Thai basil seed drink is a very refreshing beverage that is popular both in Vietnam and in India. It's called hột é in Vietnamese and falooda in India.
The visual aspect of the drink is unusual and not very appealing, but it tastes great. It kind of looks like fish eggs in a pond and tastes like a gummy textured sugar water. I flavored it with banana extract because that's the flavor combination I remember from my visit to Vietnam.
Ingredients
1/2 cup superfine sugar, to taste
1 Meyer lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 quarts water
4 Tbs Thai basil seed
2 tsp banana extract
3 cups ice cubes, or more
Preparation
Place the Thai basil seeds in a pitcher.
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a near boil. Pour into the pitcher. Let the seeds gain in volume, it'll take about 5 minutes.
In the same saucepan, dissolve the sugar with 1 cup of water. Bring to a near boil, then add the honey. Pour the syrup into the pitcher. Add the banana extract, the rest of the cold water and lots of ice cubes.
I served them chilled with some fresh Thai baby basil leaves from my vegetable garden.
Enjoy!
Tips
I bought my Thai basil seeds in an Indian store. I think some Asian stores carry this product as well. But in general, you can buy it in any Indian store.
I added banana extract but you can add your own taste, like mango extract, cherry extract, rose water, orange blossom water or simply vanilla extract. Be creative!
I prefer using superfine sugar. It's is a fine-grained sugar and it dissolves much quicker than the regular one.
It's also used in Indian drinks, called Falooda (vermicelli). It also contains rose syrup, cardamom, ice cream and some pistachios.
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About Jackie
Hi! My name is Jacqueline Pham and I am a self-taught home cook based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I am French-Vietnamese, born and raised in Paris, France. I live with my husband Lulu and his family.
My hubby's family is from India, so our home is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines with all the rewards and challenges that you can imagine. There are vegetarians, meat-lovers and allergies of every kind. This site is a way for me to share my love of food and interact with all you Femme Fatales out there putting food on the table for your loved ones everyday.
