This Kerala dessert has floored Sunita Williams, and her reaction says everything

Some reactions cannot be coached. They happen in the pause between one spoonful and the next. That is what made Sunita Williams’ encounter with falooda in Kerala feel so genuine. Sitting with a tall glass of the layered dessert, she tastes it, considers it for a moment and then says, “That’s a really good combination.” A little later comes the clearer conclusion. “It’s amazing.”

There was no ceremony around the moment. An astronaut, long accustomed to carefully measured meals, enjoying a dessert that thrives on excess and contrast. Falooda has always worked that way. It does not rely on novelty. Instead, it wins through balance. Of cold milk, floral rose syrup, soft vermicelli, basil seeds that swell and soften, and the occasional crunch of nuts or ice cream on top, layered expertly.

Across Kerala, falooda has remained a constant even as dessert trends come and go. It turns up at old juice counters and neighbourhood bakeries, ordered without much thought on hot afternoons. Some prefer it plain, others want it loaded, though the base remains the same. Watching Sunita Williams enjoy falooda struck a chord because it echoed how most people encounter it.

In Kerala and across India, falooda is an evergreen favourite for its refreshing profile and playful layers of ingredients, each bite offering something new.

Persian Faloodeh becomes Kerala Falooda
Falooda’s story begins far from Indian juice counters. It is believed to have travelled to the subcontinent from Persia, where a chilled dessert called faloodeh was made with thin starch noodles, rose water and ice to beat the desert heat. Over time, the dish moved eastward along trade routes and was absorbed into Mughal kitchens, where it took on richer forms with milk, nuts and sweet syrups. In India, falooda evolved region by region, becoming creamier, more layered and more indulgent. What remained constant was its purpose: relief from heat and a sense of quiet luxury. Today’s falooda, served in tall glasses across Kerala and the rest of the country, carries traces of that long journey, blending Persian origins with Indian abundance.

How to make classic falooda at home
Falooda is easy to recreate and forgiving by design. Precision is less important than balance.

Ingredients
2 cups milk
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup falooda sev
1 tablespoon sabja seeds
3 to 4 tablespoons rose syrup
Ice cubes: as required
Vanilla ice cream or kulfi: optional
Chopped almonds or pistachios: optional

Preparation
Soak the sabja seeds in water for about 10 to 15 minutes until they swell fully
Drain and set aside
Bring water to a boil and cook the falooda sev until soft
Drain and rinse under cold water to prevent sticking
Warm the milk, add sugar and stir until dissolved
Allow it to cool, then chill well
In tall glasses, add soaked sabja seeds followed by falooda sev
Pour in chilled milk until the glass is halfway full, then add rose syrup
Add ice cubes and top with ice cream or kulfi if using
Garnish with chopped nuts and serve immediately.