Hpaluda

Ingredients

Jelly

• 500 mlwater
• 5 gagar agar powder
• 60 gsugar
• a few drops of green or red colouring

Basil seeds

• 2 tablespoonsbasil seeds
• or 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 200 mlwater, for soaking

The glass

• 6 tablespoonsrose syrup
• or falooda syrup
• 600 mlevaporated milk
• or 600 ml whole milk
• 4scoops vanilla ice cream
• 200 gplain sponge or bread, cubed
• or 200 g plain cake

Sometimes added

• cooked tapioca pearls
• custard, cooled
• chopped nuts
• a scoop of jelly cubes

Directions

1. Put the basil seeds in a bowl. Pour all of the water over them. Stir them immediately and thoroughly. Stirring stops them clumping together.
2. Let them soak for at least twenty minutes. Each seed should have a clear jelly coat. Put the water and sugar in a pan. Whisk in the agar agar powder. It must be boiled to activate it.
3. Bring it to a boil while whisking. Let it boil for two full minutes. Add a few drops of the colouring. Pour it out into a shallow tray. Setting the jelly takes little time. Let it set at room temperature. Give it about thirty full minutes. Turn it out onto a clean board.
4. Cut it all into small even cubes. Aim for cubes about one centimetre. Keep them cold until you assemble. Cut plain sponge or bread into small cubes.
5. Trim the crusts off if using bread. Set them aside ready to be used. The milk must be genuinely cold. Warm components melt the ice cream instantly. Chill the glasses in the freezer if you can.
6. Take one tall clear glass for each. Spoon rose syrup into the bottom. Add a spoonful of soaked basil seeds. Add a layer of jelly cubes over that.
7. Add a layer of bread or sponge cubes. Pour the cold milk over everything. Leave room at the top for the ice cream. Add a scoop of ice cream to the top. Add chopped nuts if you want them. Serving it is done immediately. Assemble each glass fresh to order.

Technique

• Large numbers of Indians came to Burma under British rule as labourers, traders and administrators, reshaping urban food; falooda came with that migration and stayed, as did samosas, biryani and many breads.
• The bread or sponge cubes are a distinctly Burmese touch that soaks up the milk and syrup, where Indian falooda uses vermicelli instead; some Burmese versions use both.
• Basil and chia seeds swell dramatically in liquid and must be fully soaked before use, since dry seeds can swell in the throat and documented cases exist.

Substitutions

• Chia seeds behave almost identically to basil seeds and are more widely sold.
• Falooda vermicelli can replace the bread cubes for the Indian style.

Variations

• Some versions use both bread cubes and vermicelli together.
• Cooked tapioca pearls or cooled custard are added by some teashops.
• Rose is the classic syrup, though other flavours are poured as well.

History

Burmese falooda arrived with Indian migrants in the colonial period and became a Mandalay teashop institution.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hpaluda?

Hpaluda is a dessert from Myanmar: layered glass of rose syrup, jelly, ice cream, milk and bread crumbs. Burmese falooda arrived with Indian migrants in the colonial period and became a Mandalay teashop institution.

How long does Hpaluda take to make?

Hpaluda takes 30 minutes plus setting of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Hpaluda?

Yes, within limits. Chia seeds behave almost identically to basil seeds and are more widely sold. Falooda vermicelli can replace the bread cubes for the Indian style.

What is the most important thing to get right in Hpaluda?

Let them soak for at least twenty minutes. Each seed should have a clear jelly coat. Put the water and sugar in a pan. Whisk in the agar agar powder. It must be boiled to activate it.