falooda

Although it has been feeling like summer for many weeks now, today it is official – Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere!  A season where I find myself using superlatives: bluest skies, greenest trees, hottest days, sweetest fruits and most colorful flowers!  Quite the lovely time of year.

So to commemorate the official start to the season, I decided to make Falooda, a childhood favorite of mine and now my child’s.  More of a dessert than a drink, it was a special summer treat as kids.  The intense, almost garish pink color and the scoop of ice-cream floating on top was the main attraction with the delicate scent of roses being a distant afterthought.  Which is just the opposite as an adult.  Now, whenever we order it in a restaurant, I cringe at the shocking pink color with words like preservatives and artificial colors racing through my mind and I silently remind myself that I really should be trying to make it at home.

On cue, I spotted a rose bush with lovely red roses in my friend’s yard.  The excited look on my face when I found out that they were pesticide-free was enough and her kids ran in to get a pair of scissors and container for the roses!  What came of it was a rose syrup, delicate with the scent of roses and colored ruby red with a touch of beet juice.

With origins in Persia and called faloodeh – a rose scented ice slushy with some lemon juice and cornstarch/rice vermicelli, served topped with sour cherry syrup, the drink was introduced in India by the Mughals.  Over time, it got its Indian touch by the addition of subja seeds and pink rose syrup.

There are many versions of it now.  In the north, it is served with thickened and sweetened milk called Rabdi and topped with Kulfi.  The one I am most familiar with is served in tall glasses, layered with rose syrup, milk, sweet basil (subja) seeds, vermicelli and a scoop of ice-cream on top.  It is quite heavy and filling so I prefer to serve it as a dessert at the end of a lighter Indian meal.  I also like to use 1% or 2% milk and use a light hand for the vermicelli and subja seeds.  You can certainly add more if you like.

If you can find some ready-made organic rose syrup, use that by all means.  The basil seeds (subja/tukmaria) are available quite easily in Indian stores.  They become a bit gelatinous when soaked in water and are supposed to have cooling properties. Chia seeds make an excellent substitute.

Falooda

(For 4 servings)

Print Recipe

4 cups milk (24 oz/1L/1 quart) (Use milk that is 2% or higher)
3/4 tbsp subja/tukmaria seeds (1 tbsp of chia seeds)
1/2 cup (1.5 oz/45 gms) dried rice sticks/vermicelli
12 tbsp rose syrup
4 scoops vanilla ice-cream
4 tall glasses (about 12 oz size)

Rose Syrup
3/4 cup fresh rose petals or 1/2 cup dried organic petals
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp rose water (I use this brand)
1 tbsp fresh beet, grated
2 tsp lemon juice

For the rose syrup:

Wash the fresh rose petals well and drain the water(I used a salad spinner).  If using dried, boil the 1 cup water along with an additional 1/4 cup water and pour over the dried petals.  Let it soak for a couple of hours.

Put the sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Add the rose petals and boil on medium flame for about 10 mins until the syrup starts to thicken and turn pink in color.

Lower heat and add the lemon juice and grated beet.  Boil for another 3-4 mins.  The syrup should be thick and sticky.

Turn off the stove and add the rose water.  Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

For the Falooda:

Soak the subja/chia seeds in 1/2 cup of water until they fluff up and become jelly like.  The subja seeds take about 1/2 hr but the chia seeds need longer (I do it overnight).

Bring some water to a boil and add the rice sticks/vermicelli.  Cook until soft but not mushy.  Drain and transfer to ice cold water.

To assemble:

Add 3 tbsp rose syrup to each of the glasses.  Then slowly pour a cup of milk into each, letting it flow gently along the wall of the glass.  You want to preserve the layers and not want the milk to mix with the rose syrup.

Divide the cooked rice sticks into 4 portions and add to the glass. (They might sink to the bottom depending on how thick they are).

Add 1/4 of the soaked seeds to each glass and top with a scoop of the very best vanilla cream you can get a hold of!

Stir with a spoon and enjoy!