New Delhi:
The battle for the culinary crown over the invention of iconic Indian dishes, Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, has landed in the halls of the Delhi High Court. The Moti Mahal and Daryaganj restaurants are currently locked in a legal tussle over the use of the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.”
Moti Mahal has sued the owners of Daryaganj restaurant, alleging that they are misleading the public by suggesting a connection between the two establishments.
According to the Bar and Bench, the suit contends that Daryaganj is falsely creating an association with Moti Mahal, whose first branch was established in Daryaganj.
Justice Sanjeev Narula, hearing the case, has asked the owners of Daryaganj restaurant to file a written response within a month.
Both restaurant chains have, for years, claimed that they invented Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.
Moti Mahal attributes the creation to their founder Kundal Lal Gujral, and argues that these dishes have become synonymous with Indian cuisine globally due to Mr Gujral’s culinary genius.
The restaurant claims that Mr Gujral was concerned about his unsold tandoori chicken drying out. He came up with a sauce to rehydrate the chicken, thus giving birth to Butter Chicken, Moti Mahal claims.
On the other hand, Daryaganj claims that Kundal Lal Jaggi came up with the dishes, refuting the lawsuit as “baseless”.
The lawyer representing Daryaganj argued that the original Moti Mahal restaurant was a joint venture between the predecessors of both parties – Gujral of Moti Mahal and Jaggi of Daryaganj – in Peshawar, Pakistan, reports Bar and Bench.
The court will next hear the matter on May 29, until then the sizzling debate over who is the “inventor of butter chicken and dal makhani” will go on.