Delhi HC Will Tell Us Who Invented Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani

A disagreement over the origins of popular Indian dishes, Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, has landed in the Delhi High Court. Two well-known restaurants, Moti Mahal and Daryaganj, are in a legal dispute, each asserting to be the 'inventor' of these beloved recipes.

According to Bar and Bench, the legal battle unfolded when the proprietors of Moti Mahal filed a lawsuit against the owners of Daryaganj restaurant for using the tagline 'Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.' Moti Mahal alleges that such claims mislead the public into believing there is an association between the two establishments.

The first hearing transpired on January 16 under Justice Sanjeev Narula, who subsequently issued summons and requested a written response from Daryaganj within a month, as reported by Bar and Bench.

Moti Mahal's narrative attributes the creation of these dishes post-partition to its predecessor, the late Kundal Lal Gujral. Gujral, concerned about his unsold Tandoori Chicken drying out without refrigeration, ingeniously crafted the makhani sauce—a rich blend of tomatoes, butter, cream, and spices—to rehydrate and enhance the chicken, thereby giving birth to the iconic 'Butter Chicken.' The application of this sauce to black lentils led to the creation of Dal Makhani.

Contrarily, Daryaganj restaurant, represented by Senior Advocate Amit Sibal and team, vehemently refutes these claims, dismissing the lawsuit as "baseless." Bar and Bench reported that Daryaganj argued that there had been no false representation and emphasized that the original Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar, Pakistan, was a joint venture between the predecessors of both parties—Gujral of Moti Mahal and Jaggi of Daryaganj.

The case is scheduled for its next hearing on May 29, providing the Delhi High Court an opportunity to unravel the culinary claims and determine the rightful 'inventor' of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani in this intriguing gastronomic legal battle.