Bastani Sonnati Recipe

Persian desserts are usually light and delicious. Some of these desserts, such as Khagineh, Shole Zard, and halva, are easy to make, and others, such as baklava, require more time and patience. Persian saffron ice cream or Bastani Sonnati is one of those delicious Persian desserts that you must try at least once in your lifetime.

About This Recipe 

Bastani Sonnati (which translates to “Traditional Ice Cream”) is a kind of Persian ice cream. It’s sweet, creamy, crunchy, and packed with saffron flavor and aroma. A favorite summer treat all over the country made with milk, sugar, saffron, salep, frozen cream chunks, and slivered nuts.

Why You Will Love Persian Ice Cream

• Easy to make: You don’t need an ice cream maker to make Persian saffron ice cream. This ice cream is super creamy and smooth. The frozen cream chunks add such a lovely crunch to the ice cream.
• Packed with flavor: This Persian saffron ice cream is super creamy, easy to make, and has a mild saffron flavor.
• No ice cream maker needed: You can make Bastani Sonnati without the use of an ice cream maker machine at home. All you need is simple ingredients and basic kitchen tools to create this irresistibly delicious ice cream at home.

Bastani Sonnati Ingredients

• Full-fat milk: Milk adds creaminess and a smooth texture to the ice cream.
• Cream: Use heavy cream for this recipe. Bastani Sonnati is full of crunchy pieces of frozen cream. Enjoy it spoon by spoon and let them slowly melt in your mouth.
• Sugar: Use granulated sugar to add sweetness.
• Rose water: Rose water adds a subtle floral aroma to the ice cream.
• Salep powder: Salep is a powder made from some species of orchid tubers. Salep gives a stretchy, chewy, and elastic texture to the ice cream. You can find Salep or Sahlep powder in Middle Eastern or Turkish grocery stores.
• Saffron: Saffron gives a nice color, taste, and aroma to ice cream.
• Slivered pistachios: Pistachios give a nice crunch and unique taste to the saffron ice cream.

How to Make Bastani Sonnati?

• Take a large and rimmed tray and line the dish with a plastic cling wrap. Pour the cream into the tray. Spread the cream into a thin layer, to a thickness of 2 mm. Put the tray in the freezer until the cream is hard.
• Using a mortar and pestle, grind down the saffron threads. Sprinkle ground saffron on 3 tablespoons of boiling water and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Pour milk into a pot and heat it up until it boils and then lower the heat.
• Add rose water and bloomed saffron to milk and stir.
• In a bowl, mix sugar and Salep powder together.
• Add sugar and salep mixture to the milk and stir continuously for about 15 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the milk thickens.
• Transfer the thickened milk mixture to a freezer-safe bowl or container and let it cool down to room temperature.
• Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.
• After 30 minutes remove it from the freezer and stir vigorously with a fork and break the ice crystals.
• Put the ice cream back in the freezer for another 30 minutes and then stir vigorously with a fork.
• Repeat this process every half hour until the ice cream becomes stretchy and starts to firm up.
• Take the frozen cream out of the freezer cut the cream into small pieces with a knife and add it to the ice cream.
• Add the slivered pistachios to the ice cream. Stir the ice cream until the frozen cream pieces and the pistachios are completely mixed into the ice cream.
• After the last mixing, place back the ice cream in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours.
• Scoop the ice cream and serve it.

Expert Tips

• Use high-fat cream to make traditional Persian ice cream.
• In order to make this ice cream recipe, you should use Salep powder. The elasticity of Bastani Sonnati depends on the quality of the salep. If the salep you used is not high quality, your ice cream will freeze.
• Also, if you do not measure the amount of salep accurately, you will not get the best result.
• You can find Salep or Sahlep powder in Middle Eastern or Turkish grocery stores.
• You can adjust the amount of sugar specified in the recipe to reach the perfect sweetness level.

FAQs

How Long Does Homemade Ice Cream Last?

Homemade ice cream stored in an airtight container in the freezer can last for about two weeks.

What Is the Traditional Ice Cream in Iran?

Bastani Sonnati or Bastani Zaferani, is a traditional Iranian ice cream with a distinct yellow color and a mild floral aroma made from milk, cream, sugar, rose water, saffron, Salep powder, and pistachios. It is often enjoyed as a rich and flavorful dessert after a nice Iranian meal.

Did you like the Bastani Sonnati recipe? Try my Baklava pancakes recipe as well! Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 

Bastani Sonnati Recipe

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 6 Hour Cooking Time: 30 Minutes 30 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 5 voted )

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Ingredients

• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons Salep powder
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 100 gr heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground saffron threads
• 3 tablespoons boiling water
• 3 tablespoons slivered pistachios

Instructions

Step 1

Take a large and rimmed tray and line the dish with a plastic cling wrap. Pour the cream into the tray. Spread the cream into a thin layer, to a thickness of 2 mm. Put the tray in the freezer until the cream is hard.

Step 2

Using a mortar and pestle, grind down the saffron threads. Sprinkle ground saffron on 3 tablespoons of boiling water and set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3

Pour milk into a pot and heat it up until it boils and then lower the heat.

Step 4

Add rose water and bloomed saffron to milk and stir.

Step 5

In a bowl, mix sugar and Salep powder together.

Step 6

Add sugar and salep mixture to the milk and stir continuously for about 15 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the milk thickens.

Step 7

Transfer the thickened milk mixture to a freezer-safe bowl or container and let it cool down to room temperature.

Step 8

Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.

Step 9

After 30 minutes remove it from the freezer and stir vigorously with a fork and break the ice crystals.

Step 10

Put the ice cream back in the freezer for another 30 minutes and then stir vigorously with a fork. Repeat this process every half hour until the ice cream becomes stretchy and starts to firm up.

Step 11

Take the frozen cream out of the freezer cut the cream into small pieces with a knife and add it to the ice cream.

Step 12

Add the slivered pistachios to the ice cream. Stir the ice cream until the frozen cream pieces and the pistachios are completely mixed into the ice cream.

Step 13

After the last mixing, place back the ice cream in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours. Scoop the ice cream and serve it.