As a canonical foodie, a pilgrimage to Amritsar is a must, and I’ve done it many times. After all, Amritsar’s food is deeply rooted in the culinary traditions of Punjab, the region’s agricultural heritage, cultural influences, religious practices and historical events such as Partition, and the times when Punjabi families brought with them their own unique culinary traditions, including There is a tandoor. While in most parts of the country, tandoor is associated with tandoori chicken, it has always been, and is, first and foremost, a bread oven.
At around 500 degrees centigrade, this traditional clay oven, used for centuries in the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia for cooking, bakes some of the tastiest breads, including Amritsar’s most famous kulcha. Amritsar was a major city on the historical trade routes of the subcontinent. Hardly surprising, then, that the city absorbed influences from both Central Asia and Persia.
Some say that the Mughal influence on Amritsari cuisine played a significant role in the development and glory of Kulcha. In fact, there is a fascinating story of Mir Qamar-ud-Din, who was appointed governor of the Deccan, after Aurangzeb’s death, to assume the title of Nizam of Hyderabad. On his way south, stopping to meet his spiritual guide the Sufi mystic Pir Hazrat Nizamuddin Aurangabadi, the hungry Mir Qamar-ud-din was invited by him for a meal. They were tied in a yellow cloth and given kulchas. Mir Qamar-ud-din ate seven of them. The Pir was so pleased with Mir that he blessed him. He said that one day Mir Qamar-ud-din would be king, and his descendants would rule for seven generations.
After the decline of the Mughal Empire, Mir Qamar-ud-din became the first Nizam of Hyderabad, and proudly adopted the symbol of the Kulcha as his royal insignia, and the yellow color of the cloth, as the Pir had served the Kulcha. that his flag
The Nizam dynasty actually ended after seven generations. God forbid, if Mir Qamar-ud-din had eaten 10 kulchas, Hyderabad might still have been ruled by the Nizam.
Coming back to Amritsar, the streets of the old walled city are literally filled with shops, hole in the walls, stalls and carts, all equipped with tandoors, making some of the tastiest kulchas you’ll find anywhere. It seems as if the whole city is a haven for Kulche. I’ve often seen dough patted on the inner walls of the tandoor, where it cooks almost instantly, producing a soft and slightly burnt bread with an incredible smoky flavor. But never eaten Kulcha like Amritsar.
Classically, an Amritsari kulcha is a soft and fluffy flatbread, which is stuffed with a delicious mixture of mashed potatoes, or cauliflower with onions, and spices. It has a unique sour taste due to pomegranate seeds, coriander seeds and kasoori methi. The dough is flattened and rolled and baked on the walls of a tandoor until crisp and charred, then doused with liberal amounts of ghee or white butter (I like yogurt too) and served with chickpeas, pickles and Served with sweets. Sour sauce of onion, chilli, coriander in tamarind.
One of the best kulchas you will find in Amritsar is Pehalwan Ke Kulche at Katra Ahluwalia. Located in the narrow lanes near the Golden Temple, this shop has been serving the most delicious kulchas for more than 70 years. Potato Kulcha, Paneer Kulcha, Onion Kulcha and Cabbage Kulcha. While I personally hate cauliflower, I must say, it tastes amazing when eaten in stuffed kulchas. Though nothing tastes better than piping hot potato onion kulcha dipped in butter, it is skilfully squashed and eaten with chickpeas.
Kesar Da Dhaba is another Amritsar icon. This restaurant is over 100 years old, and obviously serves Kulcha, but it is also famous for its Punjabi Thali with Palak Paneer and especially the Brinjal Bharta. So, if you want to top your kulcha with something really wholesome and spicy, then this place is exactly it. The thali features traditionally cooked Punjabi dishes including aloo gobi, rajma and dal.
Another type of kulcha, which is also available, is called gila kulcha. it is a take on the normal kulcha, tweaked for convenience. The 120-year-old Radhu Shah Chole Wala in Namak Mandi serves rotis like kulchas, which are soaked in masala chole and then garnished with onions, chillies, coriander and sweet and sour chutney, ready to eat. Hence the dish is called gila kulcha or bheega kulcha. Although I really prefer the original type.
And finally, in the Katra Ahluwalia area itself, there is a cart called Ram Kulcha Point Patty and Kulcha. It is a long rectangular kulcha, which is made somewhat like a layered patty. The dough is rolled out and greased with ghee and then stuffed with potatoes, onions and spices, folded and rolled out again. This process is done several times to the same piece of dough and finally, when baked in a tandoor, it turns out to be flaky in the form of a puff patty. It is a perfect overdose of maida, ghee and gluten, but so delicious and tempting.
I would like to end by saying that it is quite difficult to find keema stuffed kulcha in Amritsar, and you might have to find a bar, which serves non-vegetarian food and serves a mutton keema stuffed kulcha. But I didn’t miss it one bit. As for me, and if I may indulge in bad poetry: ‘Amritsari Kulcha, a taste so divine, filled with potatoes or paneer so fine, served hot and crispy, it is a treat that is mine’.
Kunal Vijaykar is a food writer based in Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. The name of his YouTube channel is Khaane Mein Kya Hai. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not represent the stand of this publication.