Falooda (Wimbledon Themed)

Falooda

Falooda dessert in Wimbledon theme

Falooda

Falooda dessert in traditional serving

Falooda

Falooda dessert in Wimbledon theme

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Wimbledon has a very special place in my heart. Since my childhood / teenage years I have been fan of Wimbledon. There was no satellite T.V. in those days so it was telecast on National Television. Watching the Men’s and Women’s final used to be a family affair. Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Martina Navratilova were the heroes of that time. That love for Wimbledon has grown over the years. I thoroughly enjoy watching the games of some great champions as well as some new talents who are champions in making.

Being a foodie, another key element of Wimbledon that always fascinated me was strawberries with cream. After coming to England, that was the first thing I tried as soon as Strawberry season started. Nowadays, Banana has become the favourite Wimbledon fruit but for me, Strawberries and cream has a strong association with Wimbledon as any other tennis fan.

Next in the summer drink series is a very delicious, colourful and healthy drink. It is rose milk with basil seeds. This wonderful drink is also a very essential ingredient for a scrumptious, elegant dessert called Falooda. To celebrate Wimbledon season, I am serving this traditional Falooda plated in a Wimbledon theme.

Rose Milk with Basil seeds

Rose milk with basil seeds is a very popular summer drink. It can be easily prepared. Basil seeds or Sabja seeds has an array of health benefits such as controlling blood sugar, reducing the body heat, aids weight loss etc. Rose syrup is known for its delicate fragrance and also helps cool the body temperature and has a calming effect. Milk also helps to cool down and give some relief from the scorching heat. Combination of these three ingredients make a divine drink.

Preparation time : 5 minutes

Total Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 4

Ingredients

Dry Basil Seeds - 1 tablsepoon

Rose Syrup - 4- 6 tablespoons

Chilled Milk - 4 cups

Water - 1/2 cup

Directions

Soak basil seeds in ½ cup of water and keep it for at least 20 minutes.

Basil seeds will swell and will be ready to use. It will make approximately 4 tablespoons of soaked seeds.

To serve one - In a tall glass, add a tablespoon of basil seeds, 1-1½ tablespoon of rose syrup and a cup of milk. Stir well and serve immediately. Repeat the process for the rest of the servings.

Falooda (Wimbledon Themed)

Falooda is a favourite dessert is India. It is an adaptation of original Iranian dessert Fallodeh. It is served in a tall glass. Typical ingredients are rose syrup with milk and basil seeds, vermicelli, jelly and occasionally some fruits. It is topped with ice-cream, cream and nuts etc. All these ingredients contribute to give this dessert different flavours. The fragrances, colours and textures make this a very enticing dessert. There are variants of this traditional recipe such as Mango or Strawberry flavoured Falooda.

I am serving this traditional Falooda with pistachio ice-cream, strawberry and cream. Plating has been inspired to represent key elements associated with Wimbledon.

Preparation time : 10-15 minutes

Total Time : 2 – 2 ½ hours (includes the time to set jelly)

Serves : 4

Ingredients

Dry Basil Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Rose syrup 4-6 tablespoons

Vermicelli - 2 heaped tablespoons

Khus Jelly - 4 tablespoons (recipe below)

Strawberry Jelly - 4 tablespoons

Chilled milk - 4 cups

Pistachio nuts finely chopped for garnishing

Pistachio ice-cream - 4 scoops

Ingredients For Plating

Strawberries

Whipped Cream - few dollops

Directions

Soak basil seeds in ½ cup of water and keep it for at least 20 minutes.

Basil seeds will swell and will be ready to use. It will make approximately 4 tablespoons of soaked seeds.

To make strawberry jelly follow the instructions on the pack.

Follow the instructions given below to make khus jelly.

In a small pan, add vermicelli and ½ cup of water. Boil on medium heat for 5 minutes until cooked. Drain and keep aside to cool.

Mix rose syrup and milk in a jar and stir well. Keep in the refrigerator till it is ready to serve.

Assembly (For 1 serving)

In a tall glass, add a scant tablespoon each of basil seeds and vermicelli.

Add a tablespoon each of strawberry and khus jelly pieces.

Add rose milk and top with pistachio ice-cream.

Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts and its ready to serve.

Khus Jelly

Preparation time : 7-10 minutes

Total Time : 2 hours (includes the time to set jelly)

Serves : 4

Directions

In a pan, add hot water and khus syrup. Stir well. Heat it on low heat.

In a small sauce pan, mix cold water and agar agar. On low heat, cook agar agar by continuously mixing to avoid formation of lumps.

When agar agar is dissolved, add this mixture to khus syrup water. Mix well. Turn off the heat.

Add cold water. Stir well. Pour the mixture into the glass container and keep it in the fridge to set.

Note - Khus syrup is generally sweetened so no need to add additional sugar.