Fāloodeh (Persian Frozen Noodle and Rose Water Sorbet)

Directions

• In a medium saucepan, heat sugar and 2 1/2 cups water over medium-low, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes; remove from heat and stir in corn syrup. Alternatively, in a medium bowl, stir sugar with 2 1/2 cups cold water and let stand, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, 10-15 minutes. (You can use either method to make the syrup; heat will dissolve the sugar faster but take longer to cool down, while the no-heat method will take longer to dissolve the sugar but will chill faster in Step 2.)
• Pour sugar syrup into a shallow container and cover. If using an ice cream maker, refrigerate until the syrup’s temperature drops below 50°F (10°C), at least 4 hours; if not using an ice-cream maker, transfer to the freezer, then follow instructions in the notes section below.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine noodles with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes.
• Drain the cooked noodles in a fine mesh strainer, then transfer them to a cutting board. Form noodles into a rough 3- by 6-inch rectangular pile. Using a large knife or kitchen scissors, cut the pile of noodles into 8 sections, making 1 lengthwise cut and 3 crosswise cuts (the cut noodle strands should be no longer than 2 to 3 inches). Measure the noodles; if you have more than 1 1/4 cups (250g), discard the extra or reserve for another use. Refrigerate the cut cooked noodles in a bowl of cold tap water, covered, until needed. Put an empty, shallow 2-quart container (such as a large tupperware or small baking dish) in the freezer and let chill.
• When the sugar syrup is below 50°F (10°C), stir in the rose water. Using an ice cream maker and following manufacturer’s instructions, churn syrup until the mixture has turned into a thick, white, slushy mass (for making without an ice cream maker, see notes below). Toward the end of the churning process, drain the chilled noodles in a fine-mesh strainer, shaking the strainer to remove as much water as possible, then add about a quarter of the noodles to the freezer bowl and let the ice cream maker churn for another 5 minutes; if your ice cream maker is still churning smoothly, add another quarter of the noodles followed by another 5 minutes of churning before noodles start to clog up. At that point, stop the ice-cream maker. Gently remove the paddle, scraping any attached slush and noodles back into the ice cream maker.
• Add the rest of the noodles into the ice cream maker and, using a silicone spatula, gently mix in the noodles until evenly incorporated, being careful not to break the noodles into tiny pieces.
• Working quickly, scrape the mixture into the pre-chilled container, cover, and return to the freezer. Freeze for 30 minutes, then remove from freezer and, using a silicone spatula, stir the contents with a folding motion. Return to freezer, then continue stirring every 30 minutes until the mixture has the consistency of easily scoopable sorbet; how long this takes will depend on how thoroughly your ice cream maker was able to freeze the syrup; in our tests using a Cuisinart canister-model (non-compressor) ice-cream maker, it took about 2 additional hours of freezer time after churning to freeze firmly enough for serving.
• Scoop into serving bowls and serve with lime juice or sour cherry syrup (or both), allowing diners to garnish their bowls as desired.