While you are here check out popular Indian street food recipes and also Indian desserts that you can make at home.
What is falooda?
Falooda is a unique rose-flavored layered dessert drink derived from the Persian dessert faloodeh. This dessert is made with sabja seeds, faluda sev, milk, rose syrup, and jelly, topped with ice cream and nuts. Faluda is popular street food in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, etc. It is also available in all ice cream parlors. Apart from popular chaats and snacks that Indian street food is famous for, there are a few desserts too, among which Faluda is most popular and liked by many. It comes in different flavors, from royal falooda, kulfi, and mango to pista and more. Check out our rasgulla falooda we created for Diwali. This Indian dessert is royal, rich, full of calories, and is heavy. It is similar to mango mastani. You will need both a straw and a spoon to enjoy this dessert.
Ingredients for Falooda
Rose syrup / Rose sharbat / Rooh Afza: It is this rose syrup that makes your drink pink in color gives it a special fragrance and refreshing flavor. I have used Rose Sharbat (Gulab Sharbat) from Patanjali. Sabja Seeds / Sweet Basil Seeds / Tukmaria Seeds: This gives you the cooling effect that is much needed in summer. If you are not able to find them, you can substitute them with chia seeds. Falooda Sev: These are vermicelli made using corn flour. You can substitute this with regular vermicelli or even angel hair pasta. Whole Milk: Make sure the milk is chilled. You can use almond milk if you like a vegan version of this recipe. Tutti Frutti: I had this available in my pantry, so I added them. You can use even dry fruits instead. Vanilla Ice cream: This tastes the best with vanilla ice cream, but feel free to top it with your favorite ones. Some of the flavors are mango, pistachios, almond (badam), anjeer (fig), etc. Jelly: This is totally optional, but it enhances the taste and texture. Strawberry jelly is commonly used. But you can substitute it with any fruit-based jelly (jello). See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Falooda?
To make falooda, I would say prepare the ingredients needed well in advance. That is soaking the sabja seeds, cooking sev, and making the jello if you are using it. This way, you can save your time. Next, while layering the dessert, the amount of ingredients added depends on the size of the serving glass. So, to conclude, in my opinion, you need to know the ingredients that go into the dessert. You can vary the amounts as per your taste and the way you like to present it. My preferred order for serving falooda is: First, add sabja seeds, followed by falooda sev, rose milk, and jelly. Top this with vanilla ice cream and garnish it with tutti frutti or dry fruits.
Tips
Falooda is one of the best make-ahead desserts for your Diwali, Thanksgiving, or Christmas party. You can soak basil seeds, prepare the jelly, or even cook the noodles and keep them in the refrigerator 2 to 3 days in advance. For the best results, see that all items are chilled. Assemble only when you are ready to serve. You can check how to make the jelly if you love to add it. The sweetness from the rose syrup is sufficient for the faluda. Based on the brand of rose syrup you choose, add or skip the sugar. If sabja or chia seeds are unavailable, you can add boiled sabudana or tapioca pearls. For kulfi falooda, use kulfi (Indian frozen dessert) instead of regular vanilla ice cream. To make it easier, faluda mixes are also readily available in the market.
Variations
Rose falooda is a royal ice cream dessert and our all-time favorite, but here are some variations you can try. Rabri Falooda: Instead of milk to make a richer version for festivals or special occasions, you can add rabri to make rabri falooda. Kulfi Falooda: Instead of using regular vanilla ice cream, kulfi or an Indian frozen dessert is used. This falooda kulfi complements very well with the remaining ingredients. Mango falooda: Fresh mango puree or mango syrup is used instead of rose syrup. All other ingredients remain the same. Kesar Pista Falooda: Made during festivals like Diwali, where the milk is infused with saffron or kesar and crushed pistachios are added. All other ingredients remain the same. Chocolate Falooda: Kids love this version, where the rose syrup is substituted with chocolate syrup or cocoa powder.
More Indian Dessert Drinks
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Recipe card
