Summer for me means “Falooda” for dessert every other day as this is easily one of my top favorites!! This sweet ice cream drink/dessert is very popular in the South Asian cuisine. It’s also a very refreshing drink with soaked sweet basil seeds & a cooling rose syrup – making it perfect to be enjoyed on a hot summer day!
I make my Falooda by taking a tall glass and adding a Orzo and milk kheer mixture, layered by soaked basil seeds, red & green jello, delicious vanilla/kulfi ice cream, yummy chopped/puréed mangoes, more jello, chopped nuts and then drizzled with rose syrup! Lip smacking, mouth watering glass of deliciousness is ready to beat the heat! 😋😋
The reason for using Orzo pasta is that it’s so hard to find and make Falooda Vermicelli here in the US. I used to use thin angel pasta but the pasta used to get very hard and crusty in the drink. I decided to experiment with Orzo and hit the jack pot! Not only it’s easier to drink the Orzo kheer mixture with a straw, they taste very similar to the Falooda Vermicelli. A win win for me!
Falooda
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- Milk, whole – 4 cups
- Sugar – 1 1/4 cups
- Orzo pasta – 1/2 cup
- Butter – 1 tbsp
- Desiccated, unsweetened coconut – 1 tbsp
- Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
- Heavy cream – 1/2 cup
- Condensed milk – 2 tbsp (optional)
- Vanilla essence – 1 tbsp
Method:
- In a heavy bottomed pot, mix in milk and sugar. Set the pot on medium heat and bring the milk to a boil. Add in Orzo pasta and butter. Cook on low heat for an hour. Keep stirring after every 15 minutes.
- Add in coconut powder, cardamom powder and turn off heat.
- Let the mixture cool outside on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes.
- Whisk in heavy cream, vanilla essence and condensed milk.
- Cover tightly with cling film and refrigerate for atleast 4-5 hours but preferably overnight.
To make Falooda you need:
- Strawberry/banana/raspberry jello
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- Mango chopped/puréed
- 1tbsp sweet basil seeds soaked for a few hours in 3 tbsp water
- 2 tsp rose syrup
- Chopped pistachios/almonds
- Vanilla/kulfi ice cream
Method:
Enjoy!
With love,
Leena
What Leena Did 