My quest for the best halwa puri in Lahore
by SHEHARYAR RIZWAN
15 Oct 2015 UPDATED ABOUT 4 HOURS AGO
Discovering 'poora' halwa was only one of the highlights of my journey
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If there's one thing Lahore offers in abundance, it's food.
That's not to say that the city has nothing else to offer; it's just that traditional fare happens to be one of its chief attractions.
So when it comes to breakfast — a high priority for us Lahoris — it's not surprising that a sweet and savoury serving of halwa puri is a greatly loved meal.
Halwa puri is said to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, mainly in Punjab, but is also said to be popular in the Terai region of Nepal, particularly in its Madheshi community.
The dish traditionally comprises thin, deep-fried, puffed up bread (puris), served with halwa (a dessert prepared typically with semolina, ghee, sugar and sometimes garnished with nuts), and a mildly spicy curry of chickpeas and potato.
A variation is two separate curries instead of one: chickpeas and aaloo ki bhujia. A few old-school cooks serve halwa puri with mango pickle and sliced onion. And if had for breakfast, this meal isn’t complete without a glass full of sweetened lassi (yoghurt-milk drink).
Not the healthiest choice to start your day with some may say, but it’s halwa puri, and you’re allowed to cheat once in a while.
So, after having enjoyed halwa puri for as long as I can remember, I headed out in search of some of the best the town has to offer. And that’s one difficult task, for there are way too many shops around with their distinct add-ons and variations. I decided to take the challenge head on, with some thorough research. I made a list, called up a friend and out we went on a motorbike on an early morning food adventure.
Taj Mahal Sweets
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Taj Mahal Sweets' owner says all recipes used at the shop are his own
Price: Rs 20
Breakfast timings: 3:30am to 1:30pm
After hours menu: Sweets, ras malai and samosas
Our first stop was Taj Mahal Sweets — and boy, was it a good start!
Located in the narrow streets of Taxali Gate and opposite the Badshahi Mosque, the shop's bustling environs made clear that it benefits from its prominent location. Where there's bustle, there's trouble — and a signpost warned us to watch out for our belongings. So we sat down at a spot where we could keep an eye on our vehicle.
When we finally got down to ordering breakfast, we discovered that Taj Mahal Sweets offered two types of halwas — the regular sooji and a ‘poora’ halwa. The latter definitely piqued my curiosity, and I learned that it was the owner's invention and the shop's bestselling item. I knew I had to try it.
The anticipation was worth it, for we were served a hearty meal. I dug in immediately, breaking off a piece of the piping hot, puffed-up puri and scooped up some poora halwa for a first bite.
This yellow-brown halwa is made with congealed/thickened milk (khoya) and sprinkled with assorted nuts. It melted in my mouth, and thankfully did not leave an overpowering aftertaste. It has to be the most scrumptious halwa I have ever had with puri.
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The halwa puri meal at Taj Mahal Sweets
What made the meal even better were the delicious chanay. Instead of the typical brown salan, the chickpeas floated in a yellow curry, served with freshly sliced onion. It was spiced up with a liberal dose of red chilli flakes, which hit your tastebuds immediately. These chanay were also better than any other I've had in Lahore so far. Light, appropriately spicy, soft and, with those onion slices, they made for quite a treat, the kind that makes you want more.
When we finally parted with our breakfast plates, we were lucky to discover that the man on the counter was the owner himself. And the elderly Chaudhry Muhammad Akram had some interesting tales to share.
“I opened up this shop 50 years ago. I entered the field at the age of 10 at the now-shut-down McLeod Road Sweet Corner, which was owned by my relatives. I would get up at 2:30am to practise and learn. After spending six to seven years there, I moved on to a couple of other shops, and then started cooking somewhere," he told us about his early days.
"I went through really tough times," he recalls. "I prayed to God that I’ll work as hard as required, but to get me out of this poverty. When children my age were playing around, I spent my life at shrines. I set up this shop at the age of 17. It’s been 50 years now.”
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The interior of Taj Mahal Sweets is dotted with pictures of shrines as a nod to Akram's childhood. He says he still visits shrines and sends 20kg of that scrumptious poora to Data Darbar every Thursday.
“When I started out, I was called mad, as this place was uninhabited. Business wasn't this good in the start. For the first two years, I event slept at the shop. I cooked and sold everything myself. A few years ago, my friend told me to give it all up because of my health. But I said if God’s giving me so much, why should I stop? The day God doesn’t help, I’ll wrap up."
"I’m the first person in the family to come into this field, and I doubt my children could take over after me. It’s a tough job and requires waking up early. They can’t do any of this,” he went on.
Akram said all the recipes were his own creations and he uses special ingredients, some of which he brought over from India. In addition to halwa puri (costing a mere Rs 20) , he also serves chicken and qeema tikkis (cutlets) for breakfast.
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The owner, Chaudhry Muhammad Akram
One of his customers, Hafiz Ali, was engrossed in his breakfast when I mustered the courage to disturb him. “This is by far the best halwa puri I have come across in Lahore. I don’t care how far I live, but I make it a point to come here at least once a week, mostly on a weekend. It’s totally worth it,” he said.
Akram named his shop Taj Mahal Sweets due to his childhood desire to visit the monument. 35 years ago, his wish came true and he saw the Taj standing in its grandeur on a full-moon night. “Aisay jaisay aik plate mein anda rakha ho, aur saath darya beh raha tha,” Akram said.
He also said he visited quite a few cities in India, but did not find halwa puri that could match his. Asked if he was aware of the origins of halwa puri, he said he just knew it was introduced by Hindus a long time before Partition.
On that note, we thanked Akram for his time at peak work hours and took our leave, sated by that poora.
Chand Shahab Sweets
Price: Rs 30
Breakfast timings: 7am to 12pm
After hours menu: Sweets
Our next stop was another decades-old shop, Chand Shahab Sweets, popularly known as Shaabu. It was just a lane away from Taj Mahal Sweets, in the street popular for Peshawari chappals.
We got there a little early, as they were just starting to set up. Their halwa puri — sold for Rs30 a puri — wasn’t the most appetising. The chanay looked, well, boring — but I noticed they serve it with mango achaar (pickle), which is not a condiment that usually accompanies halwa puri. The achaar and sliced onions were the bland chanay's only saving grace, but the halwa wasn’t too bad.
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The halwa puri at Shaabu wasn't the best
The shop's owner, we learned, has an erratic schedule, so we talked to one of his oldest employees, Allah Ditta, who has been working at the shop for 25 years.
Allah Dita told us that Chand was the man who started this shop before Partition and Shahab was his son. The family also owned the Zakariya Hospital.
He said that during the week, the shop is frequented by residents of the Walled City, but customers from all over town pour in on the weekends.
We took his word for it and moved on.
Karachi Sweet Shop
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Price: Rs 20
Breakfast timings: 12am to 2pm
After hours menu:
Tikkis (cutlets), poora (different from what Taj Mahal Sweets served, this is a sweet round cake), jalebi, sweet pakoras and shukur-paray
Our third stop was Karachi Sweet Shop in Old Anarkali. Due to the lack of a signboard, this place is hard to find. It is located right at the mouth of the food street, if one is coming from the direction of The Mall.
Their halwa puri serving was pretty much standard, with a hot and fluffy puri and an appropriately sweet halwa. However, the chanay stood out for their high spice level (it does not go down easy!) and its different presentation. The cholay were cooked separately from the potatoes. They first poured the chanay onto a plate followed by a spoonful of potatoes over them.
Overall, the experience was satisfactory for Rs20, but after Taj Mahal Sweets, nothing seemed to come close.
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We spoke to the shop's in-charge Rana Asif, whose father the late Rana Abdul Hameed, was a wrestler who opened the shop when there were only four halwa puri joints in the city. Asif joined the shop 12 years after a stint as an AC mechanic in Dubai.
“My father would tell us that he would walk around here and say one day he’d have a shop here. After a few years, with God’s grace, he had one. He earned a lot of respect and success,” Asif told us.
Like Akram at Taj Mahal Sweets, Asif was also unaware of the origins of halwa puri, but reiterated the notion that it was introduced by Hindus in the pre-Partition era.
My quest for the best halwa puri in Lahore - Favourites
The halwa puri from this shop is a delight. 
