Chandigarh travel guide

Chole bhature

Delhi's most iconic breakfast—large puffed fried bread (bhature) alongside a fiery chickpea curry finished with ginger and pomegranate; eaten standing at dhabas of Paharganj or posh restaurants; the best in Old Delhi near Sitaram Bazaar

Butter chicken

Delhi's greatest culinary invention—tandoor-roasted chicken simmered in a velvet tomato-cream sauce with butter and fenugreek; created at Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj in the 1950s; every Delhi restaurant has its version

Amritsari kulcha

Amritsar's signature leavened bread—stuffed with spiced mashed potato and onion, baked directly on the walls of a tandoor; served with chickpea curry and a slick of butter; the original kulcha shops on Lawrence Road are institutions

Lassi

Punjab's legendary yogurt drink—churned with sugar or salt, topped with a thick layer of cream and sometimes kesar (saffron) or rose petals; Amritsar and Ludhiana versions are poured into clay kulhads; heavy enough to be a meal in the summer heat

Chandigarh dal makhani

Chandigarh's version of Punjab's black lentil signature dish—slow-simmered urad dal creamed over 8 hours with butter and tomato; the city's Sector 17 and Sector 35 restaurant strips are famous for their rivalry over who makes the best version