Rosewater Granita with Rice Noodles (Faloodeh)
The frozen dessert of Shiraz, one of the oldest cold desserts in history.
It is thin starch noodles frozen in sweetened rose water syrup, giving a refreshing granular texture that balances the sweetness of the syrup with the tartness of lemon and the aroma of rose. It is traditionally served with lemon juice or sour cherry syrup.
Heat the water with the sugar and salt and stir until the sugar dissolves completely, then take it off the heat.
Add the lemon juice and rose water after taking the syrup off the heat, because boiling them strips them of their aroma.
Pour the syrup into a freezer-safe container and freeze it for half an hour uncovered until it begins to set at the edges.
Boil the rice vermicelli for two minutes, then take it off the heat and cover it for five minutes, so it cooks without falling apart.
Drain the noodles, rinse them with cold water, and cut them into finger-length pieces so they distribute through the syrup.
Add the noodles to the half-frozen syrup and freeze for an hour uncovered.
Scrape the frozen edges with a fork and stir them into the center, then freeze for another hour and repeat the scraping once, until the texture becomes finely granular, between ice cream and sorbet.
Scoop it into cups, squeeze a lemon over it, and garnish it with sour cherry syrup.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Rosewater Granita with Rice Noodles (Faloodeh), and how to fix them:
We did not scrape it with a fork during freezing, so scrape the edges and stir them in every hour to keep the texture granular.
We boiled them too long, so boil them for two minutes only, then rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking.
We added the rose water to syrup that was too hot, so add it after the syrup has cooled a little.
Keep it covered in the freezer for up to a week, and scrape it with a fork before serving so it returns to granular.
Leave it at room temperature for a minute, then scrape it, so it is easy to scoop.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| rice vermicelli | potato starch vermicelli | per package | Potato starch is the original Iranian version and stays gluten-free. |
| sour cherry syrup | concentrated pomegranate juice | a few drops at serving | Pomegranate gives a different tartness and depth. |
| lemon juice | lime juice | same amount | Lime is more aromatic. |
| sugar | sugar with a touch of honey | a small part honey | Adjust the sweetness by tasting, as honey is sweeter. |
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 4 servings | 6 servings (base) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syrup water | 240 ml | 480 ml | 720 ml |
| Sugar | 67 g | 134 g | 200 g |
| Rice vermicelli | 20 g | 40 g | 60 g |
| Rose water | 10 ml | 20 ml | 30 ml |
Add the rose water and lemon juice after taking the syrup off the heat, not before, so their aroma is preserved. And scrape the mixture with a fork every hour during freezing so it doesn't freeze into a solid block but stays granular.
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