Falooda dooba- dooba- dooba

I am an ice-cream man myself. I like ice-cream and I can eat them in any season without any reason. When I was young, we use to go Sujata mastani house near nimbalkar talim chowk, They used to place a scoop in a thick shake, put a cherry on top of it and a thin wafer biscuit at the side, and serve it to us.

Sorry, nostalgia is like a walking stick for the middle-aged. Childhood, for us, was all about ice-cream and kulfis . And once I get on to the subject, I get particularly nostalgic about a dessert that I am passionate about - the falooda.

Last week I was in dilli for a exhibition.On my way to karol bagh .I heard a conversation of dillilites in a metro train.They were talking about the falooda,when I was suddenly consumed by this advice. In the middle of their conversation I felt like eating a chilled falooda. It was, of course, late at night, when all good sellers were gently snoring at home. So I reach my hotel,drank some water and went quietly to bed, too. Tomorrow, I promised my whining stomach, tomorrow would be the day.Next day I asked the hotel manager, where can I get the best falooda in the city.

“Here best falooda is sold in a shop located  in Sadar Bazar and one near Khari Baoli. Gyani's rabri falooda shop is on Church Mission Road - the one that leads from Khari Baoli to the Old Delhi Railway Station. If you get lost, you can ask any shopkeeper in Chandni Chowk, and you will be directed to Gyani's place.”

So after visiting  exhibition in pragati maidan.i started for olddelhi by metro .

Before going Chandni Chowk, I went to had Chitli Qabar area of Old Delhi, in search of gola kabab-maker, known by food lovers as Mian Sa'ab. it is heavenly if you eat it fresh off the seekh - it doesn't taste quite the same once it is cold.

Then I started for my next destination. Gyani's rabri falooda shop in Chandni Chowk

I rememeber the hotel manager words

”You will know you are there when you see a crowd madly waving tokens in front of a small shop. I was there last week.“

I was amazed to see this site.I bought a coupon for a glass of rabri falooda (Rs.25) and then went nuts like the rest of the crowd, yelling

"Ek glass dena"

and waving my token to the two men manning the counter. They would take a glass filled with thick rabri (full of dry fruits such as pistas and almonds), layer it with a thick line of crushed ice and then top it with a fistful of falooda and some scented water. The mix would be given one passionate shake and a spoon would be added to the glass, which would then be handed over to the one with the loudest voice or the most furious token shaker.

Finally, my deep tone was heard and a glass was thrust into my hands. The rabri was thick, rich and creamy, and the falooda had been cooked to perfection. It is a heavenly dessert, and one glass is so filling that you can easily forego your lunch after that.

But I am a growing boy - though, sadly, growing in all the wrong areas. So I had my rabri falooda and meandered around the gola kabab. And then, before I started for my hotel, I rounded up my three-course dinner with the last item on the menu - a pink Digene tablet. :))