Bastani — saffron and rosewater ice cream

i. Origin & history

Bastani is associated above all with Akbar Mashti, a Tehran ice-cream parlour founded in the early 20th century whose recipe is still treated as canonical. It is traditionally served sandwiched between two paper-thin wafers — bastani nooni.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 500 ml whole milk
• 500 ml double cream
• 200 g caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 large pinch saffron threads
• 2 tbsp rosewater
• Pinch salt
• 100 g clotted cream, frozen and broken into pieces
• 60 g pistachios, chopped

iii. Method

1. Steep saffron in 2 tbsp hot water 10 minutes.
2. Bring milk and cream and half the sugar to just below simmer.
3. Whisk yolks with remaining sugar and salt; temper with warm milk; cook to 82 °C, stirring.
4. Strain. Stir in saffron infusion and rose water. Chill 4 hours.
5. Churn until thick. Fold in frozen clotted cream pieces and most of the pistachios.
6. Freeze 3 hours. Garnish with remaining pistachios.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Bastani-e Akbar Mashti is the canonical Tehran version. Bastani nooni sandwiches it between wafers. Faloodeh-bastani serves it over rose-syruped vermicelli. Outside Iran, the recipe travels under Persian saffron ice cream.

vii. More from Persian

• Persian Saffron Ice Cream — the canonical bastani sonnati
• Pashmak — Persian sugar floss
• Gaz — Persian rosewater nougat
• Sholeh Zard — saffron rice pudding
• Hojicha Ice Cream — roasted-tea ice cream
• Frozen Custard — Midwest soft-serve