24 July,2011 10:22 AM IST | | Fiona Fernandez
A 106 year-old Falooda recipe laced with rose syrup, rice noodles and oodles of family warmth, continues to keep Mumbai's sweet-toothed coming back for more to Crawford Market's Badshah. Sunday Mid Day dropped by to relive the age-old fondness for the city's iconic dessert drink
Two days before he passed away at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London,u00a0 artist MF Husain told columnist Shobhaa D ufffd of his desire to savour a Falooda from Badshah. His wish went unfulfilled.
"That Mr Husain wanted to relish our Falooda speaks volumes of our quality and popularity... it's unfortunate that his wish was unrealised," says Yasmin Aspi Irani, over the phone from Pune, in a sad voice.
Badshah Pure Veg Snacks & Cold Drinks uses a 106 year-old recipe for
their most popular drink, the Royal Falooda. PICs/ pradeep dhivar
Family ties
Pune is where Irani's son-in-law Behram Zadeh runs their second Badshah outlet on East Street. This current generation proprietor of Crawford Market's 106 year-old Badshah Cold Drinks and Falooda House (now rechristened Badshah Pure Veg Snacks and Cold Drinks), has seen it all.
Her father Merwan Jehangir Irani inherited the Crawford Market shop, one of seven Badshah fruit juice shops, from BA Badshah, a benevolent fruit juice shop owner in the early 1900s. Years after Irani took over, Yasmin's late husband Aspi Irani joined Badshah as a young helper just arrived from Iran. Irani Senior was so impressed with the boy's conduct and dedication that he offered him both his shop and his daughter's hand in marriage.
Irani passed away in 1996. The business is now run by Zadeh, Yasmin's son in law, along with Ashfaque Salaam Momin, who joined them as a business partner in the 1980s.
It's noon outside Mumbai's oldest marketplace. Honking cars, shimmery burqa-clad shoppers and shrill whistles from hapless traffic policemen create a chaotic vibe that is uniquely Mumbai.
I am seated inside Badshah's original home, which was inherited by Irani. Another outlet is under renovation nearby. On the ground level, the Falooda counter has a place of pride even as one of its oldest employees, septuagenarian Anantrao Dalvi, whips up glasses of the iconic dessert drink in record time.
Alongside, a Pav Bhaji counter and the rest of the kitchen are dishing out pizzas, sandwiches, South Indian and Gujarati snacks to the luncheon rush.u00a0
Momin ushers me to the seating area on the upper level. It's air-conditioned, with panelled glasswork, ambient lighting and framed, sepia-toned images of vintage Mumbai. If not for the white-and-pink chilled dessert that graces almost every table, I could've been seated in one of the many restaurants that dot this part of the metropolis.
Such a long, sweet journey
"The original dessert is called the Faludeh, which is Persia's national drink; it is sour in taste. When it arrived in India, sugar was added to suit the local palate and the Falooda was born. At Badshah, we use a 106-year-old recipe for our most popular drink, the Royal Falooda (Rs 42)," shares Ashfaque. By now, several spoonfuls of the familiar-tasting dessert have been consumed. Sweet rush moment.
Momin isn't joining me on this delicious guilt trip. "I'm fasting today," he says, while continuing the story about Badshah's success ufffd "Most of our customers have been patrons for decades. Over 65 per cent of our clients visit Badshah only for our Faloodas that are available around the year. We serve 10 varieties. The Royal Falooda was our first creation. Today, we have Chocolate (Rs 65), Strawberry (Rs 55), Butterscotch (Rs 56), Black Currant (Rs 70), Shirazi (which uses green rose syrup, Rs 74) and Badshahi (served in a bowl, with malai-kulfi and kesar flavouring, Rs 80)."
Momin is quick to add that diabetics can happily guzzle these too. "Sabza (basil seeds) help in digestion. It's the ideal drink for our humid climate."
Ladies Special
Most of Badshah's customers are women. "Once, a visitor to the area was baffled by the number of women customers and enquired if ours was a ladies-only restaurant," chuckles Momin. The maze-like shopping district intertwined with bargain-filled bylanes are thronged by women shoppers, justifying his observation.
Apart from them, celebrities from Anil and Tina Ambani, actors Salman Khan, Preity Zinta and Arshad Warsi have all savoured Badshah's Faloodas. "Even European tourists love its varied flavours, and despite their varied palate, they rarely request us to tone down the sweetness."
While plans to take Badshah to the suburbs and other Indian cities are in the pipeline, Yasmin is clear that the original focus will remain. "We have maintained a high standard for over a century. The Falooda remains a favourite across generations. In Mumbai, there've been numerous claimants to it; we've had healthy competition all around, yet our creation has prevailed."
And going by her word, a double century seems well on the cards.
At: Badshah Pure Veg Snacks & Cold Drinks, 152/156 Lokmanya Tilak Marg, opposite Crawford Market. Open through the week, 7 am to 12.30 am
Call: 23421943.
The Falooda's trek from Persia to Hindustan
The faludeh, Persia's national drink consists of thin rice noodles, a bright white sorbet and shaved sweetened ice, rose water and lime juice. The noodles are homemade from rice batter, which is pressed through a sieve to produce delicate strings that look like grated coconut. Today, rice sticks that are also called rice vermicelli (Chinese: mei fun) are used in the faludeh. This slushy dessert is available across Iran's bastanis (ice-cream stores) as well as shops that only sell this dessert. The version from the city of Shiraz, the Faludeh Shirazi, is the most famous.
Information courtesy: Encyclopedia of Jewish Food by Gil Marks
