The world needs to discover the hidden foods of the city and look beyond Kulchey Choley, Lassi and Fish Fry. This story gives you an overview of the lesser-known foods of Amritsar.
Like any old city, Ambarsar (as fondly pronounced by the locals) could also be explored through its food. A place where food represents tradition, culture and heritage, Amritsar is a paradise for food lovers. You only need to unearth some more hidden eateries in the city to delve deep into its history and its evolutionary perfection.
Amritsar could easily be qualified as an ambassador of the finest Punjabi food. The city offers numerous varieties of foods which can't be enjoyed in a single trip. We attempt to discover the lost and lesser-known delicacies of the city which deserve to be in the limelight.
Gur Ka Halwa
Halwa is such an underrated food. And you need to break this myth. Try ‘Gur ka halwa’ once to experience the flavour and richness of this melt-in-the-mouth dessert. If you are in the town during winters, you could enjoy it at Durgiana Mandir for the best taste. Else, look out for Gur halwa and Gulab Jamun hawkers, who could be found inside the walled city. It is highly recommended!
Satpura
As the name says, Sat means seven and Pura is fried flour bread. It makes Satpura a seven-layered deep-fried puff pastry enjoyed with potato curry. It tastes much better than samosa, trust me!
Exotic Sherbets
If you walk in the alleys inside the Hathi Gate of the walled city, you could easily locate sherbet shops, where sherbet is made out of pure ingredients. The sweet syrups are prepared by specialists using formulas passed down from generations in their family.
Ask them for a glass of Sandalwood flavoured sherbet, or Kesar-elaichi, or simple rose sherbet and the freshness of the flavours shall rejuvenate you. Interestingly you could find customers asking for sherbets having medicinal values such as Anjbaar or Sabja too. Don't forget to get a bottle packed for home!
Qatlamma (made only on order)
This probably is a lost recipe that is made on order by a few experts in the city. The art of making qatlamma died out slowly after partition and went to the other side of the border. Amritsari qatlamma is a flour bread which is deep-fried in pure ghee and enjoyed with halwa. You might find a shop that makes it on order. It tastes heavenly!
That's some tasty stuff for you to try out on your next visit to the city. You are surely going to come back again for some more!
