CHIA SEED FALOODA

The very few times I have had falooda, I would tell myself, "This is semiya payasam sans the cardamom, jelly, fruits, nuts, and ice cream." I never thought of making it until I made chia pudding. The texture of the soaked chia seeds was so much like those used in falooda. I had leftover chia pudding and jelly( my kid's favorite!) in the fridge. Well! It seemed like a good time to make falooda. I just had to make the payasam, toast some nuts, and chop some apples(the only fruit that I had in hand). I didn't have ice cream and didn't want to go to the store just to buy it. Who says you need to have all of the ingredients on hand? Just put it all together and make your own signature falooda. So this falooda is sans the scoop of ice cream. I was sure that my husband would comment, "But doesn't Falooda have ice cream in it. " And that's the start of another interesting food argument. 

 I did surf the internet for a simple recipe. This here is the one I got inspired from.  I swapped fresh chopped strawberries for the jelly (jelly is more tastier , obviously). But I do use strawberries , until the kids start to complain. Then for once I use jelly , just to heed to their complaints. Let them indulge in some fun food , once in a while.

INGREDIENTS

1. 2 cups milk
2. 1/4 cup semiya
3. 1/4 cup sugar
4. 1 Tbsp. cornflour
5. pinch of salt
6. 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
7. 1 cup finely chopped apple sprinkled with 2 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp of vanilla essence
8. 1 cup chopped jelly(I have used store bought jelly)
9. 1/4 cup slightly toasted almond slivers, chopped
10. 1 Tbsp. chia seeds soaked in water plus 2 tsp sugar 

METHOD

MAKE-AHEAD

• Slightly toast the almonds in a pan until a nice nutty aroma comes. Keep a close watch. Don't overdo it, and don't let it brown. Let it cool. Hand chop or crush it with your hands, store it in a box and keep it aside. ( I love the texture of the almonds. I had stored the store-bought slivered almonds in the freezer. I don't know if that's why; the toasted, chopped almonds had a nice crunch in the falooda. )
  
  
  
• Make the jelly ahead. Refrigerate it after it sets , slice it into small pieces. I have used a chopper to slice them . Store in a box and keep it aside.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Soak the chia seeds in milk or water with sugar. Keep it aside for atleast 2 hours or refrigerate it overnight.
  

• Chop the apples and sprinkle them with sugar and vanilla essence; stir well. Set aside or refrigerate.

MAKE THE PAYASAM

• Add 1-1/2 cup milk, sugar, salt, and semiya in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix 1 Tbsp. cornflour in the remaining 1/2 cup milk and stir well. Add this to the boiled milk. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Turn off. When cool, add the vanilla essence. Refrigerate the cooled payasam.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER

• Make a checklist. All the items should be cold.

1. jelly
2. nuts
3. semiya payasam
4. soaked chia seeds
5. chopped fruits ( I have used chopped apples)
6. I used a tall glass, a champagne glass that I had, which fit the right amount for us. 

• Put all of these on the table.
  

• Layer the jelly at the bottom, followed by chia seeds, chopped apples, nuts, and payasam, and repeat as many times as you want.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Don't have a tall falooda glass. Don't fret , just use your regular glass.
  

  

NOTES

• I tried freezing the leftover jelly, but after thawing it, it turned to liquid. 
• I tried to swap jelly with pomegranate, but it didn't work out.
• It's so tempting to cook the chia seeds along with the semiya. So I tried cooking chia seeds, semiya in milk, after it cooled down, added chopped apples and nuts, but the layered falooda tasted better.