You guys…I’m one of the strangest people I know. Seriously, I have more weird quirks and habits than anyone I’ve ever met. One of my trademark habits – trying to cook/recreate foods I’ve never eaten or seen anyone make. Usually followed by lots of freaking out and cursing. Enter: baraf ka gola aka the Indian snow cone.
So I saw this video on YouTube and figured ‘I could do that’. Mistake number one; never assume you can do anything an Indian street vendor can do. Jokes apart, after much trial and error, I did finally create this delicious & refreshing beauty.
How to Make Baraf Ka Gola
Ingredients:
Shaved ice
Flavoured syrups (I used store bought, but you can make your own if you like)
Food colouring (Optional – see note below)
Tools:
Small glasses for shaping and serving golas
Spoon
Popsicle sticks{These Monin syrups are delicious, but they were not bright like a traditional barf ka gola, so I did end up adding a 1/2 drop of food colouring to the golas. You can see the colour difference in the pics below}.
Start by packing the shaved ice into your glass about 3/4 of the way to the top. You need to work quickly and really pack the layers hard. Once the ice is packed in, add a popsicle stick to the centre and place in the freezer for 30-40 seconds.
Remove your gola from the glass and add flavoured syrup in different layers and combinations.
As you can see I wasn’t getting the vibrancy and intensity of a traditional gola so I did add a 1/2 drop of food colouring to each section. Be very careful (and stingy) when you do this or you will end up with a mess all over your lips and tongue!
Serve immediately – enjoy the chuski!
Text: Raj Thandhi
Photography: Aziz Dhamani