Faloodeh

Hi lovelies, hope you had a chilaxing weekend. I Thought I’d cover “Faloodeh”  in this post. Faloodeh (pronounced Faa-loo-de) can be both a dessert or a drink. I’ll focus on both and will include an awesome cocktail recipe at the end!

Faloodeh is basically a Persian textured granita. It originates from the city of Shiraz (yes, like the wine!) hence it’s named  “Faloodeh-e-Shirazi”.

It’s actually very simple to make. All you need is; sugar, water, Persian rose water, lime juice and a special type of rice macaroni (I usually use rice vermicelli). This mixture is boiled to make a syrup,then cooled and blanched pieces of noodles is mixed in and then frozen. To create a granita texture just take the mixture out every hour and stir with a fork, do this until you have a semi frozen consistency.

In Iran this dessert is eaten in combination with a special type of saffron ice cream called “Akbar Mashti”. Traditionally it is lime flavoured but other variations like saffron or sour cherry flavours also exist.

I didn’t have lime on hand but you get the gist 🙂

The other type of Faloodeh I like to discuss is the drink version. It is über easy to make and a unique addition to any dinner party. All you need is a blender!

So basically it’s a mocktail made with rockmelon, sugar, Persian rose water and ice….how easy is that right?!

To give it a bit of a kick all you need to do is add a splash of vodka or gin and you’ve got yourself a) an awesome unique cocktail and b) a conversation piece (you’re welcome….just remember to reference my blog!!)

So here is my recipe for “Faloodeh Cocktail”       

In a blender add:                       Serves 2

• 1/4 rockmelon ,diced
• ice
• 2 tbsp Persian rose water
• 2-3 tbsp sugar
• 1 shot glass of Vodka or Gin (depending on preference)

Garnish with a sprig of mint or tarragon….so easy and delish!

It’s so fab and I guarantee you will love it as much as I do!

 

Well that’s all I have for this post, if you like what you are reading then please like, share and follow my blog as I need the support and exposure. Till next time Xx

 

It’s all about the ingredients

Hi Lovelies! hope you’ve had an excellent weekend. For this post I’ve decided to focus on some of the key ingredients we use in our cooking. There’s actually a fair few but I will touch on the main ones.

As I’ve mentioned before we Persians are obsessed with Saffron, we used it in everything….seriously! it’s fragrant and delicate nature enhances the flavour of rice and adds depth of flavour to dishes.

Another staple favourite is rose water or “Golab”; which is very different to the usual supermarket varieties found here. Persian rose water is very subtle in flavour and doesn’t contain any alcohol. The type of rose that’s used to make it is the “Damask rose” or what we call “Gol-e- Mohammadi”. In Iran we use Rose water in a multitude of ways. The main use being in cooking, baking and in drinks (mainly non alcoholic but I happen to have an awesome cocktail recipe that I will provide later so stay tuned!).  It is also used as perfume, facial toner and also has a sacred quality where it’s used in many holy places and rituals.

Another key ingredient is the Pomegranate; I bet you didn’t know that this wonderful fruit originated in Iran. Yes indeedy! There’s a very popular chicken/duck stew in Iran called “Fesenjoon” which contains Pomegranate molasses and ground walnuts. This flavour combination is very unique and very tasty and used a lot in Iranian cooking. If you haven’t yet experience it, do yourself a favour and check it out pronto!! We also use Pomegranate in other things like snacks, desserts and even by itself with a spice called “Golpar” sprinkled on top.

The final two ingredients that I would like to touch on are Sour cherry or “Albaloo” and Barbarries or “Zereshk”. These two are very popular, either in rice served with chicken, or in desserts and snacks. If you visited our market stall in Hobart you would be very familiar with these ingredients as we used them a fair bit and in a non traditional way….that’s how we roll!

I think I’ll leave it at that for now, I would love to talk more but I feel it’s already a long entry! So hope you all have a great week ahead and have a better idea about our palate and style of cooking….please leave some feedback as I would love to hear from you Xx

Our homemade rosewater from the roses in our backyard!

Our best selling “Fereni tarts” from the Farmgate Market in Hobart. Lime (with Barberry garnish pictured top and bottom) and Pomegranate flavours