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| Butter Chicken: Grandsons Clash in Culinary Caper! |
In a story as fiery as its namesake dish, butter chicken has become the center of a spicy legal battle in India. Two restaurant chains, led by grandsons of the original Moti Mahal founders, are locked in a "delicious dispute" over who invented the beloved curry.
Butter chicken, with its tender tandoori chicken drenched in a creamy tomato gravy, has transcended borders, gracing menus from Manhattan to Moscow. This national treasure, even celebrated with a dedicated "World Butter Chicken Day," now finds itself at the heart of a high-stakes courtroom drama.
On one side stands Monish Gujral, grandson of the Moti Mahal Delux chain founder, a prolific cookbook author and self-proclaimed "butter-chicken booster." He claims his grandfather invented the dish in the 1930s, wielding a 3,000-page legal weapon against Daryaganj, a newer chain.
In the opposing corner, Raghav Jaggi, grandson of another Moti Mahal partner, counters that his grandfather whipped up the first butter chicken in 1947 for hungry refugees. He sees Daryaganj, named after Moti Mahal's original neighborhood, as a fitting tribute to this legacy.
Lawyers and food historians warn that definitively naming the "mother hen" of butter chicken might be impossible. The dish likely evolved organically, fueled by shared recipes and the chaotic 1947 partition of India. Adding spice to the confusion, both grandfathers bore the same name, leading to media dubbing them "the two Kundan Lals."
While the courtroom battle simmers, butter chicken fans remain perplexed. Some find both chains overrated, urging them to focus on quality rather than squabbling. Others reminisce about the original Moti Mahal, fondly remembering the two Kundan Lals, closer then than their grandsons seem to be now.
This culinary clash transcends a mere dish. It represents the legacy of Moti Mahal, a pioneer in catering to Delhi's growing middle class, and the evolving Indian food scene in the wake of partition. Will the grandsons find peace and preserve the true legacy, or will the butter chicken battle leave a bitter taste in everyone's mouth? Only time will tell the verdict in this "delicious dispute."
