Amritsar Food Walk

Every photo below is a real photograph of the dish — this is what your plate should look like.

1. 1

   Dal makhani & lachha paratha

   Kesar Da Dhaba

   Old city
   Veg Lunch or dinner A proper sit-down meal, still easy on the pocket

   Kesar Da Dhaba has been feeding Amritsar's old city for over a century, and its dal makhani is the reason to come: black dal simmered for hours until it turns to silk, finished with white butter. Order the lachha paratha — crisp, many-layered and shamelessly rich with ghee — and tear, scoop, repeat. It is a pure-veg institution deep in the old city's lanes; ask anyone near Chowk Passian and they will point the way.

   

   

   

   

   

2. 2

   Amritsari kulcha with chole

   All India Famous Kulcha

   Ranjit Avenue
   Veg Breakfast to early afternoon Street prices for a meal that eats like a feast

   The Amritsari kulcha is a different animal from the soft naan-shop kind — stuffed with spiced potato and onion, baked against the tandoor wall until it shatters into flaky layers, then slathered with butter. All India Famous Kulcha on Ranjit Avenue serves it the classic way: with chole, a sharp imli chutney and raw onion. One is a snack; two is lunch.

   

   

   

   

3. 3

   Amritsari fried fish

   Makhan Fish & Chicken Corner

   Majitha Road
   Non-veg Evenings Mid-range — you pay for the fish, not the frills

   Punjab is not coastal, but river fish fried the Amritsari way is one of the city's oldest indulgences — boneless pieces in a gram-flour batter spiked with ajwain and carom, fried until the crust crackles. Makhan Fish & Chicken Corner on Majitha Road is the name locals give you when you ask where to eat it; squeeze the lemon, ignore the cutlery.

   

   

   

4. 4

   Lassi with malai

   Ahuja Milk Bhandar

   Old city
   Veg Mornings and afternoons A few coins for a glass you'll remember

   Ahuja Milk Bhandar's lassi is the full-cream, no-apologies version: churned thick, served in a tall glass or kulhar, and topped with a slab of malai that you have to eat your way through to reach the drink. It is breakfast, dessert and air-conditioning in one. There are two famous Ahuja outlets in the old city; both take the lassi equally seriously.

   

   

   

   

5. 5

   Hot jalebi

   Gurdas Ram Jalebi Wala

   Near the Golden Temple
   Veg Evenings; best in winter Pocket change, paid by the plate

   Gurdas Ram Jalebi Wala, near Jallianwala Bagh and the Golden Temple, has been frying jalebis for generations — thick coils, crisp outside, molten inside, pulled from the kadhai and dunked in warm syrup while you watch. In winter the queue tells you everything. Eat them hot, off a leaf plate, standing in the lane like everyone else.