Falooda
1
- Prep Time15 min
- Total Time25 min
- Makes4 Servings
Produced by Sun Ngo; photography by Christie Vuong; food styling by Sage Dakota; prop styling by Rayna Schwartz.
The first time I tried this electric pink noodle dessert-meets-ice cream sundae was at Bombay Bhel restaurant in Mississauga, Ont., when I was a child. What a delight: the slip of cold noodles, the crunch of black basil seeds, and whole milk and vanilla ice cream to mix it all together. While rose syrup is commonly used in falooda, you can swap it for strawberry syrup if you wish. —Chantal Braganza
Ingredients
1 85-g pkg strawberry gelatin
¼ cup sweet basil seeds (see tip)
1 cup cooked rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in cold water
½ cup rose syrup, such as Rooh Afza, divided (see tip)
4 cups cold 3.25% or evaporated milk, divided
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
1 tbsp edible dried rose petals (optional)
Instructions
Prepare strawberry gelatin following package directions, then refrigerate until set. Once set, cut jelly into 1-in. squares and chill until ready to use.
Stir sweet basil seeds with ½ cup water in a medium bowl. Let stand until seeds develop a gel-like consistency, about 15 min.
Meanwhile, drain cooked vermicelli, then use kitchen shears to snip into manageable pieces that can be slurped through a straw.
To assemble, pour 2 tbsp rose syrup in each of 4 tall glasses or sundae cups. Top each with ½ cup milk. Stir gently to create an ombré effect without completely mixing syrup into milk. Layer each glass with ¼ cup vermicelli, 1 tbsp sweet basil seeds and ½ cup gelatin cubes, alternating each layer with 2 ½ tbsp milk.
Top with a big scoop of ice cream and garnish with chopped pistachios and rose petals, if desired. Serve immediately.
Kitchen Tips
- Sweet basil seeds, also known as tukmaria or sabja seeds, can be found online or in specialty South Asian grocery stores. If unavailable, substitute with black chia seeds.
- Rooh Afza is a popular rose-flavoured syrup found in the South Asian aisle of your local grocery store.
Get more cold, drinkable desserts in this recipe collection.
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Chantal Braganza is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is deputy editor, food at Chatelaine, a cookbook nerd, lover of vintage dish ware, and currently training for yoga teacher certification. Her first book, Story of Your Mother, is out with Strange Light Press.
