Faloodeh (Persian Lime and Rose Water Granita With Rice Noodles)

Step 1

Place 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and set over low heat. Add about half the sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and the rest of the sugar and continue stirring until completely dissolved. Take off the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Step 2

In a freezer-safe bowl or dish, stir together 4 cups water, cooled syrup, lime juice and rose water, then place in freezer until ice crystals begin to form on the edges of the mixture, about 1 hour.

Step 3

In a medium pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook thoroughly until there is no bite left, about 8 minutes or as instructed on the package. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water. Use scissors to cut noodles into 1-inch pieces, then stir them into the partly frozen syrup mixture. It’s important that the mixture has begun to freeze before adding the noodles so that they don’t all sink to the bottom of the dish, so if your syrup mixture needs more time, freeze for another hour before adding noodles.

Step 4

Every hour for the next several hours, scrape the granita thoroughly with a fork to prevent huge icy chunks from forming. The mixture should be light and airy, punctuated with crunchy noodles.

Step 5

To serve, scrape and serve bowlfuls of faloodeh with lime wedges.