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Falooda is a very popular Indian dessert/cold beverage with a variety of toppings/layers, ice cream or kulfi. Falooda is also very popular in Indonesia, Pakistan and Middle East but they prepare differently in different region and as per their taste. Traditionally, falooda is served in layers with a combination of basil seeds, jellies, fresh fruits, colourful vermicelli, rabadi (reduced milk), rose coloured and flavoured milk, ice cream or kulfi and for garnishing - cashews, almonds and pistachios. Falooda is a dessert and drink. You should serve falooda with a a spoon. Falooda is a great dessert in summers to quench thirst. It is cold, icy and filling as well.
For any basic falooda, you need rooh afza or rose syrup to prepare rose coloured and flavoured milk. Falooda sev is easily available in shops with different colours, sabja seeds and ice cream. Basil seeds are also known as sabja, sweet basil seeds, chia, tukmaria seeds. Basil seeds are healthy also, as they act as coolant for your body in summer. If you want to make it more exotic then fresh fruits like mango, apple, kiwi, peach, strawberries any fruit which you like, readymade jellies any colour and flavour, rabadi (reduced milk) and nuts you need. The only thing you need is to buy all these ingredients in advance and prepare rabadi (reduced milk), if you like. You can impress your guests; family members by serving falooda . I have prepared falooda as per my taste and the availability of ingredients.
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
Cuisine: India/Pakistan/Middle east
Serves: 2 to 3
Ingredients
- Falooda sev (boiled) – 1 cup
- Milk – 2 cups
- Sabja seeds – 1 tbsp
- Vanilla ice cream - 2 scoops
- Rooh afza - 5 tbsp
- Jelly (any colour) – 10
Rabadi
- Milk – 500 ml or 2 cups
- Sugar – 4 tsp (or as per taste)
- Green cardamom powder – 2 pinches
Garnishing
- Pistachios – 10
- Cashew nuts – 10
- Almonds (blanched) – 10
Method
- Soak almonds in hot water for a few minutes. Peel the skin and then chop or slice them. Keep ready.
- Roast the pistachios and cashews on a pan for few minutes on a low flame. Chop and keep aside.
- Sometimes I crush or grind the pistachios and cashews into a coarse powder and then use as garnishing for the falooda.
Rabdi
- First boil milk on a medium flame. Add cardamom powder, sugar and then cook at a low flame until it is reduced to 1/3 or half and rawness of milk is gone, keep stirring in between and it will start tasting like dessert.
- It will take 30 to 40 minutes. You can also prepare the rabdi in advance and refrigerate it.
- Soak sabja seeds in water for 1 hour or until they swell. Drain the water and keep aside. Sometimes I soak sabja seeds in rooh afza to get that dark pink colour.
- Boil falooda sev according to package instructions. When it is cooked, immediately rinse in cold water and keep it in the cold water for a few minutes to retain its colour. Drain and keep them aside. Let them cool completely.
- Add 1 cup of milk in a glass and then add 1 tbsp of rooh afza. Mix well and rose milk is ready. Depending on your taste, you can add less or more of rooh afza.
Preparing falooda
- Take 2 glasses, add 1 tbsp of sabja seeds in each glass at the bottom as first layer. Then add 2 tbsp of jelly as the second layer. Add falooda sev, then 2 tbsp of rabadi to the noodles for the sweetness.
- Add a few strawberries (chopped), add 2 tbsp rabdi, 1 tbsp jelly again, few falooda sev, rose milk as required. Do not fill to the top.
- Top with your favourite ice cream, garnish with chopped pistachios and cashews and sliced almonds. Drizzle some 1 tsp of rooh afza as garnishing on top for colour and look.
- You can layer the falooda as per your taste and choice. Sometimes I start layering with the noodles as first layer, jelly, then fruits like mango, peach and then other ingredients.
- I always prepare falooda as per my taste and the availability of ingredients.
- Serve falooda immediately as ice cream will melt.
Notes
- You can avoid rabdi to save time and instead just use rose milk.
- Rose milk is prepared with rose syrup, but you use rooh afza instead.
- As soon as the rose milk is poured, all the layers will get mixed. It is fine as it will give you the best taste.
