This Sohan dessert is a soft Persian sweet made with white flour, wheat germ, egg yolks, butter, saffron and cardamom. Its spoonable texture is closer to a rich wheat germ sweet pudding than the thin, brittle discs of Qom-style Sohan candy.
That distinction matters when choosing a recipe. This page explains how to make Sohan in its soft dessert form; our honey Sohan recipe covers a firmer confection.
Sohan ingredients
- 100 g plain white flour
- 30 g wheat germ flour
- 2 cups water
- 3 egg yolks
- 100 g butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 300 g icing sugar or very finely ground sugar
- 1/3 cup concentrated brewed saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Ground pistachios and almonds, to decorate
Cook the flour base
Sift the white flour and wheat germ flour into a heavy saucepan. Add the water gradually, whisking to remove every lump before turning on the heat.
Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring continuously across the base and into the corners of the pan. The mixture should thicken and take on a slightly deeper beige colour. The flour is cooked with water rather than toasted dry, so browning will be gentle.
Prepare the yolk and butter mixture
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Add the icing sugar in several additions, beating until smooth and paler. Slowly whisk in the melted butter; it should be warm rather than hot, or it may start to cook the yolks.
To temper the mixture, whisk in a few spoonfuls of the warm flour base. Repeat, then pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan while stirring constantly.
Finish the Persian Sohan recipe
Keep the pan over low heat and continue stirring until the dessert is glossy, cohesive and fully heated. Add the brewed saffron and ground cardamom near the end. Cook for a few more minutes, until a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a path that closes slowly.
Divide the warm Sohan among small serving dishes. Garnish with ground pistachios and almonds, then let it settle before serving. It can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
What kind of Iranian sweet is this?
Sohan is a broad name in English-language searches. An Iranian Sohan recipe may refer to a brittle saffron confection, while this Sohan Iranian sweet recipe produces a soft dessert. The same distinction applies to searches for a Persian Sohan recipe, Sohan Persian dessert, Sohan sweet or simply Sohan food.
You may also encounter spellings such as “Sohans,” or the mistaken phrase “Sushan dessert.” The Iranian name used here is Sohan. Search wording such as “Iran Sohan,” “Sohan Iran” or “Sohan recipe Persian” still points to the same broad Iranian-sweet topic; the texture tells you which version you need. Likewise, “Sohan recept” and “Sohan Rezept” use Swedish and German words for recipe rather than identifying different desserts.
Texture and cooking checks
- Lumpy flour: whisk the water in before heating and keep the heat low.
- Scrambled yolk: cool the melted butter slightly and temper the yolks before returning them to the pan.
- Pale colour: allow the flour base more time rather than using high heat, which can catch on the bottom.
- Overly stiff Sohan: stop cooking when the spoon trail closes slowly; the dessert thickens further as it cools.
- Weak saffron aroma: use a concentrated infusion and add it near the end.
About Sohan calories and portions
This recipe contains substantial amounts of sugar, butter and egg yolk, so it is a rich dessert. A reliable Sohan calories figure requires the exact final weight and number of portions; without those measurements, a single number would be misleading. Serve it in small dishes and calculate from the specific ingredients if nutritional precision is important.
The finished dessert should be smooth, fragrant and soft enough for a spoon, with wheat germ providing depth beneath the saffron and cardamom. That texture is the clearest sign that you have made the intended soft Iranian Sohan rather than a candy.
