Delhi’s rich street food is not only about oil-dripping bits and pieces one can savour with some tangy tamarind water. It has some few fruity offerings too. A slightly lesser known, but an out-of-the-ordinary chaat of Delhi — Kulle or Kuliya, which is a favourite with the city’s old timers remains a well-kept secret.
Made by scooping out vegetables or fruits into cup shapes, which are then filled with chickpeas, pomegranate seeds, plus an assortment of interesting spices and finally a dash of lemon, makes an ideal healthy fill.
But this fresh and fascinating medley is rarely available across the city, and aficionados know that the famous wedding-cards market of Old Delhi, Chawri Baazar is the only destination to get their fill of this spicy-fruity treat.
Here look for Hira Lal Chaat Corner or Sultan Kullewalle (1716, Roshanpura, Nai Sarak, Chandni Chowk). Meet Bittu chaatwalla who belongs to the fifth generation of Sultan Kullewalle, and still keeps busy in the same corner where, he says his forefathers took the ‘spice route’. He has maintained his standard platter of Kulle, comprising an eclectic mix of fruits and vegetables: tomatoes, cucumber, potato and banana. But he’s open to making permutations and combinations depending on the season and mood of the customer.
“We serve around seven types of Kulle. These can be made out of almost all fruits and vegetables, which we can scoop and stuff. It’s the spiciest of all the chaats we make. The spice mix used comprises cardamom powder, pepper and lots of salt. But don’t expect us to reveal the entire list as these are a secret and only a few vendors know about it,” says Bittu, who also talks about his clientele from across the globe.
They, over the years have generated some equally strong competitors. And most of these time-honoured chaatwallas give credit to their ancestors for inventing these piquant crumbs.
“Kulle is much loved by the Marwaris, and it’s believed that they were the ones to invent it,” says Rohit as he dishes out a mouth-watering plate at Jugal Kishore Ramji Lal Kullewalle (13, Dujana House, Chawri Bazaar).
“We have loyalists who make sure that Kulle is a part of their party menu. They serve them with drinks,” he says.
Renowned chef Gunjan Goela, who’s an expert in Old Delhi street food says that these ‘flavourful licks’ (read chaat) have a huge fan following among foreigners as well. “We took Kulle to hotel Sheraton in Dubai, and it was very well received there. After all fruits are great for any season of the year, and with Kulle you are making them more innovative. Keeping the spices milder, even children will find them exciting,” she adds.
So, they are not only perfect to beat the heat, the spices make them enjoyable during the rainy season too. Thus if some love it as a salad with meals, others can relish it as munchies with drinks. They can also be incredible starters for a lavish feast. But you are surely going to miss the ambience.
Tomato Kulle: Cut a tomato into two halves. Scoop out the seeds. Fill it with chickpeas or pomegranate seeds or both. Use stuffing of whatever vegetables or fruits you like. Enjoy with mild or hot spices.
Potato Kulle: Boil a large potato. Scoop the middle portion and make a cup shape. Stuff as above, and enjoy.