Sohan Asali (Persian Saffron Brittle)

About This Recipe

Sohan is a traditional Persian brittle-like confection from the city of Qom, made by cooking butter, sugar, and saffron together into a caramel that's spread thin, studded with pistachios, and left to cool into a delicate, crackly disc. Its distinctive golden-amber color and floral saffron aroma make it instantly recognizable, and it's one of Iran's most famous regional sweets, often given as gifts and souvenirs from religious pilgrimage trips to Qom. The technique that defines sohan is precise caramel-making: butter, sugar, and a small amount of flour are cooked together over careful, even heat until the mixture turns a deep amber and develops a distinctive nutty aroma, with saffron water stirred in near the end so its flavor and color don't cook away. The hot caramel is then quickly spread thin on a surface (traditionally marble) before it sets, since it hardens rapidly once removed from heat, and pistachios and sometimes rose petals are pressed on immediately while the surface is still tacky. Served in small, delicate pieces alongside tea, sohan is a special-occasion sweet -- crisp, buttery, and saffron-scented, requiring genuine precision and speed to make properly.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1 cupbutter
• 1.25 cupssugar
• 2 tbspall-purpose flour
• 0.5 tspsaffron threads(ground and dissolved in 3 tbsp hot water)
• 0.25 cupwater
• 0.5 cupslivered pistachios
• 2 tbspslivered almonds
• 1 tbspdried rose petals(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt the butter

   Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.

2. 2

   Add sugar and flour

   Stir in sugar, flour, and water, mixing until smooth.

3. 3

   Cook the caramel

   Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 15-18 minutes until the mixture turns a deep amber color and smells nutty and toasty.

4. 4

   Add saffron

   Remove from heat and quickly stir in the saffron water until fully incorporated.

5. 5

   Spread quickly

   Working fast before it sets, pour small rounds of the hot mixture onto a greased or parchment-lined surface, spreading each into a thin disc, about 8cm across.

6. 6

   Add toppings

   Immediately press pistachios, almonds, and rose petals if using onto the surface of each disc while still warm and tacky.

7. 7

   Cool and serve

   Let cool completely and harden, about 20-30 minutes, before carefully removing from the surface. Serve at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Add a small amount of orange blossom water along with the saffron for a more complex floral note.

• •

  Use only pistachios for a simpler, more traditional topping if almonds aren't preferred.

• •

  Make smaller, bite-sized discs for easier portioning at gatherings.

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks, layered between parchment paper to prevent sticking; sohan stays crisp if kept away from humidity.

Frequently Asked Questions