History
Falooda came to Bombay through Persian Zoroastrian migration in the late 19th century, arriving with the wider Irani cafe ecosystem. Irani cafes like Kyani and Co adopted the layered dessert-drink format with rose syrup, vermicelli, basil seeds and milk topped with kulfi or ice cream. Badshah at Crawford Market and Parsi Dairy Farm later made it city-wide signatures, and both still pour the classic recipe.
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Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 50g falooda sev (vermicelli) or rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons sabja seeds (sweet basil seeds), soaked in 200ml water 30 minutes
- 800ml chilled milk
- 4 tablespoons rose syrup (Rooh Afza)
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 4 small kulfis (sliced)
- Chopped pistachios for garnish
Method
- Cook falooda sev in boiling water 2 to 3 minutes until soft. Drain, rinse with cold water, set aside.
- Soak sabja seeds in 200ml water 30 minutes until they swell and become gel-like.
- In each tall glass: add 2 tablespoons soaked sabja, then a tangle of falooda sev.
- Pour 1 tablespoon rose syrup down one side of the glass.
- Top with 200ml chilled milk, leaving room.
- Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a slice of kulfi on top.
- Garnish with chopped pistachios and a final drizzle of rose syrup. Serve with a long spoon and a straw.
Tip from the editors. Soak the sabja seeds in plenty of water; under-soaked seeds are unpleasant. Serve immediately so the ice cream stays cold against the milk.
Where to eat falooda
Falooda in Mumbai
Kyani and Co ★ 4.8
Kyani and Co in Mumbai: irani cafe room. Mumbai's oldest Irani cafe (1904) hides behind a faded yellow facade on Marine Lines; the regulars.
Why locals goMumbai's oldest Irani cafe (1904) hides behind a faded yellow facade on Marine Lines; the regulars at the counter have outlasted most of the city's restaurants.
TipBun maska and Irani chai, share a mawa cake; cash easiest. Cash and card both accepted.
Cafe Madras ★ 4.5
Cafe Madras serves filter coffee and a Mysore masala dosa for around INR 200 across two. The thali at lunch comes in similarly priced; cash and card both.
OrderFilter coffee and a Mysore masala dosa.
TipClosed Mondays; arrive at 07:00 on weekends. Cash and card both accepted.
Cream Centre ★ 4.2
Cream Centre opened at Chowpatty Seaface in 1958 as a vegetarian sweets and snacks counter. The channa bhatura is the canonical dish; the hot fudge sundae.
OrderChanna bhatura with a Spanish omelette sizzler and a hot fudge sundae.
TipFamily-friendly with a high-chair stock; weekday lunches are quietest.
More cities are in research. Want falooda covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.