Zaffrani (Saffron) Falooda

Zafran (Saffron) Falooda is a delicious traditional dessert made with agar agar, condensed milk, half and half and served at family gatherings, parties or social events. It is rich and royal with the lavish use of saffron and nuts and its smooth texture is so appealing to the taste buds. You could give it diamond shapes or serve in earthen bowls the traditional way or make it even more attractive by giving it different shapes using cookie cutters. It’s actually so much fun making this falooda.

Ingredients:
1.5 litres whole Milk (3.2%)
1 cup whipping cream or half and half
1 can condensed milk
1/2 of a 425gm pack of agar agar strands (aka china glass)*
1/4 cup sugar
a pinch of saffron
2 tbs blanched and slivered almonds
2 tbs blanched and sliced pistachios

*check notes below

1. Dissolve the saffron in 1 tbs of milk after crushing the strands in a mortar and pestle. If you want a deeper color then you could use water instead. Some varieties of saffron are not so fragrant and colorful, then you should add a little more than a pinch using your own judgement by testing one or two strands and checking to see if it leaves color. Blanch the almonds, sliver them, slice the pistachios after blanching them as well and keep aside. Keep a dry 10 – 12 inch stainless steel walled plate or a pie plate ready.

2. Boil the whole milk in a big pot. Add the condensed milk, sugar and whipping cream or half and half and let it simmer for sometime. I prefer adding whipping cream for a smooth texture. Once the milk comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat and let it simmer. Health watchers can use skimmed milk and 10% cream, but have to compromise on the taste as it will not be as rich and smooth as this one.

3. Cut half of the agar agar from the pack. Rinse then soak it in water for sometime to soften. Meanwhile boil 1/2 a cup of  water in a saucepan, squeeze out the water from the agar agar and add it to the boiling water, lower the heat and let it dissolve in the water. Keep it on simmer even after it dissolves in the water completely coz it will solidify at room temperature. The whole process should take around 10 – 15 minutes. But if you are using powder it should take upto 5 minutes to dissolve completely.

4. You have both the agar agar solution and the milk mixture on simmer. Now pour the dissolved agar agar mixture into the pot through a strainer while stirring continuously. This is to avoid lumps.

5. After adding do not raise the temperature as it will curdle the milk. You have to be really careful at this stage. The temperature should be constant. Sometimes lowering and then raising the temperature again and again also affects the texture and all the effort goes down the drain with the curdling of the milk and you can do nothing about it.

6. Use a wooden spatula and do not scrape the bottom of the pan as we do not want the any browned milk shavings from the bottom swimming in the milk. This gives a bad appearance to the falooda.

7. Allow the milk to boil just once after adding the agar agar for one or two mins on medium heat. Test for right consistency by drizzling a few drops on a clean plate. If it sets in a minute then it is done. If it doesn’t then leave it on simmer for 2 more minutes. Pour it immediately into the reserved clean pie plate. After a couple of minutes when you see a film of layer on the surface it is time to sprinkle the slivered almonds on top so that they don’t sink to the bottom of the plate. Let the falooda set at room temperature in a cool place away from the heat source.

8. Once it is set, dip a toothpick in the saffron solution and make a design on the falooda or just dab the surface with a brush or the back of a spoon here and there as I have done to give it some color. To make a marbled pattern, you could drizzle the saffron milk (you could use 2 tbs of saffron milk) here and there and just swirl it around quickly with a skewer or fork. This will give some color to the falooda even inside which makes it look beautiful.

9. Chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.

10. Cut into desirable shapes or serve in earthen bowls in traditional style and enjoy.

Notes:
Agar Agar “also known as kanten, Japanese gelatin, vegetable gelatin, Chinese isinglass, China glass, and dai choy goh–is a vegan gelling agent derived from seaweed. It has many uses but is used primarily in cooking. Agar agar is odorless, tasteless, and has only 3 calories per gram”. It is available in any asian or indian grocery store. You could also use agar agar powder.

1 tsp of powdered agar = 1 tbsp agar flakes = 1/3 cup agar strands (cut into 1 inch pieces) will set 350ml (1 1/3 cup of liquid) into a firm jelly. For a softer jelly or when using thick fruit pureé, use lesser agar.

So half of a 425 gm pack of agar agar strands is equivalent to 2 cups of strands.

Recipe

Zaffrani (Saffron )Falooda

Author: Mamasecretrecipes

Zafrani Falooda is a delicious traditional dessert made with agar agar, condensed milk, half and half and served at family gatherings, parties or social events. It is rich and royal with the lavish use of saffron and nuts and its smooth texture is so appealing to the taste buds.

Course Dessert

Cuisine indian cuisine, south indian

Ingredients

  

Ingredients:

• 1.5 litres whole Milk 3.2%
• 1 cup half and half or whipping cream
• 1 can condensed milk
• 1/2 of a 425gm pack of agar agar or 3 tsp agar agar powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• a pinch of saffron
• 2 tbs blanched and slivered almonds
• 2 tbs blanched and sliced pistachios

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Instructions

 

• Dissolve the saffron in 1 tbs of milk after crushing the strands in a mortar and pestle. If you want a deeper color then you could use water instead. Some varieties of saffron are not so fragrant and colorful, then you should add a little more than a pinch using your own judgement by testing one or two strands and checking to see if it leaves color. Blanch the almonds, sliver them, slice the pistachios after blanching them as well and keep aside. Keep a dry 10 - 12 inch stainless steel walled plate or a pie plate ready.
• Boil the whole milk in a big pot. Add the condensed milk, sugar and whipping cream or half and half and let it simmer for sometime. I prefer adding whipping cream for a smooth texture. Once the milk comes to a rolling boil, lower the heat and let it simmer. Health watchers can use skimmed milk and 10% cream, but have to compromise on the taste as it will not be as rich and smooth as this one.
• Cut half of the agar agar from the pack. Rinse then soak it in water for sometime to soften it. Meanwhile boil 1/2 a cup of  water in a saucepan, squeeze out the water from the agar agar and add it to the boiling water, lower the heat and let it dissolve in the water. Keep it on simmer even after it dissolves in the water completely coz it will solidify at room temperature. The whole process should take around 10 - 15 minutes. But if you are using powder it should take upto 5 minutes to dissolve completely.
• You have both the agar agar solution and the milk mixture on simmer. Now pour the dissolved agar agar mixture into the pot through a strainer while stirring continuously. This is to avoid lumps.
• After adding do not raise the temperature as it will curdle the milk. You have to be really careful at this stage. The temperature should be constant. Sometimes lowering and then raising the temperature again and again also affects the texture and all the effort goes down the drain with the curdling of the milk and you can do nothing about it.
• Use a wooden spatula and do not scrape the bottom of the pan as we do not want the any browned milk shavings from the bottom swimming in the milk. This gives a bad appearance to the falooda.
• Allow the milk to boil just once after adding the agar agar for one or two mins on medium heat. Test for right consistency by drizzling a few drops on a clean plate. If it sets in a minute then it is done. If it doesn't then leave it on simmer for 2 more minutes. Pour it immediately into the reserved clean pie plate. After a couple of minutes when you see a film of layer on the surface it is time to sprinkle the slivered almonds on top so that they don't sink to the bottom of the plate. Let the falooda set at room temperature in a cool place away from the heat source.
• Once it is set, dip a toothpick in the saffron solution and make a design on the falooda or just dab the surface with a brush or the back of a spoon here and there as I have done to give it some color. To make a marbled pattern, you could drizzle the saffron milk (you could use 2 tbs of saffron milk) here and there and just swirl it around quickly with a skewer or fork. This will give some color to the falooda even inside which makes it look beautiful.
• Chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.
• Cut into desirable shapes or serve in earthen bowls in traditional style and enjoy.

Notes

Notes:
Agar Agar (china glass strands) in a pack is available in any health food store or an asian or indian grocery store. You could also use agar agar powder.

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