History of Butter Chicken

No matter how many times you have butter chicken, you’re always going to lick your fingers after feasting on it. Chicken’s lavishness in a creamy curry along with butter naan will give you a calorie shock but your taste buds will go into frenzy. Although it is usually a Punjabi dish, butter chicken has gotten palettes of a large global audience addicted. Such is its craze that the Canadian PM Stephen Harper especially took out the time to enjoy butter chicken at a North Indian restaurant on his visit to India.

There’s no doubt that butter chicken is a top, north Indian cuisine in Delhi. The reason behind that is butter chicken’s roots can be traced to city. A certain Kundan Lal Gujral invented this recipe at his small hotel called Moti Mahal in Peshawar, Pakistan, before partition. After Punjab was split in two, Gujral moved to New Delhi, India and re-opened his Moti Mahal restaurant. It was here that butter chicken became a super-hit, especially among the Sikh community, who took it across the globe with their diaspora.

Dhaba by Claridges has continued the tradition of cooking delicious and tongue rollicking butter chicken. It is prepared by marinating chicken for some hours in a yogurt and spice mixture. The spices vary across different preparations and can be garam masala, ginger, garlic, pepper, coriander, chilli, turmeric etc. Chicken pieces are cooked in tandoor, grilled, roasted or pan fried. A curry is prepared which is a bit on the sweet side and includes a lot of butter. There are any variations on the spices used for the sauce. Spices for the sauce can be cloves, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and fenugreek. Garnishing the butter chicken with more butter, cream and coriander prepares a lavish, mouth-watering dish. 

Ever Wondered About the History of the Naan? Find Out Now!

Whenever I go to any restaurant that serves up some of the best north indian cuisine in delhi, and a basket of naan is placed in front of me, I just cannot help but feel like a crazed salivating dog! Yes, there’s something just undeniably alluring about naan, our beloved bread of choice. I’m sure I could live a happy life eating naan with just about anything –as long as there’s naan, happiness is guaranteed!

Recently, I visited dhaba by claridges saket –only to be blown away yet again by the glory of the naan! But it left me wondering… Where did this glorious piece of bread originate? What is its story? Call me crazy, but sitting in that comfortable and colourful décor, with its funky yet authentic ‘Dhaba’ vibe going about –I decided to whip out my phone and dig a little deep to find out all about the history of the naan.

If you think about it, would north indian cuisine in delhi or anywhere across the globe survive without the existence of naan? I think not –it’s integral to a variety of cuisines, and my life, of course! So, let me fill you in on what I found out –naan is awesome and doesn’t need any researching into because it’s so great that one must only enjoy the taste and ask no questions. Okay, maybe that’s my salivary gland talking. Let’s get down to business.

The naan originated in former Persia –now Iran. The word itself comes from the Persian word ‘non’ meaning bread. While the word ‘non’ was used generically for any flatbread in Persia, the first recorded history of the naan as it is today was by Indo-Persian poet Amir Khusrow around 1300 AD. And thus began the glorious journey of the naan around the world –to become a widely beloved type of bread. From the plain old naan circulating around Persia back in the day, to the delectable varieties of naan served up at restaurants like dhaba by claridges saket, the naan is a favourite worldwide! 

Friends with-‘out’ Benefits

As you must have guessed, but I did not, at that time, I was greeted with a familiar face-- the same golgappe wala. Our reactions were nothing like old friends, wild and fancy. Both of us recognized each other, acknowledged it silently and respected the fact. The first words we exchanged were not of complains or queries, instead I handed over the drink. Bewildered by the gesture, he didn’t know what to say. After some insistence and resistance he finally gulped it down in a single go.

Now relieved, I asked him about this particularly not so lucrative business when he could make the world’s best North Indian food Delhi. An expression passed over his face. If it was despair, it did not last more than a millisecond. He said, “It is the only respectable job I could do without start-up money Sir”. Finding me confused, he went ahead with his story.

He used to own a small dhaba serving North Indian cuisine in Delhi. They had a happy and decent life. But then, his wife was diagnosed with cancer and he used up everything he had, still failing to save her. After that, he started again from scratch with two daughters left to be taken care of. The shed near my house was his second attempt at life, out of nothing.

I was shocked! He went through so much and I never found a freckle of despair on the man’s face. In fact delicious North Indian food Delhi wasn’t his only speciality. The simple grin was typical of him, and everybody felt attracted due to its utter sincerity. Honestly, I never met a man whose smile could be more convincing. His was so real that you would doubt your own happiness’s authenticity. And yet, he was struggling with his own inner turmoil. I mean look at us, if it’s a bad day at work, be it the pesky co-passenger in metro or the grocery store keeper; everyone has to face the brunt. Yet he was here, his story of misery only half told.

On the second chance, he had to sell up everything, to marry off the elder daughter. And with the younger one still left, he was trying to make whatever sense he could, out of life by selling magazines and dailies. Even amid all this, the unfailing smile never left his face.

I was dumbstruck by his simplicity and philosophy. Resolved to help him, I approached one of my friends, who holds a good position at a five star brand restaurant and referred him for a job. Honestly, this was not kindness and it did not mean anything to me. But, it was a life changer, for that man. And I learnt an incredible lesson out of nothing…

So, the next time when you face a difficulty, think of others who are bearing greater burdens.