Bouza is a delightful and traditional Arabic/Egyptian/Middle Eastern ice cream spiked with mastic and rose water and studded with chewy, chopped dry apricots and crunchy toasted pistachios.
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Bouza, or mastic-pistachio ice cream cake, is my favorite flavor of all time! It takes me back to Heliopolis (a cosmopolitan neighborhood in Cairo) and my delightful summer night strolls with friends that usually end with savoring Bouza at Koueider.
Koueider, a flagship brand founded in 1930 by Abdel Rahim Koueider’s father, specializes in high-quality oriental sweets. For close to one century, Koueider has been celebrated for its authentic taste and famous for its creamy Bouza (Arabic Mastic-Pistachios ice cream).
Bouza Ingredients
Vanilla Ice Cream
Using high-quality store-bought vanilla ice cream is a great way to save time while ensuring your dessert tastes delicious. Opting for the best quality ice cream you can afford is crucial, as it enhances the overall flavor and texture of your dish.
Vanilla Ice Cream
This approach allows you to enjoy a rich and creamy dessert without the additional effort of making ice cream from scratch.
Mastic
Mastic is a resin obtained from the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), primarily grown on the Greek island of Chios. Known for its distinct aroma and therapeutic properties, mastic is used in various culinary and medicinal applications.
Mastic
To use mastic in this recipe, start by freezing the mastic resin to make it easier to handle. Once frozen, mix it with sugar and crush it using a mortar and pestle until it becomes a fine powder. This process ensures that the mastic incorporates smoothly into the vanilla ice cream, enhancing its flavor with the resin’s unique aromatic profile.
Pistachios
Pistachios play a crucial role in Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Egyptian desserts in general and in this ice cream dessert specifically, adding a burst of color and crunch to dishes. Whether as a garnish or a main ingredient, these toasted gems elevate the creaminess of ice cream, bringing a rich, nutty flavor to both sweet and savory recipes. Versatile and essential, pistachios are a must-have for traditional culinary creations.
Pistachios
Dry Apricots
Dry Apricots are a delightful addition to any dish, offering a chewy texture, tangy flavor, and a beautiful hue to this traditional ice cream.
Dry Apricots
Dry Fig
Majdoul Dates
Rose Water
Rose water is a Middle Eastern pantry staple and a fragrant liquid made by steeping rose petals in water. In this recipe, rose water is added to the booze to infuse it with a floral note that will tantalize your senses.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
You can remove the dry apricots if it is not your cup of tea and replace them with any dry fruits of your choice, such as dates or figs.
How to Make Bouza Ice Cream Cake
You can watch a fun tutorial video on how to make this cake on my IG page @cheznermine.
Step 1: Prepare the Ice Cream
Grab a 1/2 gallon of an excellent vanilla ice cream and let it sit outside the fridge to soften. In the meantime, prepare the ice cream mold.
Step 2: Prepare the Ice Cream Mold
Spray a rectangular cake pan with some vegetable oil and then line it with Plastic Stretch Tite, leaving 3 inches hanging outside the pan to fold them inward later.
Step 3: Assemble the Ice Cream Cake
Mix the softened ice cream cake with the chopped dry apricots, crushed mastic, and rose water. Transfer half the quantity to the mold, sprinkle over it a generous layer of crushed pistachios, and add on top the rest of the ice cream mixture. Smoothen the surface, fold inward the hanging stretch tight, and cover the mold tightly. Freeze the ice cream for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Step 4: Garnish & Serve
Get out the Bouza from the freezer, remove the foil, and unfold the stretch tite. Invert the Bouza over a suitable dish. Garnish the surface with dehydrated roses and pistachios.
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1/3 cup dry apricots or any dry fruits of your choice, chopped
1 tablespoon rose water
2 teaspoons mastic resin mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of white granulated sugar (see notes)
For the Garnish
1/4 cup crushed pistachios
2 tablespoons dehydrated roses
DIRECTIONS
1. Place the ice cream outside the freezer for 30 minutes to soften, and then transfer the ice cream to a sizable container.
2. Crush the mastic resin with some sugar with the help of a mortar and pestle, and add the crushed mastic-sugar mixture to the ice cream.
3. Add rose water and the chopped dry apricots.
4. Mix everything well to distribute evenly the apricots and mastic in the ice cream.
5. Brush or spray the cake mold with some oil. Line the mold with plastic film and leave 5 inches hanging from the longer sides and almost 2 inches hanging from the shorter sides, as shown in the video.
6. Add half of the ice cream to the mold, spread evenly the crushed pistachios and then add the second half of the ice cream.
7. Fold in the hanging plastic film and freeze the cake for at least 2 hours or overnight.
8. Before serving, unfold the plastic film, invert the cake over a suitable dish, and garnish the cake with crushed pistachios and dehydrated roses.
9. Slice the ice cream cake and serve immediately.
