Falooda is a delicious dessert/drink of milk, sweet noodles and basil seeds, that is popular in South Asia, the Middle East and in parts of South East Asia.
1handfulFalooda sev/vermicelli for Indian desserts
500mlfresh whole milksemi skimmed will work too
2Tbspwhite sugar
2cardamomssplit
2Tbsprose syrupshop bought or homemade, click for the cheat's version
2scoops vanilla ice cream
crushed toasted pistachios or almonds
crushed, edible rose petalsoptional
Instructions
Prep the sweetened milk
Place the milk, sugar and cardamom in a small pan and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye on it, as it will suddenly rise.
Cook on a gentle simmer for 15 minutes.
Scoop the cardamom skin out and pour the milk into a fresh bowl/jug. The cardamom seeds will be at the bottom of the pan for easy removal. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours.
Basil Seeds (halfway through the milk chilling)
Soak the basil seeds at room temperature water for 2 hours.
Falooda Sev (the noodles)
To soften the sev/vermicelli, cook in simmering water for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.
ASSEMBLY - 2 methods:
Add everything separately
Essentially, we'll divide everything up into 2 and add them to the serving glasses.
Place a tsp of seeds into each glass.
Divide the sev into the 2 glasses too.
Pour 1 tsp of rose syrup over the sev in each glass.
Gently, pour the milk into the glass, not quite to the top. Pouring the milk over the back of a tsp ensures as little disturbance to the syrup as possible.
Top with a scoop of ice cream.
Scatter some nuts and rose petals.
Mixing everything together as in the picture
Add the noodles, the basil seeds and the rose syrup to the milk and stir well.
Divide the mix into 2 glasses.
Top with ice cream.
Scatter the nuts and rose petals all over the top.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Total time does not include chilling and soaking times.