Hawaiian style Blue Falooda

Falooda is one of the easiest desserts made in different flavours good to have especially during summer. It has sabja seeds with the cooling properties making it a more healthy one  with addition of fruits and nuts of your choice. The recipe presented here is a twist to the usual Falooda or rather Vermicelli/Sabja Kheer of Indian origin with colour and flavours of Hawaii. Flavours of pineapple and Coconut with blue food colour made with natural red cabbage essence enhances the taste of Falooda. It is healthy and the colour is more attractive to kids.

Method:

Let us see the method of preparing the natural food colours- Purple and Blue which is going to be the hero of the dish.

Natural food colours

1. Chop 250g of red cabbage. Add it to a pan and add around 1.25 cup of water.
2. Boil it well for 5-7 min on high or until the cabbage becomes totally pale with colour in the water.
3. Filter the cabbage and reduce the coloured water some more in medium flame. The more darker the extract is, the lesser you can use in foods and more effective.
4. The colour will be more purple. Reduce it to almost half cup of purple liquid.
5. Cool it down cmpletely.
6. If you wish to need both purple and blue colours, divide the liquid into half.
7. Add baking soda pinch by pinch to the divided liquid and stir it well. Add as per the blue colour you require. Do not use more than 1/2 tsp as too much of it might spoil the taste or consistency of the dish you make with it.
8. I used around 1/4 tsp and a pinch more for getting a deep blue.
9. Store in air tight containers in a fridge. Use it in within 2 months.

Falooda preparation 

1. Boil and keep 1.5 cup of full cream milk in fridge for at least half an hour before preparation. Else you will have refreigerate for long time after preparation.
2. Soak sabja seeds in 1/2 cup water for 5-10 min till it blooms fully.
3. Roast vermicelli in a spoon of ghee for 1-2 min and add 1/2 cup hot water.
4. Once it is cooked well in medium flame, add 1/4 cup of sugar and powdered cardamom. Let it dissolve and get a bit thicker.
5. Switch off and let it cool.
6. To the chilled milk, add 5-10 drops of pineapple essence as per taste. Add 3 tblspn of thick coconut milk.
7. Add 3-5 tsp of powdered sugar as per your taste. Remember vermicelli also has added sugar.
8. Add blue colour extract around 2-3 tsp as you prefer the colour to be. Since it is natural colour, need not worry about addition.
9. Arrange falooda now in 3 cups. Use 2-3 tsp sabja, 2 tblspn vermicelli,1/2 cup milk and some chopped nuts and dry fruits.
10. Refrigerate for at least 10-15 min before serving.

Serve chilled. Enjoy with ice cream of your choice too.