There’s no doubt that the trials and tribulations that partition created also forged a strong bond between the three entrepreneurs. The trio began by selling breads and tea but then purchased three tandoors and began serving fish and chicken too. With a growing population of Punjabis in the region, there was a ready-made legion of potential customers who wanted to eat traditional Peshawar fare. Mokha Singh Lamba, although he was then too old to continue running the restaurant, was happy for the three entrepreneurs to use the original logo and gave his full blessing to the enterprise. Peshawar cuisine was soon to find a new home in Delhi when the chance came to revive the original Moti Mahal in the capital territory. During these difficult times, many refugees moved to areas of India because of partition, bringing their various skills and culture with them. The Moti Mahal shut down just before partition. Thakur Dass was at his family’s rice and pulses wholesale business just across the road from the restaurant. Both Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi worked there as servers for some years. The Moti Mahal, in pre-partition days, was a restaurant in Peshawar founded by Mokha Singh Lamba. The story of how butter chicken came to be invented is almost as interesting as the dish itself. The History of Butter Chicken The birth place of Butter Chicken, Moti Mahal Restaurant, New Delhi, India The recipe originally made at the Moti Mahal used fewer spices than many of the versions you see today. What you get here is two recipes in one-a traditional tandoori chicken with an added makhani (or butter gravy). Time and experimentation have inspired many different versions of the recipe which can be found online, many using a variety of different spices. A tomato sauce with butter and cream is then poured over it. It’s first marinated in a mix of spices including cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger, along with yogurt and lemon juice. While millions of people have enjoyed a butter chicken feast, many still don’t know the history surrounding its creation and the story of the three refugees, also entrepreneurs, who headed for Delhi after partition from the Peshawar region.īutter chicken is cooked in a traditional clay oven or tandoor. Chefs, consumers and restaurant staff alike: if you are in or around restaurants, you will undoubtedly have tasted butter chicken at some point in your life.įirst served back in the 1950s, its invention is attributed to three Punjabi restaurateurs, Kundan Lal Jaggi, Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakur Dass, who founded the world-renowned Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi.įor well over 60 years this dish has been a staple of Indian restaurants around the world, from London to New York, Sidney to Moscow and back to Delhi itself.
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