Indian falooda is the decadent sweet of my childhood

Falooda takes me back to the carefree days of chilled vermicelli laced with luxurious ingredients like rose syrup, ice-cream, pistachios and more in glasses.

Falooda: an opulent Indian dessert. Source: Bhavna Kalra

Growing up in a middle-class Indian household meant we didn't eat out much, so when we did, my brother and I got excited.

When we accompanied our mum to the local market, we hoped that if we behaved ourselves, she would treat us. If she did, she did so with a pav bhaji (vegetables in a spice mix, served with soft dinner rolls coated with butter) followed by my favourite dessert, falooda (also faloodeh).

It was the best thing ever.

This dessert features vermicelli noodles with several sweet delicacies, including basil seeds, rose syrup, rabri (thickened milk), jelly, kulfi or ice-cream, chilled milk and dried fruits and nuts. My brother and I usually shared one serve between us so mum supervised to make sure we divided it equally. It was the best thing ever. 

Falooda came to India from Persia during the Mughal period. The word falooda means shredded, and the thin vermicelli noodles that give the dessert its name can be made with wheat, arrowroot, cornstarch or sago.

There are wide variations of falooda. Source: Bhavna Kalra

In his book, The story of our food, food historian K. T. Achaya says that when Mughal emperor Jahangir travelled to Iran, he was swayed by its opulence, including food such as falooda. It's understood that he continued to enjoy it back in India, and it went on to become popular throughout India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, where it has taken on several variations. 

The shops in the small town of Ulhasnagar where I grew up didn't serve falooda with basil seeds. Instead, the falooda had vermicelli and all the other add-ons.

My parents have since moved to another town, but no trip to India is complete without trekking to my favourite falooda shop. And even after all these years, every bite reminds me of when my brother and I had bellies full of buttery pav bhaji and falooda and it felt like we had conquered the world. 

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Falooda

Makes 2

Ingredients

Base 

• ½ cup vermicelli 
• 1 cup water

or

• ½ tbsp sabja seeds (sweet basil seeds) or chia seeds
• 2 cups water 

Additions

• Flavoured sweet syrup such as rose-, mango- or pistachio-flavoured syrup
• Chilled cold milk to fill the glasses that you will serve the dessert in 
• Ice-cream (I usually pair my ice-cream flavour with the syrup flavour) – alternatively, you can use Indian ice-cream kulfi 

Optional

• 3 tbsp chilled rabri (thickened milk)
• 1 glazed cherry
• Handful chopped nuts
• Jelly

Method

1. If you use vermicelli, cook the noodles as per the packet instructions. Strain them and put them in cold water with ice to stop them from sticking. 
2. If you use sabja seeds, soak them in water for 30 mins. Once they swell, strain them and keep them aside.
3. In each of the 2 tall glasses, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vermicelli, followed by the basil seeds. 
4. Then add 1 or 2 tablespoons of syrup to each glass.
5. Add milk so that each glass is ¾ full. 
6. Add a scoop of ice-cream or kulfi to each glass. 
7. Add the rabri.
8. Drizzle more syrup on top of the ice-cream. 
9. Add chopped nuts and/or a glazed cherry to each.
10. Put the jelly on top.
11. Serve chilled immediately and enjoy. 

Notes: 

• You can skip the milk and add all the components in a glass bowl and serve. 
• You can find kulfi and rabri in most Indian stores in the freezer section.
• Rose syrup is easily available in any Indian store.
• You can make a vegan version by using coconut milk and vegan ice-cream. 
• Another version of falooda involves soaking basil seeds in water till they swell up, and serving them with chilled rose milk and vanilla ice-cream.