PESHAWAR
\nLawful claims over legacy of world famous `Butter Chicken\u2019 recipe in India has evinced keen interest among dwellers of Peshawar, a city in Pakistan from where the ancestors of both the litigants belonged and groomed their culinary skills.
\nThe descendants of late Kundal Lal Gujral, owner of Moti Mahal Hotels and Restaurants, and late Kundal Lal Jaggi, owner of Daryaganj, a restaurant chain started in 2019, are now a days engaged in litigation, claiming invention of the dish by their forefathers.
\nThe grandfathers of current owners of the both the firms, Kundal Lal Gujral and Kundal Lal Jaggi, belonged to Peshawar who migrated after partition of sub-continent in 1947.
\nAccording to news reports, the popular Moti Mahal restaurant chain owner claims his restaurant had the sole right to be recognized as the inventor of the `Butter Chicken\u2019 and demanded from its rival, the Daryaganj chain, to stop claiming credit.
\n\u201cKundan Lal Gujral, founder of Moti Mahal Hotels and Restaurants, created the cream-loaded dish in 1930s at an eatery in Peshawar before relocating to Delhi after 1947,\u201d claims Monish Gujral of Moti Mahal Restaurant.
\nThe news of lawful dispute between renowned restaurants of India also attracted interest among residents of Peshawar because the owners of both the eateries had roots in their city.
\n\u201cI am observing arguments made by offspring of both the Kundals and becoming exited to see how recipe of chicken tandoori and butter chicken are invented in Peshawar and got global fame,\u201d comments Jurgees Ahmad Siddique, a businessman from Peshawar.
\n\u201cWe met Kundal Lal Gujral during our visit to India in mid 80\u2019s and he shared the story of his profession with us,\u201d relates Jurgees Ahmad Siddique.
\nIt was surprising to know how Moti Mahal Hotel shot to such a global fame because of its chicken delicacy, Jurgees shared his amazement.
\nIts clientele included names of the world famous leaders including former United States President Richard Nixon, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, India\u2019s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, first education minister Maulana Azad and others, he went to say.
\n\u201cKundal Lal Gujral was like a friend to my late father (Muhammad Usman) who used to visit the eatery and spent his evening leisure in Saddar area,\u201d shares Muhammad Naeem, another businessman and resident of Peshawar.
\nNaeem was anxious about outcome of the dispute between descendants of both the Kundals and wanted to see a decision in favor of friend of his late father.
\n\u201cKundan Lal Gujral worked as main chef with one Mukha Singh at their modest eatery at the back corner of Gora Bazar (opposite present-day Jallundhar Sweets) from 1920 to 47 and gave the world its first Tandoori Chicken,\u201d opined Dr. Ali Jan, a profound lover of Peshawar\u2019s heritage who also researched to find out exact location of restaurant in Saddar area of Peshawar.
\nAt Mukha\u2019s eatery or \u2018Mukhay da Hotel\u2019, Kundal Lal Gujral came up with an ingenious idea to dig a tandoor right in the middle of the shop introducing the culinary art of \u2018Tandoori Food\u2019 which became popular locally.
\nAfter partition in 1947, Kundan Lal Gujral shut his business and bid farewell to Peshawar with a heavy heart. In New Delhi, this refugee rebuilt his life from scratch and set up Moti Mahal restaurant.
\nDuring research on Mukha\u2019s restaurant in Peshawar in the year 2015, Dr. Ali Jan said he interviewed few very senior persons including Mr. Albert Godin (then aged 86, of Godin Records fame settled in Canada). Mr. Basant Chadha (Aged 86, resident of 32 The Mall S\/O late Gulab Rai store owner Arbab Road settled in Jabalpur, India), Mr. Chandar Mohan Bhasin (84, his father\u2019s classmate then settled in Delhi) and Mr. Bilbir Singh (86, owner of cafe` opposite Lansdowne Cinema, now settled in Delhi).
\nAll these personalities shared valuable information and offered great help to locate birthplace of the Tandoori Chicken, but none of them made any mention of Kundal Lan Jaggi, Ali Jan told APP.
\nHowever, after claim of grandson of Kundal Lal Jaggi in news, Ali Jan did further research and found that he (Jaggi) had a Peshawar connection but it could not be said with certainty if he worked in the same eatery as a chef.
\nThe main chef was Kundal Lal Gujral who shifted his culinary skill from Peshawar Saddar area to Daryaganj (Central Delhi). The Peshawari tandoori food became instantly popular in India and Kundal Lal became a celebrity and a legend, Jan believed.
\nDr. Ali Jan said, personally he wished that the matter would get amicably settled between the two Peshawaries, however people in their ancestral city are eager over fate of claims by grandchildren of both the Kundals and waiting to see who is the real inventor of famous chicken recipe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Lawful claims over legacy of world famous `Butter Chicken\u2019 recipe in India has evinced keen interest among dwellers of Peshawar, a city in Pakistan from where the ancestors of both the litigants belonged and groomed their culinary skills. The descendants of late Kundal Lal Gujral, owner of Moti Mahal Hotels and Restaurants, and late […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409839,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-409822","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n