Ice cream

Ingredients: 4 servings
vanilla ice-cream, one litre
thick (or double) cream, 100 grams
rose-water, 2 spoonfuls
Directions
The cream used to prepare Bastani Akbar-Mashti should be very thick. Leave the cream in the freezer until it is frozen. Cream or Ice-cream should not be very hard. Cut frozen cream into small pieces and mix with ice-cream. Add rose-water and mix well.Place the mix in the freezer for at least one hour

Samanoo

Ingredients: 4 servings
wheat, 500 grams
wheat flour, 2 kg
Directions
Samanoo is usually made at the Iranian new year (starts on the first day of spring: 20 or 21 March
Wash wheat with cold water, then rinse. Add cold water until there is 2-3 cm of water over the wheat. Leave for about two days, changing the water after the first day. The wheat should begin to germinate. Rinse thoroughly.Hold a thin piece of cloth under cold water until it is completely wet. Pour wheat inside and wrap the cloth around it. Place it in a bowl and leave the bowl in a warm place. Once or twice a day, sprinkle a bit of cold water over the cloth to make it wet but not soggy.When roots appear, spread wheat on a large plate, then spread the cloth over it and sprinkle with water. Continue sprinkling with water once or twice a day until silvery sprouts appear. Wheat should be used before the sprouts turn green.Grind the wheat, add two glasses of cold water, and mix well. Filter out the excess water. Press the wheat hard to squeeze out the extract. Add wheat extract to flour while mixing. The mix should become thin.Place the mix over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mix starts boiling and thickens. Continue heating until water disappears. Fry the mix without any oil or sugar for about 10-15 minutes.Gradually add 1-2 glasses of hot water and mix well. Allow to boil slowly, stirring occasionally until the mix slightly thickens. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes at low temperature

Ghotab

Ingredients: 4 servings
medium eggs, two
yogurt, 100 grams
cooking oil, 100 grams
flour, 150 grams
baking powder, one teaspoon
almonds, 250 grams
fine sugar, 150 grams
cardamom powder, one spoonful
Directions
Separate egg-yolks and mix well with baking powder, cooking oil and yogurt. Add flour gradually while stirring the mix. Pour the dough in a plastic bag and leave for 1-2 hours.Peel and ground almonds. Mix well with sugar and cardamom powder. Spread some flour on a table-top. Make orange-sized balls from the dough. Flatten the ball on the table-top to a thickness of 0.5 cm using a roller. Cut circles into the dough with a cup. Place some of the almond-sugar mix at the center of each circle. Bring the edges of the circle together and press to close completely. Fry in pre-heated oil until colour changes. Drain the excess oil, then roll in fine sugar

Sohan-asali

Ingredients : 4 servings
fine sugar, 150 grams
thick honey, 3-4 spoonfuls
cooking oil, 100 grams
saffron, one teaspoon
almonds, 150 grams
pistachios, 100 grams
Directions
Wash and thinly slice almonds, then allow to dry. Thinly slice pistachios. Mix sugar, honey and oil and cook over high heat stirring occasionally until sugar melts and turns golden.Add almonds and continue cooking while stirring occasionally until almonds also turn golden. Avoid too much stirring of the mix. Dissolve saffron in a bit of hot water and add to the mix. Pour some oil on a flat tray and rub over the entire surface. Pour a small amount of the mix on the tray. If it solidifies quickly, the mix is ready, Turn the heat very low. Pour small portions of the mix using a teaspoon on the tray at equal distances so that the portions do not touch. As soon as each portion is poured on the tray, place a few slices of pistachio on top. Allow to cool. Separate the sohaan from the tray using a knife and keep in a covered container

Ghors-khorshid

Ingredients:4 servings
fine white rice flour, 500 grams
very fine sugar, 200 grams
cooking oil, 250 grams
rose-water, 1/2 cup
medium egg, one
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
almonds, 100 grams
pistachios, 50 grams
Directions
Mix oil, sugar and egg yolk and beat until soft. Beat egg white separately until it thickens. Add rose-water, flour, and egg-white to the mix and stir well. Dissolve saffron in a bit of hot water and add to the mix. Pour the mix in a plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours.Make small balls out of the mix. Press in on each ball to create a concavity. Add a bit of crushed almonds and sugar. Fill in the concavity with a bit of the mix to create a round ball again. Stick some pistachio slices on the balls. Cook in the oven at 300F for 20 to 25 minutes. Colour should not change much

Nan-nokhodchi

Ingredients: 4 servings
fine chick-pea flour, 500 grams
fine sugar, 250 grams
cooking oil, 300 grams
Directions
Mix sugar and oil and beat until the mix is very smooth. Add chick-pea flour and mix very well until the dough is smooth and thick. Pour the dough in a plastic bag and leave for several hours.Form small (2 cm) balls from the dough. Texture the surface of each ball using a fine comb. Cook the balls in the oven at 300 F for 20-30 minutes. The balls should turn slightly golden but the colour should not change much

Nan-gerdooee

Ingredients:4 servings
egg yolks, six
vanilla, one teaspoon
sugar, six spoonfuls
crushed walnuts, 300 grams
Directions
Mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla and beat well until the mix is quite thick and white. Add crushed walnuts and mix well. Take small portions with a teaspoon and make round. Bake in the oven (on baking paper) at 300F for 20 minutes

Nan-berenji

Ingredients: 4 servings
fine rice flour, 500 grams
very fine sugar, 200 grams
cooking oil, 250 grams
rosewater, 1/2 cup
eggs, two small
Directions
Mix oil, sugar and egg yolks and beat until soft. Beat egg whites separately until they thicken. Add rosewater, flour, and eggwhites to the mix and stir well. Pour the mix in a plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator for 24 hours.Spread the dough on a flat non-stick surface to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Cut with a cookie-cutter, and cook in the oven at 300F for 15 to 20 minutes. Colour should not change much

Sholeh-zard

Ingredients:4 servings
rice, 500 grams
sugar, 1 kg
cooking oil
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
rosewater, 1/2 cup
pistachio, crushed
almond, crushed
cinnamon, one teaspoon
Directions
Wash rice a few times until the water is clear, then drain. Add six times water and bring to a boil, removing the foam. When rice softens completely, add sugar and stir well.Dissolve saffron in half a cup of hot water and add to the mix. Heat up oil and also add to the mix. Add in most of the almonds and the rosewater. Stir well and cover. Cook in oven at low temperature for half an hour. Serve with pistachio, almond and cinnamon sprinkled on top

Sekanjebin

Ingredients 4 servings
sugar, 500 grams
white vinegar, 100 grams
fresh mint, one small bunch
fresh lettuce, one bunch
Directions
Dissolve sugar in two glasses of water and bring to a boil. Wash mint and tie it together with a string and drop it in the mix. Allow the mix to thicken. Add vinegar and boil for another minute. Remove mint. Serve cold with fresh lettuce. Lettuce should be dipped in sekanjebin

Fereni

Ingredients 4 servings
milk, 1/2 litre
rice flour, 50 grams
sugar, 100 grams
rosewater, 2 spoonfuls
Directions
Dissolve rice flour in milk. Add sugar and rosewater. Stir regularly over medium heat until it comes to slow boil and thickens. Serve cold

Bamieh

Ingredients:4 servings
flour, 125 grams
large eggs, 3
sugar, 200 grams
cooking oil, 4-5 spoons
rose-water, 2-3 spoons
Directions
Mix cooking oil with a glass of water and 1-2 spoons of sugar, and bring to a boil. Pour in flour and mix well. When water boils off and the mix thickens, remove from heat. Allow the mix to cool down, then add eggs and mix well until smooth. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Pour the mix through a funnel into the pan, creating flattened balls about 3 cm in diameter. Fry on both sides.Mix well sugar, rose-water, and a glass of water. Heat until water comes to a boil, and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat. Soak baamieh in the syrup for about 5 minutes, then serve

Zoolbia

Ingredients: 4 servings
starch, 500 grams
yogurt (non-skim), 150 grams
sugar, 200 grams
cooking oil
rose-water, 2-3 spoons
Directions
Mix starch, 1-2 spoons of sugar, and water, then add yogurt and mix well until the mixture is even and smooth. Heat oil in a pan until hot. Pour the mix through a funnel into the pan creating round lattice shapes about 5-6 cm in diameter. Turn heat down and fry fully on one side, then on the other.Mix well sugar, rose-water, and a glass of water. Heat until water comes to a boil, and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat. Soak zoolbia in the syrup for about 5 minutes, then serve

Ranginak

Ingredients:4 servings
wheat flour, 500 grams
pitted dates, 500 grams
fine sugar, 125 grams
walnuts, 125 grams
cinnamon, one spoon
cardamom, 1/2 spoon
cooking oil, 300 grams
ground pistachio, one spoon
Directions
Heat oil in a pan until hot. Pour in wheat flour and turn down the heat. Stir frequently until flour turns golden. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add fine sugar, cinnamon and cardamom to flour and mix well.Pour half of the flour-mix in a flat dish and flatten the surface with the back of a spoon. Insert a piece of walnut inside each date and place the dates on the flour-mix. Cover the dates with the rest of the flour-mix and again flatten the surface with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle ground pistachios on top. Cut into diamond-shaped pieces and serve

Halva

Halva

Ingredients: 4 servings
wheat flour, 250 grams
sugar, 200 grams
cooking oil, 200 grams
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
rosewater, 1/2 cup
pistachio, crushed
almond, crushed
Directions
Halva is a tasty dessert. To prepare it, heat oil in a frying pan until it is hot. Add flour, reduce heat and stir frequently until the mix changes colour to golden, thickens and becomes fragrant. Add sugar to one glass of water and bring to a boil. Add saffron and rosewater and stir. Let flour cool slightly, then add the mix and stir well. If the mix is not thick, heat for 1-2 minutes but not longer. Serve with crushed pistachio and almond sprinkled on top

Shir-Berenj

Ingredients: 4 servings
rice, 200 grams
sugar or jam
rosewater, 1/2 cup
milk, 2 litres
cream, 150 grams
Directions
Wash rice well, then drain the water. Add two glasses of water to rice and cook until rice slightly softens. Add milk and continue cooking over medium heat until the mix thickens. Add rosewater and cook for another minute or so. Add cream and serve with sugar or jam

Yakh-Dar-Behesht

Ingredients: 4 servings
rice-flour, 100 grams
starch, 150 grams
sugar, 500 grams
rosewater, 1/2 cup
milk, 1 litre
water, 1 litre
crushed pistachios, 50 grams
Directions
Ice-in-Heaven is a delicious dessert that is easy to make. Dissolve starch well in cold water and dissolve rice-flour well in cold milk. Mix the two solutions and bring to slow boil over low heat. Regularly stir the mix until it thickens. Now add sugar and rosewater. Continue stirring the mix while it boils very slowly so that it does not settle. When the mix becomes very thick, it is ready. Pour it into a deep rectangular dish and shake so that the surface is level. Let it cool down completely, then cut a grid into it the lines of which are parallel to the diagonals of the dish. Sprinkle the pistachios on top. Ice-in-Heaven is now ready to serve

Bagh-Lava

Ingredients 6 servings
almonds, 500 grams
fine sugar, 250 grams
sugar, 500 grams
cardamom powder, one spoonful
egg yolks, two
milk, 1/2 cup
cooking oil, 2 spoonfuls
flour, 150-200 grams
baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon
rose-water, 1/2 cup
small metallic boxes
Directions
Mix milk, baking powder, oil and egg yolks. Add flour gradually while mixing. Mix the dough well for a few minutes. Pour in a plastic bag and leave for 2-3 hours.Peel and ground the almonds. Add fine sugar and cardamom powder and mix well. Spread some flour on a table-top. Take a small ball from the dough and flatten into a sheet on the table-top as much as possible with a roller.Use a brush to remove the flour from the sheet. Place a box on the sheet and cut the sheet at 0.5 cm away from the edges of the box. Place the cut sheet at the bottom of the box. Repeat this procedure three times.Add the almond-sugar mix on top of the sheets to fill the box. Press using the back of a large spoon to obtain a flat surface. Spread a bit of rose-water on the mix. Cover with another three sheets of the dough. Cut along a grid. Heat up 150 grams of cooking oil and spread on top of the boxes.Add sugar to 1/2 cup of hot water and bring to boil. Add rose-water and continue boiling for 2-3 minutes. Keep this syrup warm.Pre-heat the oven to 300 F. Place the boxes in the lower part of the oven and leave for 15-20 minutes. Remove and add a bit of the syrup. Return to a higher part of the oven and leave for another 15 minutes until Baagh-lava turns slightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Add a bit of syrup over Baagh-lava 2-3 times at 5 minute intervals

Desserts/Pastry

Ice cream
Samanoo
Ghotab
Sohan-asali

Ghors-khorshid
Nan-nokhodchi
Nan-gerdooee
Nan-berenji
Sholeh-zard

Sekanjebin
Fereni
Bamieh
Zoolbia
Ranginak

Halva
Shir-Berenj
Yakh-Dar-Behesht
Bagh-Lava