February 16, 2010

Fereni: Persian Rice Flour Dessert

Fereni

فرنی Fereni is a soft, creamy, and sweet dessert made with rice flour, milk, sugar, and rosewater, a comforting treat for cold winter days. My mother was born in the western city of Hamadan, Iran, which was known for its Alvand Mountain (kuh-e Alvand), rich history, many tourist attractions, and very cold winters. Hamadan is one of the oldest cities in Iran. After marrying, my mother moved from one of the coldest and most ancient cities in the country to one of the hottest, a newly developing region shaped by the oil industry. She brought with her a love of Baba Taher's poetry, some of Ibn Sina's wisdom about herbal medicines, and Hamadan's cold-weather foods. The dishes meant to warm and comfort us came from my mother's side.

This is yet another wonderful dessert made with rice. Unlike the other rice desserts that are prepared with rice grains, such as Saffron Rice Pudding (Sholeh Zard) and Rice Pudding (Shir Berenj), Fereni is made with rice flour. The cooking time may take about 20-30 minutes or until the mixture is well blended, fully cooked, and thickened. Fereni requires constant stirring; otherwise, it can quickly turn lumpy.

Like many other delicious Iranian dishes, fereni doesn't need any garnish to taste wonderful, but making food visually pleasing has always been an important part of Iranian cooking. Of course, this varies from household to household. In our home, my father appreciates a beautifully presented dish just as much as its flavor.  My mother, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered with food presentation after raising a bunch of loud and energetic kids (excluding me, of course!) Many times she would bring the pot of stews (ash and abgusht) right from the stove to the table. That may be why I  go back and forth between making the food look pretty or simply leaving it on the stove for everyone to help themselves!

Fereni - Persian Rice Flour Dessert


Fereni: Persian Rice Flour Dessert

Ingredients
Serves 4

-1/4 cup rice flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups milk at room temperature
-1 tablespoon rosewater 
-1-2 tablespoons of crushed pistachios, slivered almonds, or sesame seeds for garnish

Method
  1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the rice flour, sugar, and 2 cups of milk. Let the mixture soak for 15 minutes.
  2. Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. 
  3. Gradually add the remaining 2 cups of milk while continuing to stir. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10-15 minutes, stirring often to prevent lumps. 
  4. Add the rose water and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. 
Pour the fereni into a large bowl or small individual-sized bowls. Garnish with crushed pistachios,  slivered almonds, or sesame seeds. Serve with grape molasses or honey. 

Fereni can be enjoyed warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

22 comments:

  1. delicious. adore firni. i like the stories about your mum :) x shayma

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  2. Fereni. . .farina. Yes, there has to be a connection there. To make rice flour, can you just grind the raw rice into a flour?

    As for presentation, yours looks so gorgeous and fluffy. Like clouds.

    I'm like you--somedays I go out of my way to make the food look beautiful; other days I'm tired and grateful to have actually have made a meal at all ;-)

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  3. oh this looks wonderful love your posts and learning about Iran

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  4. Azita
    We have a similar dish in Lebanese cuisine. I love the subtle taste that rice flour gives the pudding. I don't make it too often because of all that stirring! Hamadan is a city I want to visit someday! (did I tell you my parents visited Iran on their honeymoon? I was born exactly 9 months later and I am convinced my love for all things Persian is related to that chain of events!

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  5. This sounds just heavenly! The flavors with rose water must be fantastic!

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  6. Will definitely enjoy this delicious sweet rice.

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  7. thank you Shayma jan. I like reading stories about your mom too!x
    Bria, thanks. I've always bought rice flour but I don't see why you can't make your own flour by grinding the rice! let me know how it turns out if you do.
    Chow and Chatter, thank you!
    Taste of Beirut, that must have been a romantic honeymoon back then and I can now see why you might love all things Persian! :)
    5 Star Foodie, Thanks so much!
    Elra, I'm glad you like it!

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  8. Yum - One of my favorite desserts, and so easy to make. I'm happy to finally have a nice recipe to follow.
    Thank you for sharing
    Firoozeh

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  9. I love this delightful dessert! So refined tasting and delicious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  10. This is a favorite dessert in our family.. tops over "Kheer", which uses whole rice. I have it in my blog.. So lovely. In India the "firni" or "Phirni" as we call it, are sold in individual earthern pots.Mmmmmm.. I can almost smell them.

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  11. This looks quite delicious. I love any pudding-type dish and I definitely need to try this one! Beautiful photos and anecdotes about your mother.

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  12. it's always pleasure to stoping by here and read your story behind every food your made.

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  13. tried making this with a little less rose water and a an addition of cinnamon and cardamom. was a hit! :)
    http://figfondue.blogspot.com/2012/05/firni-rice-pudding.html

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  14. In October 2013 I visted Iran with my husband and we tried fereni in Shiraz it was served with kind of grape melasa as I think and it was great!!!!

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  15. Made it! Was fantastic. I used brown rice flour, and added cinnamon + cardamom as well. Your tip about soaking the rice flour in cold milk first is excellent.

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    Replies
    1. Susan, thanks for trying this recipe and letting me know. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

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  16. This was so delicious. I had fereni once at a Persian restaurant served with sliced strawberries, kiwis and slivered almonds. I went looking for the recipe and found this. It's exactly like what I had at the restaurant and it's serious comfort food. Thank you so much!

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  17. I was in need of comfort today, and I saw this recipe and had to make it. My cookbook with my grandmother's recipes is in storage since I have most of them memorized. Fereni is not one of the ones I've made before though. I haven't had it since I was a child, when my grandmother made it for me if I was sick. I had to use Bob's Redmill white rice flour since the nearest international grocery is 40 minutes away. Next time, I will use a Persian brand instead so that it has the right flavor, this time it was a little bland due to the type of rice used in the flour. But it turned out pretty well, given that limitation. Thank you. It was a nice treat. And a nice reminder of my grandmother on a day I needed just that.

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  18. Update: made it again tonight, but with Golchin brand rice flour and it was a sucess! It tasted right and had much better texture! Sucess. I followed the directions exactly.

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  19. Is rose water optional? I dont remember my mom making it with rose water.

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