Happy New Year 2010 with Rose Falooda

I wish all of you a wonderful new year 2010. I had been to my #1 favorite destination - Mumbai, my hometown. I feel rejuvenated, connected, happy and still a little sad to be back. Gudiya had a great time too. I realized how blogging helps me personally. When I started blogging two years back, I had come back from India trip and was feeling restless and was missing home, family & India. and then around that time, I started blogging. and blogging kept me going. I felt connected to my roots while being away from family. Now, that I am back, and as I was missing my family back home, I felt the urge to blog.

Let's kick off this new year with something sweet. How about Falooda? Parsis drink/eat this on their Parsi New year. In Mumbai, there are many restaurants famous for Falooda from Badshah to Kailash Parbat, people will argue about the best falooda in Mumbai. To be perfectly honest, I am not a huge Falooda fan. It was the most favorite sweet/beverage/dessert of my grandmother. As a result, falooda was made quite frequently at least once a year - on my grandmother's birthday. My aunt makes a stunning falooda making even those falooda noodles at home. I was skeptical about my skills but I followed her recipe and it worked out!! Yay! Making falooda is really easy but taking pictures is very difficult for me.

Falooda

Layered Sweet Drink

Ingredients

1 tbsp subza seeds/takmaria/tuLshiche bee

1 tbsp rose syrup - per glass like Rooh Afza/Dabur/Rasna Shahi Gulab

1 tbsp falooda sev - per glass

Milk

1 scoop of vanilla ice-cream

Garnish (optional)

Dry fruits

or

cream crackers (not those diet types!)

or

small scoop of jelly

Method

1. Soak subza seeds/takmaria in water for 4-5 hours. Set aside. The seeds will swell and will tripple or quadruple in quantity.

2. Make falooda sev/noodles according to the directions described here. Set aside in the ice-cold water.

3. Take tall glasses for serving the falooda.

4. Pour drained subza seeds - about 1 tbsp per glass or as needed - at the bottom of the glass.

5. Now carefully, pour rose syrup - 1 tbsp per glass.

6. Now add falooda noodles

7. Using a small container, pour milk carefully and slowly over the falooda sev. Make sure you do not make any haste as the layers should remain separated. Your pouring action should be gentle.

8. If you are ready to serve, you can add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Top with optional garnishes as needed. If you are not ready to serve, cover the glass with saran wrap and place carefully in the fridge. You shouldn't move the glass too much while keeping in the fridge. and just when you are ready to serve, add ice-cream.

Note -

1. You need to do the pouring milk part very gently and slowly for getting the visible layers.

2. Full fat milk will give better results. If you have time, boil milk and simmer for few minutes. Take out 1/2 cup milk and mix with 1 tbsp cornflour. Stir well so no lumps are formed and add back to the boiling milk to simmer for 15 more minutes. This step thickens the milk.

3. If you do not wish to make falooda noodles at home, they are readily available at the local Indian stores in the dry form. They are yellow in color.