strawberry falooda deconstructed

welcoming summer with this deconstructed recipe of strawberry falooda. in my part of the world, summer has already begun. the winter winds and chills have gone and one can feel the temperatures rising slowly and steadily.

growing up having falooda at home or in restaurants….. after going vegan, amongst the many indian desserts (rasogulla, gulab jamun, kalakand, sandesh) i thought the one i would miss the most was falooda.

during summers, when dining in restaurants, the whole family would always order falooda with ice cream for a dessert. mom would sometimes make falooda during festivals or celebrations. so its one dessert, i have some fond memories associated with… the others being gulab jamun and gajar halwa/beetroot halwa.

so i have succeeded in making gajar halwa, falooda and seviyan kheer with almond milk. gulab jamun i failed miserably… but i hope i will succeed in making a vegan version of gulab jamun soon.

falooda is a beverage which is made with milk flavored with rose syrup or rooh afza and to which soaked basil seeds and falooda (corn starch vermicelli) are added. dry fruits are added as a garnish and it is served in a tall glasses, plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. sometimes even fruit based jelly is added. its a cooling dessert as both rose and basil seeds are cooling for the body.

the vermicelli is made from corn starch and they are soft & smooth. thats the best part of the falooda along with the basil seeds. i used to find the rose syrups heavily scented with rose and too artificially made. i still like rooh afza though.

now in this deconstructed strawberry falooda recipe:

• almond milk replaces cow’s milk
• gulkand or rose preserve/jam replaces rose syrup
• whole wheat vermicelli replaces corn starch vermicelli
• the pink color comes from fresh strawberries
• there is no jelly added in this one

so the result is a healthy falooda recipe devoid of artificial colors, preservatives etc and vegan too. strawberries are still in season, so you can try making this recipe before the strawberry season goes away.

if you have falooda sev or vermicelli (corn starch ones) you can still add these to the falooda. other seasonal sweet berries can also be used instead of strawberries. fruits like mangoes, papaya can also be added. you can either puree the fruits or macerate them with sugar. instead of rose preserve, you can add your favorite homemade  jam too. but keep one kind of fruit puree and fruit jam… avoid mix and match. for eg if making mango falooda, then add the mango puree and mango jam.

i share step by step method of making this deconstructed strawberry falooda and its easy:

1: hull & chop the strawberries. add sugar.

2: mix well and keep in the fridge. let the strawberries macerate in sugar for 30 mins.

3: pic the seeds for stones etc. then soak the basil seeds in enough water for 30 minutes or more. these seeds are called as sabja in hindi and even called as tukmaria seeds. they are different from chia seeds. basil seeds do not have any flavor of their own. pic below of the basil seeds.

4: after soaking the seeds for half an hour, they swell and become gelatinous. drain the water and keep the soaked seeds handy. these seeds can be soaked in the fridge and kept overnight in the fridge.

5: pic of macerated strawberries below. you can even the puree the strawberries if you want.

6: heat water and add the roasted whole wheat vermicelli. otherwise check for the package instructions and cook accordingly.

7: simmer the vermicelli till the they get soft and cooked.

8: drain the water and keep aside covered. let the vermicelli be completely cooled down before adding it to the falooda.

9: now take chilled almond milk and add gulkand/rose petal preserve to it. stir well. check for sweetness and add more if required.

9: take the glasses. add 2 teaspoon of soaked basil seeds.

10: now add 2 teaspoon of the cooked vermicelli.

11: add 1 or 2 tbsp the macerated strawberries along with the syrup.

12: stir the almond milk (as the some of the dried rose petals from the gulkand settles down) and add the milk in the glasses.

13: add some more of the basil seeds & vermicelli.

14: then again the strawberries & the almond milk again.

16: top some halved or chopped pistachois or cashews on top.

17: add ice cubes if you prefer or add a scoops of vanilla ice cream and serve immediately.

deconstructed strawberry falooda recipe details below:

strawberry falooda deconstructed

 

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Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

falooda is a summer cooler indian dessert. a recipe made healthy and veganized.

Author: dassana

Recipe type: dessert

Cuisine: indian

Serves: 3 glasses

Ingredients

• 1 cup chilled almond milk
• 3-4 tbsp gulkand (add more if required)
• 2 tsp basil seeds dissolved in 1 cup water
• ½ cup whole wheat roasted vermicelli
• 5-6 unsalted pistachois, sliced or chopped
• 6-7 large strawberries
• 2 tbsp organic unrefined cane sugar

Instructions

1. hull, rinse the strawberries.
2. add some sugar to the berries and stir well.
3. keep the strawberries in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.
4. cook the vermicelli with enough water till they become soft and cooked.
5. drain and keep aside to cool.
6. soak the basil seeds in enough water for 30 minutes till they swell.
7. strain the basil seeds.
8. stir the gulkand/rose preserve in the almond milk.
9. assemble all the ingredients for the falooda.
10. beginning with the soaked basil, then the cooked vermicelli, followed by strawberries and almond milk layer the glasses. you can have one or two layers.
11. serve the falooda immediately.

Notes

if you do not have gulkand, then just sweeten the almond milk with sugar and add some edible rose water to it.

make sure that the vermicelli is completely cooled. if its even slightly warm, it will split the almond milk

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 3

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