Who is arguing over the issue?
The famous restaurants in Delhi, Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, are arguing about who made butter chicken and dal makhani first. The matter has reached the Delhi High Court (HC), as Moti Mahal has sued Daryaganj for saying they are the inventors of the two world-famous dishes.
Both restaurants say they were the first ones to make these dishes.
What are the restaurants saying?
Rupa Gujral from Moti Mahal says her family owns the recipes. She explains that her father-in-law, the late Kundan Lal Gujral, started the Moti Mahal Hotel in Delhi's Darya Ganj in 1948. According to her, he created the makhani sauce to keep food from drying out, especially since there were no refrigerators at that time.
Back then, Mr. Gujral faced the challenge of unsold leftover chicken becoming dry. To fix this, he made the 'makhani butter sauce,' leading to the invention of butter chicken. The same recipe was also used for black lentils, resulting in dal makhani.
The Gujral family showed several photos in court, arguing that the Jaggi family (owners of Daryaganj) shouldn't use them. The Jaggi family denies the Gujral family's claims, saying that the late Kundan Lal Jaggi came up with the idea for the recipes.
Daryaganj's lawyer also mention that the first Moti Mahal restaurant was jointly established by Kundan Lal Gujral and Kundan Lal Jaggi in Peshawar, Pakistan, giving them the right to use certain photos.
What has the court said?
This matter was heard by a Delhi HC judge on 16th January 2024. The court has asked the owners of Daryaganj to submit a written response within a month. The matter will be further discussed on 29th May.
