When the world’s second richest man Elon Musk likes his ‘butter chicken’

Vibha Sharma

Chandigarh, May 16

India’s favourite ‘butter chicken’ seems to have achieved newer heights as a dish and a recipe. None other than the world’s second richest man, Elon Musk, today proclaimed his preference for ‘butterchicken’ on his micro-blogging site Twitter, acknowledging that he likes Indian food like ‘butter chicken’ and ‘naan’.

True

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2023

When a Twitter subscriber declared basic Indian food “insanely good”, posting a picture of ‘butter chicken’ with ‘naan’, Musk replied “True”, inviting million of views and thousands of likes, including from Indian Twitter users some of whom also pitched for other local cuisines like Jammu’s ‘rajma-chawal’, Hyderabadi biryani, South Indian dosa, etc.

So what makes ‘humble’ butter chicken ‘iconic’?

Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who encapsulates the magic of the popular dish in ‘Butter Chicken and its Humble Origin Story’, calls its recipe “iconic”.

Kapoor says that whenever one thinks of ordering chicken at a restaurant, one dish that goes through the mind is butter chicken.

“Calling this recipe iconic will be an understatement. For years, this has been the go-to chicken dish for many families dining out,” he says.

The delicious non-vegetarian dish has become a comfort food of many.

Also going by the name ‘murgh makhanwala’, one can have it with plain or ‘tandoori roti’, ‘naan’ or rice. Served in road-side ‘dhabas’ and also high-end , fine-dining restaurants and luxury hotels, ‘butter chicken’ is a dish that has crossed boundaries to become a constant in Indian restaurants across the world.

Foodies have also tried to team it with noodles, pasta, pizza, rolls, pies, etc.

It has links with another chicken delicacy, ‘tandoori chicken tikka’, which at times is also used as filling in another Indian favourite—‘samosa’.

Genesis of butter chicken

According to food writers, the delicious recipe has more than one claimant.

According to Kapoor, “the man behind the legendary butter chicken, Kundal Lal Gujaral, was also the man behind the decadent tandoori chicken tikka.”

Apparently,before the Partition, Gujaral worked as a chef at a small restaurant in Peshawar where he started experimenting with grilling marinated chicken skewers in a ‘tandoor’ used for cooking ‘rotis’ and ‘naans’.

Soon the juicy chicken pieces with a smoky flavour became a hit with customers.

When he shifted to Delhi in 1947, Gujaral founded‘Moti Mahal’ in Daryaganj.

In those days, there used to be no proper refrigeration facilities and storing unsold ‘tandoori tikkas’ was a challenge.To circumvent that problem, Gujaral startedcooking them in tomato puree, adding butter, cream, spices and other flavours.

However, there seems to be another claimant to the ‘butter chicken legacy’.

According to another food enthusiast quoting Raghav Jaggi, a descendant of one of the other partners of Moti Mahal, his grandfather Kundan Lal Jaggi invented ‘butter chicken’.

Sweet or spicy, butter chicken has come a long way

Whoever invented it, whether served with a dash of sweetness or some spice, ‘butter chicken’ has come a long way.

Chefs have improvised its recipe to improve texture and richness, according to regional preference, adding individual flavours and ingredients.

Today it is among the most searched Indian dishes in the world.

The basic ‘tandoori chicken tikka’ has also given birth to ‘chicken tikka masala’, another dish relished with‘rotis’ and ‘naans’.

Chefs and restaurants have also added to the method of preparation. Some may use boiled chicken for a healthier version, some add cashew paste to make it richer, some make it a bit sweeter, others may add ‘garam masala’, ‘kasoori methi’ or spices toenhance its flavour.