Strawberry Falooda; made healthy

Yesterday was the auspicious festival of Rakshabandhan. Rakshabandhan is an Indian festival where every sister ties a decorative thread bracelet on her brother's wrist and asks for his protection. You can read more about Rakshabandhan here.

It is extremely hot here and to combat that and celebrate the special occasion, I made Falooda!

Both my kids love strawberries, so I made strawberry Falooda. It is a classic Indian Icecream drink , which almost everyone loves! It is quite filling due to the numerous ingredients present in it and quite versatile due to the fact that you can add whatever you have on hand. I have made it healthier by adding lots of fruits, chia and basil seeds. Check out the recipe below:

Servings: 6 tall ( 10 oz) glasses

Prep time: 20 minsCooling time: 3-4 hoursTotal time: 3.5-4 hours

Ingredients:

Milk: 1 liter ( 1000ml)
Vermicelli: 1/4 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Corn starch: 1/2 tsp
Sabja/basil seeds: 1 tbsp
Chia seeds: 1 tbsp
Hershey's Strawberry syrup: 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp for garnishing
Cashew halves: 1 tbsp
Walnut pieces: 1 tbsp
Banana, peeled and chopped: 4-6 ( one per glass)
Strawberries: 12, washed and chopped ( 2 per glass)
Cherries: 6 ( one per glass for topping)
Strawberry Icecream: 6 scoops ( one scoop per glass).

Method:

Warm the milk on the stove.

Once warm, take one glass milk aside. Mix in strawberry syrup to half of that milk . Add it to the pot.

In a separate cup, dissolve the corn starch in the other half of the milk.

Add this to the pot with vermicelli, sugar & cashew pieces and boil it for 10-15 mins until the milk thickens slightly and the vermicelli is cooked.

Once slightly thick, turn off the flame.

Add in the chia seeds. Stir well and keep it aside to cool down.

Once cooled, place it in the refrigerator atleast 3-4 hours to get cold. Then use as needed. It stays fresh for 3-4 days, so can be made ahead in case you are having a party.

To serve:

Take a tall glass. Add 1 chopped banana & 2 chopped strawberries.
Now pour the milk mixture until 3/4 full.
Now add in a scoop of Icecream.
Top it with walnut pieces, drizzle strawberry syrup and place a cherry on top.

Serve immediately!

Enjoy!!

I am sharing this delicious dessert with my friends at Throwback Thursday #51, Fiesta Friday #133 and Saucy Saturday#57!

Cooking made easy:

The fruits in this can be varied to your choice. You can also use orange segments, pineapple and grape pieces. You can use any flavor to make the milk base. You can top it with nuts of your choice or skip it totally! You can top it with whipped cream too!! The permutations and combinations are endless!!

Tip for healthy living:

The treat above is mainly for children. Adults can eat too.. You can make it low calorie by using low fat milk or make it more protein-rich by using almond or soy milk. You can use a skinny tall glass and fill it with fruits and nuts and very little of the liquid base and a small scoop of ice cream! It is totally upto you!