How to Make Faloodeh Shirazi: Persian Rose and Lime Noodle Sorbet

What is faloodeh shirazi?

Faloodeh shirazi (Persian: فالوده شیرازی) is one of the oldest frozen desserts on earth: fine, chewy rice-starch noodles suspended in a semi-frozen syrup of sugar and rosewater, then flooded with a generous squeeze of fresh lime the moment it reaches the table. It is the pride of Shiraz, the rose-scented city in southern Iran, and Iranians have been cooling down with some form of it for well over a thousand years. The texture is the whole magic — icy and snowy from the frozen syrup, yet springy and slippery from the noodles; sweet and floral one second, sharply sour with lime the next. On a blazing Dubai afternoon it is exactly the kind of thing you want in a chilled glass.

One honest note before we start. This is a home recipe. Our kitchen on Jumeira Street is a Tehran-style kalle pache house, so we do not make or sell faloodeh ourselves — we are simply glad to teach you how to make it properly at home.

How is faloodeh different from bastani?

People often meet the two together, because in Iran a scoop of saffron bastani served over a mound of faloodeh — bastani-faloodeh — is a classic pairing. But they are not the same dessert. Bastani is a rich, creamy saffron-and-rosewater ice cream; faloodeh is dairy-free, icy and built around noodles. Here is how they compare.

What ingredients do you need for faloodeh shirazi?

This makes about four to six small servings. You will make two things: a rosewater syrup that you freeze to a slush, and the cold noodles that go through it.

• For the syrup: 2 cups (500 ml) water
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons good rosewater (golab)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice, plus much more for serving
• For the noodles — easy route: 100 g thin rice vermicelli (rice sticks / rice noodles)
• or the traditional route: 1/2 cup (about 60 g) rice starch mixed with 2 cups water
• To serve: 2–3 fresh limes, halved
• Sour cherry syrup (sharbat-e albaloo), optional
• A few dried rose petals, optional

Should you make the noodles or buy them?

The truly traditional faloodeh noodle is made by cooking rice starch and water into a thick, translucent paste, then pushing it through a special press called a faloode-kesh into a bowl of ice water, where it sets into fine threads. It is beautiful but fiddly. For a Dubai home cook, the honest shortcut is thin rice vermicelli — the dried rice sticks sold in every Asian aisle. Softened briefly, chilled and snipped short, they give you that same slippery, chewy bite with none of the special equipment. Persian grocers here also sell ready-made frozen faloodeh noodles, which are the easiest route of all.

How do you make faloodeh shirazi step by step?

1. Make the syrup. Warm the water and sugar together, stirring just until the sugar dissolves; do not let it boil hard. Take it off the heat and let it cool completely — this matters, because rosewater added to hot syrup loses its perfume.
2. Perfume it. Once cold, stir in the rosewater and 1 tablespoon of lime juice. Taste: it should be sweet but not cloying, with a clear rose scent.
3. Freeze to a slush. Pour into a wide, shallow container and freeze for 3–4 hours, dragging a fork through it every 40 minutes to break up the ice. You are making a granita, not a solid block — the finished syrup should be a scoopable, snowy slush.
4. Prepare the noodles. Soak or briefly boil the rice vermicelli for just 2–3 minutes until barely tender, then drain and plunge into ice water. Snip into 2–3 cm lengths, drain very well, spread on a tray and freeze for about an hour until firm but still separate. (Traditional route: cook the rice-starch paste until thick and glassy, press it through a faloode-kesh or a coarse colander into ice water, then drain and freeze the same way.)
5. Bring them together. Fold the cold noodles through the semi-frozen syrup, scraping and mixing so the icy slush coats every strand.
6. Firm up if needed. If it has softened, return it to the freezer for 30–60 minutes. You want it snowy and spoonable, never a hard brick.
7. Serve at once. Spoon into chilled glasses or bowls, squeeze fresh lime generously over each one, add a spoonful of sour cherry syrup if you like, and scatter a few rose petals. Eat immediately, while it is icy.

What are the most common faloodeh mistakes?

A few small things separate a great faloodeh from a disappointing one:

• Freezing the syrup solid. Without the fork-scraping every 40 minutes you get an ice block, not a slush. Set a timer.
• Too much sugar. Sugar lowers the freezing point, so an over-sweet syrup never sets properly. Keep it moderate and let the lime do the balancing.
• Over-cooking the noodles. Rice vermicelli needs only a couple of minutes; boil it too long and it turns gluey and mushy.
• Warm rosewater. Always add golab to cool syrup, or its delicate aroma simply evaporates.
• Skipping the lime. The fresh sourness is the soul of Shirazi faloodeh — without it the dessert tastes flat and one-note.
• Serving it warm. Chill your glasses and serve straight from the freezer; faloodeh waits for no one.

How do you serve faloodeh the Shirazi way?

In Shiraz it is kept simple: a glass of icy noodle-and-syrup with lime squeezed over the top, sour and floral and bracingly cold. In Tehran you will often see it redder and sweeter, with a good pour of sour cherry syrup. And if you want the full treat, crown it with a scoop of saffron bastani for the beloved bastani-faloodeh. It is a summer dessert through and through — the reason Shirazi families keep a tub in the freezer from spring onwards. If cooling Persian drinks are your thing, our homemade doogh guide is another easy one to keep on hand, and there is more to explore in our guide to Persian food beyond kalle pache.

Would you rather someone else did the cooking tonight?

Faloodeh is a sweet way to end a meal, but it is not dinner. If you would rather leave the cooking to us, that is our whole world: Shaun the Sheep is one kitchen at 64 Jumeira Street, Jumeirah 1, cooking Tehran-style kalle pache around the clock, halal, seven days a week. We deliver across all of Dubai — pay securely online by card, with delivery free over AED 300 and the fee for your area shown at checkout. Browse the menu and order page, or reserve a table if you would rather come in. Make the faloodeh yourself, and let us handle the bowl of broth.