Moti Mahal vs Daryaganj: Legal spat erupts over who invented butter chicken, dal makhani

Moti Mahal vs Daryaganj: The Delhi High Court will soon decide which of the two famous restaurants in Delhi, Moti Mahal or Daryaganj, can claim to be the creators of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.

Moti Mahal's owners have complained to the Delhi HC, saying that Daryaganj is using the tagline "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani" without permission. These two restaurants, with a shared history, are in a dispute over who first came up with the recipes for Chicken and Dal Makhani.

Moti Mahal, originally a small eatery in Peshawar by Kundan Lal Gujral, Thakur Das Magu, and Kundan Lal Jaggi, moved to Delhi after the partition and opened its first branch in Daryaganj in 1947. Now, their argument over the culinary invention is being taken to the Delhi High Court for a decision.


Invention of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani

Moti Mahal's account:
As per Moti Mahal's account, the credit for creating the recipe for what we now know as butter chicken and dal makhani goes to Gujral. He is also credited with inventing tandoori chicken.

In contrast, Daryaganj attributes the invention of the recipe to Jaggi.

The origin story of Butter Chicken is a common thread between the two establishments, originating from tandoori chicken.

Moti Mahal claims that Kundan Lal invented Butter Chicken in the 1930s by simmering leftover tandoori chicken in a luscious tomato-based sauce enriched with butter and cream.

Daryaganj's account:
On the other hand, Daryaganj contends that in 1947, Kundan Lal Jaggi improvised the recipe when a group of refugees arrived at his restaurant just as he was about to close for the day.

At that moment, the kitchen had only a small amount of tandoori chicken remaining. A Bengali patron at the restaurant proposed to Jaggi that he should prepare a gravy and incorporate the tandoori chicken into it. Following this suggestion, Jaggi crafted a flavorful gravy using tomatoes, fresh butter, and various spices. He then combined the cooked tandoori chicken pieces with this concoction, giving rise to what we recognise today as Butter Chicken.

Pleas
Moti Mahal's plea asserts that Daryaganj's claim of being the "Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani" is misleading and creates a false impression of a connection between the two restaurants. Acting on this petition, Justice Sanjeev Narula from the Delhi High Court issued a summons on January 16, instructing Daryaganj's owners to submit their written response within a month.

While Daryaganj has yet to officially respond, the restaurant's legal representative informed the court that the allegation is untrue. They emphasised that the initial Moti Mahal establishment in Peshawar was a collaborative effort involving predecessors of both parties, challenging the sole attribution of credit to Moti Mahal.