
Dark chocolate and cream whisked into silky pots de creme, poured into ramekins and chilled until set.
Chocolate Truffles
A soft ganache of dark chocolate, cream and butter, chilled, rolled into balls and coated in cocoa. The simplest and…
Cranachan
Toasted oats, whisky, honey, cream and raspberries layered in a glass. Assembled in ten minutes and traditionally…