Legal tussle over who invented butter chicken and dal makhani reaches Delhi high court

THE TWO KUNDAN LALS RAN THE MOTI MAHAL RESTAURANT IN DARYAGANJ WHICH IS CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE OF BUTTER CHICKEN

- Shruti Kakkar

CULINARY CONFLICT IN COURTROOM

Two Kundan Lals, one of the Capital’s most famous restaurants and a luscious tomato gravy --- a lawsuit filed in Delhi high court has all the ingredients of a juicy legal battle that could settle a crucial culinary question: Who invented butter chicken?

The owners of Moti Mahal have sued rival Indian cuisine restaurant Daryaganj for claiming it was their ancestor that invented the butter chicken and dal makhani, prompting the Delhi high court to seek the latter’s response in a notice issued on January 16.

Moti Mahal is run by the descendants of Kundan Lal Gujral and Daryaganj by that of Kundan Lal Jaggi. The two Kundan Lals, along with a third friend of theirs from Peshawar, together ran the Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj in the Capital’s Old Delhi area after moving from Peshawar, where the restaurant first was set up. The restaurant is considered the birthplace of butter chicken and its vegetarian cousin dal makhani.