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Sought and found!
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Kulfi may be just another dessert but at Gopal di Kulfi it is something out of this world, feels Rahul Verma
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My friend, Raj, throws a grand ‘saag’ party every year in winter. We call it a ‘saag’ party because he gives us a great choice of greens — mustard leaves, raita with ‘bathua’ and so on. For dessert, he often
serves a delicious carrot halwa. Every time I eat a spoonful, I ask him where he’s got it from. The answer’s always the same — from that place near Liberty cinema, he tells me.
I always wanted to visit this unnamed place in West Delhi for its rich gajar halwa. But somehow, it never happened. Every time I thought of going to New Rohtak Road in search of it, the temperature rose, and the heat took away my appetite. Then, some days ago, while discussing all this with my food guru, Santosh – who is a walking encyclopaedia on anything that is edible – I learnt a new thing. He told me that while the place near Liberty Cinema was famous for its gajar halwa, it was better known for its kulfis. People queue up there for kulfis, he said — and I decided at once that I had to go there. The weather, after all, was warm enough for some cool kulfis.
Tiny place
I reached there one sunny afternoon. It’s not difficult to locate the kulfiwallah. After you cross Jhandewalan, turn left at the next traffic signal. After about two kilometres, you will find Liberty on your left. There is a petrol pump next to it. And Gopal di Kulfi is right there, touching the petrol pump wall. It’s a tiny place where you get kulfis, rasmalai and rasgullahs when the temperature rises, and carrot halwa when it dips. The owner’s aides take a tall plastic glass, and then line it with a good helping of a frozen kulfi. They add a large dollop of falooda on top, and then flavour it with rose water. You can eat it right there with a spoon, or, if you want, carry it home. The plastic glass is sealed with an air-tight cap. Each glass of kulfi is for Rs.30. I had a spoonful, and realised why queues form in front of Gopal di Kulfi for this wonderful dessert.
His kulfi is soft and creamy and not overwhelmingly sweet, and the bland but aromatic falooda goes perfectly well with the frozen dessert. You use your spoon to dig deep into the glass for the kulfi, and then twirl some falooda strips around it and put it in your mouth. It’s heavenly. But there’s more. When you reach the bottom of the glass, you find that the thickened and frozen kulfi has melted a bit, enhancing its taste. And right at the end are some nice and crunchy slivers of nuts. The great thing about eating kulfi in a glass is that you don’t have to worry about it melting and ruining your white shirt. You can eat it at leisure. I, for instance, had half of it, and then sealed it and put it in the fridge. I had the second half after dinner. And just before licking the last bits, I thought of this curious journey. The hunt for ‘saag’ led to a halwa. And that was the doorway to this wonderful kulfi. I sought, and I found.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
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Hyderabad
Kochi
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