Families in Food: The kulfi shop in Old Delhi that’s been around 113 years
Battling Delhi heat with ice cream’s local cousin.
Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi Wal shop is in Old Delhi. (Photos: Gaurav Juyal)
Written by Gaurav Juyal
If you must visit Old Delhi in the unforgiving heat of a summer afternoon, head straight to Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi Wale on Sitaram Bazaar Road, in Chawri Bazar. And once there, dive into their Indian popsicles aka kulfi.
The 113-year-old establishment was started as a small enterprise around 1906. A 13-year-old Kuremal from Jhajjar, Haryana, used to come to Delhi to work with his uncle, Mayaram, who ran a small kulfi shop at Chawri Bazar. They sold kulfis in three flavours — kewra, rabri, and mango — for seven-eight months every year, between Holi and Diwali, and then returned to their village. After his marriage, Kuremal moved to Old Delhi. His son, Mohanlal, joined him after high school and thus came the name Kuremal-Mohanlal Kulfiwale, says Sunil, 53, eldest son of Mohanlal. His other son, Anil, 50, says during the Emergency, the milk supply was cut short, so they made mango kulfi instead. Every year, Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi Wale put up a stall during Ramlila at Parade Ground, Delhi Cantonment, a practice started by Sunil’s grandfather. Former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been their customers. Today, Mohanlal, 78, occasionally sits at the shop, and his four sons — Sunil, Anil, Sanjay, and Manish — run the show.
Ice Respite: The kulfi spread at Kuremal Mohan Lal Kulfi Wale. (Photos: Gaurav Juyal)
“In 1980, my father introduced stuffed kulfis, which were made by cutting the fruits hollow, blending their pulp with rabri and sugar, and putting the composition back into the fruits,” Sunil says. “Stuffed mango and pomegranate are the bestsellers, but we prepare stuffed kulfis with almost every fruit for pre-orders. “Since then, we’ve added many flavours which were unheard of then — like jamun, paan, falsa, imli to name a few. In 2019, we’ve introduced aaru (peach) fruit kulfi.” The stuffed kulfis (mango, pomegranate, orange, apple) are priced at Rs 200 per piece, while the milk-based and milk-free (julpeps) kulfis, at Rs 60. “When I started working with my father, we sold kulfis for Rs 7,” recalls Sunil.
Mohanlal’s youngest son Manish, 43, sits at the small shop, which is 200 m away from the original spot where Kuremal and his uncle sold kulfis. Their products, he says, are 100 per cent natural and hand-made, and consistent in quality. At any given time, their staff comprises 50-60 workers; the number increases during summer and the wedding season.
The major source of their revenue comes from bulk orders for celebrity weddings and birthday celebrations, including the weddings of Bollywood actors Twinkle Khanna and Akshay Kumar in 2001, and of the daughter of Pramod Mittal (brother of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal) in Venice in 2011. From Italy, Mauritius to Thailand, demand pours in from all over. With recent outlets in Bengali Market and another coming up in Hauz Khas this month, plans are afoot to expand the business to other states.
Gaurav Juyal is an intern with The Indian Express. This article appeared in print with the headline ‘It’s time for kulfi’
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