Falooda
A tall, chilled rose-milk dessert drink layered with vermicelli, basil seeds, jelly and ice cream. Serve it at iftar parties, summer gatherings or whenever a cold treat is wanted.
Published 1 Oct 2026Tested by Hina Ikram
Ingredients
Equipment: Saucepan, 4 tall glasses, long spoons, small bowls, sieve
Method
Stir the sabja into 200 ml cold water in a small bowl. Leave for 15 minutes until each seed has swelled and is surrounded by a clear jelly coat.
Bring 1 litre of water to a rolling boil in a saucepan. Break the falooda sev into short lengths and add to the water.
Cook the sev for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent with no hard white core. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water.
Toss the cooled sev with 1 tablespoon of the rose syrup so it does not clump. Keep it in the fridge until needed.
Stir the sugar and the remaining rose syrup into the chilled milk until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust sweetness; the milk should be a pale pink.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of rose syrup into the bottom of each tall glass. Add a spoonful of soaked sabja, then a layer of sev and a few jelly cubes.
Pour the rose milk slowly over the layers until each glass is about three-quarters full.
Top each glass with a scoop of ice cream. Scatter over the pistachios, almonds and a little more sabja, and serve at once with a long spoon.
Cooking tips
- Chill the milk and the glasses beforehand so the ice cream melts slowly and the drink stays cold.
- Do not soak sabja for more than 30 minutes, or the seeds turn mushy.
- Rinse the cooked sev well in cold water; the starch left on it makes it stick together.
- Add the ice cream last so the layers stay visible and the drink does not turn thin.
Substitutions
- Use kewra or rose essence with a drop of pink food colour if you have no rose syrup.
- Use cooked fine rice vermicelli or thin cornflour noodles if falooda sev is not available.
- Use kulfi instead of ice cream for a richer, denser topping.
- Use low-fat milk if you prefer a lighter drink; the texture will be thinner.
Serve with
Serve in tall glasses with long spoons and thick straws. It works well as a dessert after a spicy meal such as biryani or at iftar.
Storage
Keep the components separate. Cooked sev and soaked sabja keep in the fridge for 1 day, and the rose milk for 2 days. Assemble just before serving.
Reheating
Not applicable; serve cold. Loosen the chilled sev with a splash of cold water if it has firmed up.
Nutrition per serving, estimated
Estimated from the ingredient list. Values vary with brands and portion size.
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