Strawberry Cheesecake Falooda Indian Desserts

What is Falooda?

Falooda is a cooling milkshake, prepared with sweet basil seeds, vermicelli (noodles), milk jelly and ice cream It is usually flavoured with rose, although other flavours like pistachio, mango, custard apple and even butterscotch are common.

What are some other types of Falooda?

Other super popular variations of falooda incude: Falooda with ice cream, falooda with kulfi, falooda with rooh afza (a type of syrup used for rose drinks), falooda with jelly, falooda with custard and falooda with condensed milk.

Kulfi Falooda

A famous style of Indian falooda is Kulfi Falooda, which consists of kulfi with all the classic falooda toppings. However, this version is usually on a plate or in a bowl, without milk. Today, I’ll teach you how to make my signature Strawberry Cheesecake Falooda. The rosy milkshake is rich with mascarpone and juicy strawberries, while the topping is a moreish combination of ice cream and biscuit crumbs, a la diner-style cheesecake. Did I mention the vanilla milk jelly yet?

Where does Falooda come from?

This refreshing dessert/drink has Persian roots and most likely came to India during the reign of the Mughal dynasty. ‘Faloodeh’ (فالوده) is the Persian name for it. It is said to originate from Shiraz, Iran. The popularity of this preparation spans from Western Asia, to Southern Asia and even into parts of Africa. ‘Alouda’ is the name for it in Mauritius.

What seeds are in Falooda?

Falooda contains sweet basil seeds, also known as ‘takmaria’ or ‘sabja’. They are often mistaken for chia seeds, since both of them swell upon contact with water. Unsoaked sweet basil seeds are black in colour. Once soaked, they look like frogspawn; White with a small black dot inside. Sweet basil seeds are a fairly common addition to drinks, since they have long been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for their supposed cooling effect on the body. For this reason, they widely consumed in warm climates. Basil seeds are particularly high in fiber.

How to prepare takmaria/sabja (sweet basil seeds)

To prepare 15 grams (one tablespoon takmaria)

Place the dry, black takmaria in a bowl. Cover with 100 millilitres of cold water, mix briefly and allow to stand for 5 minutes. They will turn from black to white and take on a jelly-like texture on the outside. After this, the takmaria/sweet basil seeds are ready to use.

Can I make Falooda with chia seeds?

Since chia seeds behave in the same way as takmaria, it’s perfectly acceptable to substitute one for the other. Takmaria may not always be available and chia seeds can be found in most supermarkets now. I buy takmaria from my local Indian shop.

What kind of rose syrup should I use for Strawberry Cheesecake Falooda?

I use T.G Kiat Rose Syrup from Singapore in my falooda, but you can use any good-quality rose syrup.

What is Falooda sev?

Falooda sev is typically a corn or sago starch noodle, similar in texture to rice noodles. Since falooda sev is the most difficult of the two to find, you can use thin rice vermicelli (noodles) in falooda instead. Feel free to hunt down falooda sev if you would like to make a more traditional version. Classic falooda sev is typically coloured with pink, yellow, or green for cute presentation.

Agar-agar for Strawberry Cheesecake Falooda

Milk jelly is a core component of falooda. As is the case in many Asian jelly desserts, agar-agar is the gelling agent of choice. This is an ingredient derived from seaweed so unlike gelatin, is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Buy agar agar in either a solid form or powder. My recipe uses the sponge-style agar agar, but powder is much easier to work with since it dissolves fairly quickly.

How to make vegan Falooda

Despite falooda being a dairy-rich dish, it’s actually a very simple one to veganise. In the case of this Strawberry Cheesecake Falooda, make these simple swaps:

My life-long love of Falooda

We’re all big kids just waiting to be fed at heart, aren’t we? When I think of Falooda I think of my dad and the big smile that emerges on his face whenever he rumbles the fact there’s something sweet on the menu. We’re two peas in a pod. When I was little, he used to take the whole family to a favourite restaurant in either Leicester or Bradford on a Sunday afternoon and we’d have the most memorable family meals. Mum would order something classy and simple, Dad would get the thali and my brother and I would squabble over whether they put coriander in the daal or not. Regardless of what we were arguing about, Dad would always diffuse the situation by asking me the golden question: “Falooda?”. And that was all it took. I’d be content without coriander in the daal and no samosa starter because I knew I was getting to drink what is practically a dessert with my main meal. Happy days. Meet the Stawberry Cheesecake Falooda – a hybrid between two separate ends of the world. A bit like me, I suppose. Imagine this; all the gorgeousness of classic Falooda with the fruitiness of strawberries to compliment the delicate rose flavour, a hint of malt from the biscuits, the creaminess of Italian mascarpone and some strawberry ice cream to top it all off. This one’s all for you, Papa.Feasts. Don’t tell Mum.