Jhang Famous Food: Sohan Halwa, Dahi Bhallay and More

Jhang's most famous food is sohan halwa, and the name most people know is Khawaja Sohan Halwa, which ships boxes from Jhang to the rest of Pakistan. In the city itself, Jhang is known for Sufi dahi bhallay, gol gappay filled the dahi bhalla way, rabri thick with dry fruit, and bhey, the lotus stem. Most visitors come for the Heer Ranjha tomb or Sultan Bahu's shrine, and these are the things to eat and buy while you are there.

This guide covers Jhang famous food one dish at a time, where to find it, and what to take home.

What is Jhang famous for in food?

Jhang is a Chenab river town in central Punjab, and its food is everyday Punjabi cooking with a few dishes the city is known for across the region. Wikivoyage's Jhang guide lists Sufi dahi bhallay, gol gappay with distinctive dahi bhalla fillings, biryani and pulao, Khawaja sohan halwa, bhey, samosas, halwa puri and doodh jalebi as the city's food. Of these, the sweet is the one people outside Jhang have heard of.

Khawaja sohan halwa

Sohan halwa is a dense, chewy sweet made by cooking wheat, milk, sugar and ghee for hours until it sets, then studding it with nuts. Multan and Dera Ismail Khan are better known for it, as our guides to Multani sohan halwa and Dera Ismail Khan sohan halwa explain, but Jhang has its own following.

Khawaja Sohan Halwa is the Jhang name. Its own pages say the halwa has been made by Khawaja Nasir Mehmood for about 50 years, and it describes itself as a traditional dish of Jhang. In 2026 its website listed:

The site offers a discount per kilo, which suggests these are per-kilo prices, but check the weight before you order. Prices change, and buying in person in Jhang may differ from the online price.

Does sohan halwa travel well?

Yes, better than almost any Pakistani sweet. It is dry, packed in tins or boxes, and keeps for weeks, which is why it is the standard gift from south and central Punjab. Besan pateesa, the flaky gram flour sweet, also travels well.

Sufi dahi bhallay and Jhang's chaat

Dahi bhallay are lentil dumplings soaked in water, then covered in beaten yoghurt, tamarind chutney and chaat masala. In Jhang the name people use is Sufi dahi bhallay, which Wikivoyage singles out for its dipping sauces. Gol gappay in Jhang are often filled the same way, with dahi bhalla and chutney rather than only spiced water.

Chaudhary Milk Sweets and Bakers, on Yousaf Shah Road in Amir Colony, is one of the busiest sweet shops in the city, with thousands of reviews on its foodpanda listing, and its dahi bhallay and lassi are the items customers mention most. It is a good place for a cold glass of lassi and something sweet in one stop.

Rabri, doodh jalebi and other sweets

Rabri is milk reduced slowly until it thickens, sweetened and served cold. In Jhang it is made with peanuts, almonds and other dry fruit stirred through it, according to Wikivoyage. It is a summer dessert and is eaten in small bowls at sweet shops.

Doodh jalebi, hot jalebi dropped into a glass of warm milk, is the winter version of the same idea and a common breakfast or late-night snack. Halwa puri is the weekend breakfast, as it is across Punjab.

Bhey: the lotus stem

Bhey is lotus root, the long stem of the lotus plant, sliced into rounds with a lace-like pattern of holes. It grows in still, shallow water, and Wikivoyage lists it among the foods Jhang is known for. It is cooked as a curry with meat or on its own, or sliced thin and fried as a snack. You are most likely to find it on home menus and at simple desi restaurants in winter, so ask for it rather than expecting it on the board.

Murgh pulao, biryani and where to eat

For a meal, Jhang's restaurants are simple and cheap compared with Lahore or Faisalabad. Wikivoyage lists Ali Baba Murgh Pulao, Karachi Student Biryani and Jigar Restaurant. Murgh pulao is the dish most people order: rice cooked in chicken stock with whole spices, served with raita and salad.

Small eateries open and close, and we could not verify current menus or prices for these, so ask locally. As a rough rule, a plate of pulao or biryani in a district town like Jhang costs noticeably less than the same plate in a big city.

How to fit Jhang's food into a visit

Jhang works as a day out from Faisalabad, or a stop on a longer central Punjab trip.

1. Start at the Heer Ranjha tomb in the morning, before the heat.
2. Eat murgh pulao or biryani for lunch in the city.
3. Stop at a sweet shop for dahi bhallay and lassi in the afternoon.
4. Buy sohan halwa and pateesa to take home.
5. If you have time, drive on to Sultan Bahu's shrine.

Our places to visit in Jhang guide covers the sights, and our experiences page has more food and culture ideas. If you are coming from Faisalabad, our guide to the best food in Faisalabad covers the bigger city's options.

Is Jhang worth a food trip?

On its own, probably not. Jhang has no food street and few restaurants set up for visitors, and summer temperatures make walking around in the afternoon hard. It suits someone already visiting the shrines or the Heer Ranjha tomb who wants to eat locally and take something back.

If you are a sohan halwa fan, Khawaja's halwa is worth trying alongside Multan's, and it ships across Pakistan, so you don't need to go to Jhang to taste it. Come between November and March for comfortable weather and the best of the winter sweets.

Frequently asked questions