Growing up in Sri Lanka has a million advantages starting from the fact that your grandparents play a major role in your upbringing, which means you get to eat some of the tastiest food and drink. Grandmas in Sri Lanka are super chefs and they let you tag along when they go shopping, which could be to the grocery, Keells Super or the market close by. Moms, on the other hand, may prefer online shopping in Sri Lanka to save time, but neither party opposes when kids ask for falooda ingredients.
GrishmaRavi, Strawberry falloda with Vanilla Icecream 02, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Goodness and Greatness of Falooda
Falooda is a sweet pink liquid which is consumed chilled with a bit of jelly or ice cream mixed in. It is delicious, full of milky nutrients and satiates not only one’s thirst but also one’s hunger. A glass of falooda has the properties to entice everyone starting from little girls and boys right up to the grandparents who usually serve them. Falooda is even used as a placebo due to its densely pink appearance and pleasing sweetness, both of which have immediate healing effects on children.
The Ingredients
Unlike most other food and beverages, falooda does not have a million telltale signs of the magical ingredients that go in to it. However, the potion includes basil seeds, milk, sugar, falooda sev, rose syrup and nuts of your choice. As a quick alternative, there are ready to mix packs that can be purchased off the shelf at supermarkets, blended in with water, chilled and consumed to get the refreshing taste of falooda in a jiffy.
The Steps
The home cooking steps start with the soaking of basil seeds and the simultaneous thawing of milk and sugar on a stove. Falooda sev can be purchased from the store which would definitely save time for those who make falooda in a rush during summer days. However, using corn flour or sago, the falooda sev noodles can be made at home. These sev noodles are similar to what is used in kulfi, a popular Indian sweet. The milk should be boiled such that it reduced to about three-fourths of its original quantity; experts in the art believe that this increases the creamy texture while adding much to the taste. Once the milk and sugar mix is taken off the stove, rose syrup should be added to convert the mixture in to a lush pink liquid.
The Layers and the Presentation
To enjoy a really cold glass of falooda, one should chill the glasses in a refrigerator during the preparation time. The first ingredient to be poured into these chilled glasses is rose syrup and each person can choose the quantity as it is mostly to add colour and some extra sweetness. The syrup makes a thick, bright red base for the pink liquid and though it does not fuse itself into the liquid completely, it contributes to the sweetness. The milk based mixture should be poured in next, with the basil seeds which swim at the top of the glass and the garnishing coming in last of all. Nuts, scoops of ice cream or jelly are used to make the drink richer. This entire process would take up to an hour at most provided the ingredients are available.
The Modern Derivatives
Today, falooda has taken a completely new shape and form where fruits are mixed into the falooda to make it partially a fruit punch. It is also common to make pistachio, chocolate or strawberry flavoured falooda where the thick drink is garnished, layered or fused with these various add-ons which contribute towards a richer, thicker, tastier and more enjoyable beverage.