Fāloodeh (Persian Frozen Noodle and Rose Water Sorbet)

Fāloodeh is a beloved and refreshing Persian dessert made by incorporating thin threads of noodles into a sweet rose water–flavored syrup that has been cooled to a semi-frozen state. Served in individual bowls, it is often topped with a splash of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice and/or a teaspoon of sour cherry syrup. It is a fitting end to any heavy and rich meal as well as the perfect cooling treat on a summer afternoon. 

The noodles in fāloodeh are not an afterthought, but a primary ingredient, fully integrated into the sweet, icy rose water–flavored mound that surrounds them. They are what sets fāloodeh apart from so many other icy desserts such as granitas, sorbets, Italian ices, slushies, snow cones, and shaved ices.

Most often, particularly among Iranian communities, this icy treat is referred to as fāloodeh-é-Shirāzi. Many, including me, believe the best fāloodeh is made in the southern Iranian city of Shirāz, which is known as Iran’s city of flowers, literature, and poets.

History of Fāloodeh

Some of the earliest frozen sweets known to humanity were created in ancient Persia. By 400 BCE, Persians were making, collecting, and storing ice, even in the middle of summer in the desert. They built structures called yakhchāls, (literally, “ice-pits”), which consisted of a pointed dome above ground and a large storage space below. The ice stored in them was used not only during the hottest summer months, but throughout the year for a variety of purposes such as preserving perishable food and preparing icy beverages and treats. 

The earliest of these treats were snow-like piles of ice topped with natural sweeteners of the time such as fruit syrups and honey. The oldest surviving culinary-related manuscript from ancient Persia (circa 500 CE) documents an interview between King Khosrow II of the Sasanian Dynasty and a young man named Ridak, who wanted to become a royal valet. When the monarch asks Ridak’s opinion about the best sweet treats, Ridak’s response includes “snow with fruit syrup.” It is believed that such early icy treats evolved into what we now know as fāloodeh.

Fāloodeh-type sweets were introduced to the Arab world after the Muslim conquest of Persia in the 7th century. Some historians believe that it was then introduced to Sicily in the 8th century as part of the Arab invasion of Sicily and was a predecessor to contemporary granitas and sorbets. The Indian subcontinent was introduced to fāloodeh from Persia during the Mughal Empire in the 16th century; today it is served there as more of a popular cold beverage and is referred to as falooda.

My Path to Homemade Fāloodeh

During my childhood and teen years growing up in Iran, I never saw anyone making fāloodeh at home. It was one of those special popular treats you enjoyed at an ice cream parlor, from a street corner ice cream pushcart, or as dessert in a sit-down restaurant. 

I have been making fāloodeh in my home kitchen for almost 20 years now. It all began when our family was living in Ithaca, New York, the home of Cornell University. Several times a year, my wife and I hosted groups of Iranian students who were attending Cornell and served them traditional home-cooked Persian food. For one of those occasions, I challenged myself to surprise the guests with something very Persian that they might not have had for a long time—homemade fāloodeh was the answer. It took a bit of controlled experimentation to find the right noodles to use and to determine the best formula for the sugary rose water syrup, but in the end those initial batches were authentic enough that no one could believe that it was homemade.

Over the years, I have improved and streamlined this recipe to replicate those heavenly scoops of fāloodeh that my tastebuds can still remember from my childhood summer trips to Shirāz to visit relatives.

Fāloodeh Key Ingredients

The original method of making fāloodeh, which is still used commercially and in some homes today, starts by making fresh wheat-starch noodles for each batch. A slurry of equal parts (in volume) of wheat starch and water are then cooked long enough for a very thick, almost transparent, paste to be generated. While still hot, the resulting paste is put into a special noodle extruder with tiny holes on the bottom, and long, thin threads of still warm starch noodles immediately drop into a large ice bath below. As soon as they have cooled and gelled enough to handle, the noodles are used to make a batch of fāloodeh. 

Making fresh wheat-starch noodles at home is time-consuming and hard to master. Fortunately, there is an equally good and very convenient alternative: mung bean noodles or threads (also called glass noodles, cellophane noodles, or, wun sen). When cooked in boiling water, these thread-like white noodles become completely translucent. When frozen, the cooked noodles turn snow-white and opaque.

The other important ingredient in fāloodeh is rose water, which these days is readily available in most local supermarkets. Augmenting the sugar with a bit of light corn syrup helps produce a smooth consistency that does not freeze into a block of solid ice in your home freezer.

For serving, all you need is a lime or a lemon, and some sour cherry syrup. Sour cherry syrup is popular among Persians for drizzling over sweets and for making thirst-quenching beverages called sharbat (not to be confused with sherbet or sorbet). Bottles of sour cherry syrup can be found in the international aisle of better-stocked supermarkets and are always available in any Persian, Middle Eastern, Afghani, Mediterranean, Indian, or Turkish market. Alternatively, you can use some of the syrup from a jar of Persian-style sour cherry jam, where chunks of whole fruit float in a thick, sweet, fruity syrup.

Equipment and Techniques. for Making Fāloodeh

The recipe makes about 6 cups of fāloodeh and can be prepared in a non-commercial 1.5-quart ice cream maker (either canister-style or compressor-style). Using an ice cream maker produces the ideal texture; by continuously churning as the base freezes, ice crystals are kept to a very small size for a smoother texture. If you don’t have one, not to worry—I’ve included directions for making fāloodeh without one as well.

Unlike most pasta dishes, where the noodles are cooked just to the al dente stage, the dry mung bean threads for fāloodeh need to be boiled until fully cooked, and then some. This is because you want them to absorb as much water as possible, which is necessary for them to become delicately crunchy as they freeze in the rose water–flavored syrup.

When making fāloodeh with home ice-cream makers (canister or compressor type), keep in mind that the paddle that moves and scrapes the slushy liquid is not designed to properly incorporate the noodles. Don’t be tempted to add the noodles to the ice cream maker all at once as part of the churning process, the way one might when adding mix-ins to an ice cream base. Otherwise, you will end up with a clogged mass of noodles sticking out of the top of the freezer bowl. Instead, after the ice cream maker has done its job of making a pretty stiff frozen slush, add about a quarter of the noodles into the freezer bowl and let the ice cream maker churn for another 5 minutes. Depending on your ice cream maker, you might be able to add another quarter of the noodles followed by another 5 minutes of churning before noodles start to clog up. At that point, stop the ice-cream maker, remove the paddle from the freezer bowl and gently stir the rest of the noodles in by hand.

How to Serve

If you've never eaten fāloodeh before, I recommend the following approach: Start by eating a couple of teaspoons of fāloodeh without adding anything so that you can experience the pure frozen-slushy texture and the rose water flavor. Assuming you have at least a couple of scoops in your bowl, pour a teaspoon or two of freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice on one of the scoops and one or two teaspoons of sour cherry syrup on the other. Taste a lime juice side. Taste the sour cherry syrup side. Finally, take a spoonful from the middle of the two scoops so that you get a bit of both in one bite. This way, you can experience all the flavor possibilities. After that, eat it however you please. 

Fāloodeh is slushier and melts a bit faster than most other frozen desserts and its texture changes as you eat it. Typically, by the time you get to the bottom of your dish of fāloodeh you will be left with noodles swimming in the melted slush. That is the way it is supposed to be.