Amritsari Kulcha

The Amritsari kulcha is a leavened wheat bread stuffed with spiced potato, onion and sometimes paneer, rolled, pressed with coriander and seeds, and slapped against the inside wall of a tandoor where it puffs and blisters, then pulled off, crushed by hand and doused in butter. It is served with chole, a chickpea curry, and with pickled onion and mint chutney, and eaten most often at breakfast or in the middle of the day. Long-established shops in Amritsar have built reputations on it over decades, and a good one is crisp and layered rather than doughy.

What you actually see

• The tandoor cooking - breads slapped onto the clay wall and pulled off blistered.
• The stuffing - spiced potato and onion pressed into the dough.
• The chole - chickpea curry served alongside.
• The butter - a slab melted over the crushed bread before serving.

When to go

October to March for comfortable weather in Punjab; kulcha shops run from morning through the afternoon and the best sell out. Summer in Amritsar is severe.

Honest expectations

The dish is very rich, loaded with butter, and heavy at breakfast for most visitors. Queues at the well-known shops are long. Seating at many is basic or standing only.

Nearby

The Golden Temple lies in the old city; Wagah is west.