Tracing the origins of chicken tikka masala and best places to get it in Mumbai

With Tom Cruise recently endorsing chicken tikka masala’s cult status in the UK, we delve into its history and bring you the best places to find the dish in Mumbai

If someone were to ask you what the most globally famous Indian dish is, you’d probably answer chicken tikka masala. But here’s the funny part: the dish, technically speaking, isn’t Indian at all. Urban legend has it that it was invented in a curry house in Glasgow in the 1970s, after a customer sent back a chicken tikka dish complaining that it was too dry. “The chef then opened two cans of Campbell tomatoes, added some spices and slathered butter on top of the tikka and voila! Chicken tikka masala was born,” explains culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal. The dish quickly became so popular in the UK that it has often been hailed as the country’s national dish, and actor Tom Cruise recently enjoyed two servings of it at Asha’s, an Indian restaurant in Birmingham, while shooting for a movie there.

Kurush Dalal

he chicken tikka masala we get in India is a lot more ramped up than the version in the UK, Dalal says, adding, “There, it is a much milder gravy and a lot of it comes from a Punjabi-Bangladeshi union in the kitchen. They created an entire tradition where there would be a large handi with a tomato-onion gravy in the middle of the kitchen, which the first guy who came into work in the morning would probably make and keep. One large spoonful with different combinations of spices would make for a number of dishes.”

Nonetheless, the dish has become a symbol for Indian food across the world, and if you want a taste of it closer to home, here are some of the best places to find it in the city.

Northern delight

This restaurant is famed for the quality of its north Indian food, with a lip-smacking dish called nimbu chicken also on the menu. Their murgh tikka masala is an authentic rendition of the classic item.
Time 11 am to 10 pm 
At Urban Tadka, Juhu Versova Link Road, Andheri West. 
Call 26328172 
Rs 364  

Fix for the night

Back when things were normal, and night owls would exit the bars in Bandra after the last call for drinks, many of them would make a pit-stop at this after-hours adda before heading back home. Start your meal with their scrumptious kebabs before moving on to chicken tikka masala for the main course.
Time 11 am to 10 pm 
At Sigdi, Abbas Compound, 29th Road, Bandra West. 
Call 26557906 
Rs 240

Taste of the street

It started off as a humble street-side kebab place on Hill Road in Bandra West. But this venture has now expanded to open multiple outlets, which have chicken tikka masala on the menu. It’s also one of the few places in the city that offers khiri, a kebab made with goat udders.
Time 11 am to 1 am 
At Ayaz’s – The Kebab Place, multiple outlets 
Call 989259990 
Rs 299

Old is gold

A byword for Mughlai cuisine in the city, this eatery has stood the test of time and maintained its quality over the years.
Time 11 am to 12 am 
AT Jaffer Bhai’s Delhi Darbar, Lady Jamshedji Road, Mahim West. 
Call 24465651 
Rs 598

Try this at home

Chef Lynston Correa, who runs the home kitchen From Farm to Fork, shared this recipe for chicken tikka masala that you can try.

Ingredients
For the marinade
. 500 gm chicken leg boneless 
. Salt to taste 
. 1 while lime 
. 1tbsp ginger-garlic paste 
. 3 tbsp mustard oil 
. 2 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
. ½ tsp jeera powder 
. ½ tsp garam masala 
. 2 tbsp hung curd 
. A pinch of dry kasuri methi

For grinding in a mixer
. 2 tbsp butter 
. 1-2 bay leaves 
. 3 cardamoms 
. 1 black cardamom 
. 1 big onion, sliced
. 2-3 tomatoes, roughly chopped . 8-10 cashews
. 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 
. 2-3 spicy green chillies 
. 1 tsp spicy chilli powder 
. 1 big cup of water

Cook for 15 minutes on a low-medium flame. Once cooled, purée it.

For assembling
. 1 tbsp butter
. 1 onion, finely chopped
. 1 tomato, finely chopped
. 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
. 1 tsp coriander powder
. ½ tsp jeera powder
. 1 tbsp chilli powder

Method
Put the purée masala, cook on a low flame cover and cook for five minutes; let the oil leave the pan. Add a bit of water if it’s too thick. Add the chicken tikka pieces into the gravy and cook for five to 10 minutes on a low flame. Add fresh chopped coriander, 1 teaspoon of sugar or honey, a pinch of garam masala powder and kasuri methi, and two tablespoons of fresh cream. Taste for seasoning and serve. 

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