FALOODA

    Falooda, this recipe is what I have eaten it as Falooda.  My recent mishap with understanding Falooda as the one & only Falooda Drink & the story of  Kulfi Falooda.... Anyway, I have always loved to order Falooda and the last time I ate it was in Cochin in 2018.  A tall glass of Falooda layered with Rose Syrup, Sabja Seeds in Milk based concoction, a few slices of Kulfi & garnished with copious amount of Nuts & more nuts. This tall glass of Falooda even made me skip my dinner and skipping a meal when in India is a big taboo according to me.  The reason being, it would be the only time we would get a chance to succumb to our cravings with local delicacies.  But this Falooda made me so full & satiated.

    A Falooda recipe has taken its twists & turns and is catered in numerous versions with whims & fancies, it is one special Indian cold drink which masquerades itself as a Dessert too. This Falooda recipe is served as a cold drink layered with Rose Syrup, Sabja Seeds, Falooda Sev/Vermicelli, a thick milk base - sometimes Rose milk or sometimes a sweet thick concoction of Milk & sugar, some recipes even serve it with Rabri/Rabdi.  This tall glass of cold drink can be served chilled topped with a hearty dollop of Ice cream/Kulfi.  Garnishing Falooda also goes with the whims & fancies - you can garnish it with chopped nuts, dry fruits, fresh fruits, jelly, honey, saffron, rose petals etc., & etc.,

FALOODA

    What is the difference between a Kulfi Falooda and a Falooda recipe is that, the Kulfi Falooda is more or less like a dessert which you can scoop out at eat.  Whereas this Falooda is a cold drink with a flavoured Milk base.  Whatsoever a Falooda recipe should be sinfully rich, decadent and utterly delicious. See... who is explaining the difference between both the recipes.  Haa!!! Mistakes happen paa... and it is from where we learn too...

    In this Falooda recipe, I have made it with Rose Milk base and have served it with Kulfi instead of Ice cream.  

For KULFI FALOODA RECIPE, click here...

Cuisine - Iran(Mediterranean), Indian

Course - Dessert

Difficulty - Medium

Serves - 1

Author - SM

Preparation Time - 20 - 30 Minutes

Soaking Time - 30- 45 Minutes(Sabja Seeds)

Cooking Time - 7-10 Minutes(Vermicelli/Falooda Sev)

LAYERS IN FALOODA DRINK

FALOODA

We need the following items to make a Falooda Drink:

• ROSE SYRUP
• FALOODA SEV
• SABJA SEEDS
• SWEETENED MILK BASE/ROSE MILK/RABRI/RABDI
  
• KULFI/ICE CREAM
  
• NUTS FOR GARNISHING

ROSE SYRUP:

ROSE SYRUP

    First we would need a Rose Syrup to drizzle all over the base & the Rose Syrup gives a wonderful colour & flavour to this drink. You can use this Rose Syrup to make Rose Milk base. 

FALOODA SEV -  

FALOODA SEV

Falooda means ‘shredded’ in idiomatic Urdu & it refers to the thin Vermicelli/noodle like ingredient made out of corn flour, which is the  integral part of Falooda. Make it from scratch, or we can easily get it incorporated with store-fought Falooda Sev, I was not in any way lucky to get hold of it.  And my son was like, why don't you make it from scratch.  Me with my lethargic attitude gave a wide smile, convinced him and finally settled with Vermicelli/Semiya. Whatsoever both the ingredients does total justice to the recipe.  One main thing to keep in mind is to leave the cooked Falooda Sev/Vermicelli in cold water for a few minutes.

SABJA SEEDS - 

SABJA SEEDS

     The next ingredient we need are the Sabja Seeds/Sweet Basil Seeds/Tukhmaria.  A long- awaited ingredient lying safely in my freezer since my last India trip which was in 2019.  Soaked it up for about 30-45 minutes and there it was all the items ready to be catered for making a Kulfi Falooda. Soaking Sabja Seeds makes it edible & makes it easily digestible. 

MILK BASE - The milk base needed for Falooda drink can be a simple milk & sugar based concoction or, we can get experimental by

ROSE MILK

RABRI/RABDI

VERMICELLI/SEMIYA PAYASAM

• ROSE MILK: Making the Base with Rose Milk/Bandung.
• RABRI/RABDI: Then if you love to serve Falooda in its utter rich version, then it would be perfect to serve it with Rabri/Rabdi. 
• VERMICELLI PAYASAM:  Or, if you already have Vermicelli Payasam simply add is a base with other ingredients & there you are with a delicious Milk base & here you can also skip making Falooda Sev/Vermicelli.
  
• SWEETENED MILK: Yet another quick-fix version would be to simply mix milk & condensed milk for the Milk base.

ICE CREAM/KULFI - Some Falooda Drink recipes are served topped with a big scoop of Ice Cream or with slices of Kulfi in it.  But serving with Ice cream/kulfi are purely optional. 

For more KULFI RECIPES, click here

NUTS - Serve Falooda garnished heartily with chopped nuts of your choice.  I have used finely chopped Cashew Nuts, Almonds & Pistachios.  

GARNISHING - You can get easy with the choice of garnishing a Falooda. Simply serve it with finely chopped nuts or can go to the extent of making it rich & decadent by adding a few strands of Saffron, Rose Petals etc., Some recipes serve Falooda with dry fruits, cut fresh fruits, jelly etc.,  

     Once all the items are ready, it is time to serve it.  Falooda is a cold drink served in layers of Rose Syrup, Falooda Sev or Vermicelli, Sabja Seeds(Sweet Basil Seeds) in a Milk Base, & served topped with Ice Cream/Kulfi and garnished with nuts or dry fruits.

HOW TO MAKE FALOODA

FALOODA

INGREDIENTS:

For Falooda:

Rose Syrup - 2-3 Tbspns

Sabja Seeds - 11/2 Tspn

Falooda Sev - 11/2 Tbspn

Rose Milk/Sweetened Milk/Rabri/Rabdi - 1 Cup

For Toppings:

Kulfi - 1 No.(medium Sized) 

or 

Ice Cream - a Scoop

For Garnishing:

Cashew Nuts - a few

Almonds - a few

Saffron - a few strands(optional)

METHOD:

• First, take a tall glass for serving Falooda.
• Chill the glass leaving it in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes(Optional).
• Then, drizzle a few teaspoons of Rose Syrup at the base and all over the glass.
• Add a few teaspoons of Sabja Seeds over it.
• Then, place a few tablespoons of Falooda Sev/Vermicelli over it.
• Gently pour in the Rose Milk/Sweetened Milk/Rabri/Rabdi.
  
• Place a Kulfi over the above ingredients.  Can cut the Kulfi into Slices of 2 or 4.
• Alternatively can serve it with a scoop of Ice cream.
  
• Now, drizzle some more Rose Syrup over the ingredients.
• Garnish heartily with finely chopped nuts of your choice & Saffron Strands.
• Serve Falooda chilled, immediately. 

 

FALOODA

NOTES:

• For sweetened Milk Base, can simply blend Milk(Boiled & chilled) along with Condensed Milk and use it as a Milk base.
  
• I have added Vermicelli/Semiya in this recipe instead of Falooda Sev.  Cook according to the instruction & then once cooked, leave it in cold water for a few minutes.
• This is to avoid getting the Vermicelli/Falooda Sev sticking to each other.
• Adjust the amount of Rose Syrup to suit your preference.
• Garnish Falooda with your choice of Nuts or dry fruits.
• Can serve Falooda with fresh fruits/jelly.