Lakewood Cat Care Society Fundraiser Recipe: Falooda/Indian Muslim Rosewater Drink

This is a Lakewood Cat Care Society Fundraiser Recipe.

Cats were once worshipped in predominantly Muslim Egypt, and are known for their beauty. Falooda is a Ramadan fasting drink, and originates from both the refined & sensitive Indian Muslim culture.

Served in tall, clear glasses, falooda is an elegant, multi-colored drink, with a pink rose syrup base, speckled by tiny, black basil seeds. The upper layers are a cream-colored milkshake with yellow agar-agar/jello swirls.

12 servings:

First, soak 2 ounces of organic basil seeds into 2 cups of water for an hour. Then, drain and set aside to mix it into the cooled rose syrup.

Rose Syrup (for the base of the drink, combined with the basil seeds):

2 cups organic stevia powder

5 TBL organic rosewater

2 cups water

Organic beet-root juice (1 organic beet root peeled, washed, then diced into 1/2-inch pieces for the naturally reddish juices, to color the rose syrup pink. Boil it for 30 minutes in 4 cups of water, on medium-high heat for the juice. Allow to cool ten minutes).

Directions:

Boil the water and stevia powder together for three minutes. Then, add the rosewater and 1 TBL at a time of the pink food coloring/beet root juice, until you color it to a medium pink shade. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Falooda Jello Strips:

To create the yellow jello strips (drinking straw-sized in width and 1-inch strips in length):

1. Bring two cups of cold water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Then, switch the heat to medium.

2. Add 4 tsp agar-agar and 4 tsp organic saffron threads, freshly-ground to the sauce pan. The saffron gives it a yellow color, naturally. Use organic turmeric powder, as a substitute for saffron.

3. Whisking it continually, let it cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

4. Pour the agar-agar liquids into a lasagna pan and refrigerate for 4 hours, to set.

5. Place the pan upside down on a cutting board, then slice it into tiny one-inch long pieces. Make it small enough to drink through a straw.

6. Blend in a blender:

6 cups of ice-cold, skim, organic milk, pasteurized

2 cups of organic, pasteurized, low-fat, stevia-sweetened, French vanilla bean gelato ice cream

7. Create the drinks with:

-1/4 in the bottom of the glass, filled with the rose syrup and drained, basil seeds

-A second layer of yellow jello bits

-A top layer of the milk shake

8. Top the drinks with a fresh, 3-inch sprig of organic, chocolate peppermint herb (soaked, stems trimmed, washed) and a large, pink, bendable, drinking straw.