Persian Bastani

Persian Bastani
Photo Credits: Ewan Munro from London, UK via Flickr

Bastani is a Persian ice cream usually made with milk, sugar, rose water, saffron and vanilla. Bastani often includes flakes of frozen clotted cream. Persians used to pour syrups over snow in ancient times and that was known as fruit ice. It was in use even in the era 400 BC and this combination of bastani has evolved from it in due course of time.

Ingredients

  • Vanilla ice cream                                          2 cups
  • Whipping cream                                           1 cup
  • Sugar, ground                                               1 tablespoon
  • Rose water                                                    2 tablespoons
  • Saffron strings                                             ½ teaspoon

  (Dissolved in 1 tablespoon water or milk)

  • Yellow food colour (optional)                         Few drops
  • Unsalted pistachios, shelled and chopped      2 tablespoons

Procedure

  1. Combine sugar with cream and whip to incorporate both well. Then transfer into a container and put in freezer for 2 hours.
  2. Put a mixing bowl over a comparatively larger pan filled with ice and pour the vanilla ice cream in it.
  3. Add in rose water, dissolved saffron and chopped pistachios, fold with a spoon gently, the ice cream should only get softened and not melted.
  4. Finally cut the frozen cream mixture into small pieces and fold in softened vanilla ice cream.
  5. Transfer the bastani into a tin or plastic container and put in freezer compartment to freeze and well set.
  6. Bring out at the time of serving and scoop out in serving cups or bowls, serve and enjoy traditional Persian Bastani.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

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