Falooda or faluda is a popular Indian summer dessert drink made with various layered elements like milk, ice cream, and rose syrup. Served in both restaurants and on the streets of many Indian cities such as Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Pune.
First come the Sabja seeds, known as tukmaria seeds (sweet basil seeds), followed by falooda sev (thin corn starch or arrowroot flour vermicelli) and rose syrup.
Then, cold milk is poured, which is finally topped with ice cream or jam and garnished with nuts or dried fruits (cashews, almonds, pistachios), and even glazed cherries.
An optional element is jelly (jello). Any fruit-flavored jelly can be added.
Nam manglak, a Thai concoction spun from rose water, basil seeds, and sugar, is a distant cousin, like bubble tea.
▶▶ My version includes MANGO, India’s national fruit, blended with sugar and almond milk, added to the layers. Topping with rose petals and almond slivers. Hazelnut ice cream and almond milk.
▶Sweet basil seeds are hard to find in Italy, I replaced them with chia seeds and used rice vermicelli instead of corn starch.
Video from the ViaggiandoMangiando on-air episode dedicated to Falooda, HERE.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: Summer, All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons rose syrup
- 6 teaspoons sabja seeds (or chia seeds)
- 1.76 oz vermicelli (corn starch or rice – Falooda sev)
- 1 mango
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons hazelnut ice cream (or flavor of your choice)
- as needed dried fruits (almond slivers, pistachio pieces…)
- 1 Blender multi-function
Steps
Soak the sabja seeds (or chia seeds) in 3/4 cup of water for 30 minutes, then drain.
Cook the vermicelli (falooda sev) in boiling water, then drain, cool with cold water, and break them.
Cut the mango and make a puree by blending it with some sugar and a little almond milk (keep some mango pieces aside).
Compose the layers. For each glass:
– 1 tablespoon of rose syrup
– 1 teaspoon of sabja seeds
– 2 tablespoons of falooda sev
– 2 tablespoons of mango puree
– 1/4 cup of cold almond milk
– 1 teaspoon of sabja seeds
– 1 tablespoon of mango puree
– 1/4 cup of cold almond milk
– mango pieces
– ice cream
– dried fruits for decoration
Ice as well as ice cream is optional.
As mentioned, sabja seeds (or tukmaria) are quite hard to find in our supermarkets, but you can purchase online.
As mentioned, sabja seeds (or tukmaria) are quite hard to find in our supermarkets, but you can purchase online.
Check out my review on the AMZCHEF ZM5003 blender
