As Moti Mahal turns 103, we drop into their Delhi outpost to see what's cooking

In 1920 at Gora Bazaar Peshawar restaurateur Mokha Singh ran a dhaba called Moti Mahal It was manned by three friendsmdashKundan Lal Jaggi Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakurdas Mago This is widely believed to be the birthplace of tandoori chickenmdasha whole bird was roasted in a dugup mud tandoor and lit with coal and wood for the first time Butter chicken it is told was created out of the necessity to rehydrate the cooked chicken to prevent it from drying out Dal makhani a creamy dal to go with the rich nonvegetarian food was born there too and so was chicken pakora a dish made for a British dignitary who would ask for fried chickenButter ChickenWith the Partition in 1947 the four found themselves as refugees in the Delhi of new India Singh backed out of the enterprise but the other three continued the next chapter with a roadside thela in Daryaganj Delhi The spot was later granted to them in the Rehabilitation Conveyance Deed by the then president of India and Moti Mahal was reestablished there in independent IndiaIn 1979 Mago sold his share equally to Jaggi and Gujral In the early 1990s the two sold off Moti Mahal at Daryaganj which is not operational now to a certain Vinod Chadha Incidentally till date there is a dispute between the two families about the original creator of the butter chicken This year Moti Mahal the brand turned 103 years old the century year passed them by in the lockdown of 2020Chicken KalmiBack in Peshawar Gujral had fed Meharchand Khanna the political stalwart who later became a minister in Jawaharlal Nehrursquos cabinet Through him Gujralrsquos famous tandoori chicken was served to Pandit Nehru postPartition The list of dignitaries who have visited Moti Mahal is long and includes the Shah of Iran former US president Richard Nixon former US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Soviet leaders Alexie Kosygin and Nikolai Bulganin former Pakistani prime minister Zulfikar Bhutto and more recently Canadian Prime Minister Justin TrudeauOn a recent trip to Delhi we met Monish Gujral the thirdgeneration owner of Moti Mahal Delux Nestled like a time warp in Mblock in Greater Kailash 1 among a cluster of modern eateries suede sofas in beige and rust wooden flooring and sitar notes set the ambience Subtle new touches are spotted in the light fittings For a Friday afternoon the space is wellfilled with families dropping by for an authentic North Indian meal We scoop up some thick curry with a piece of roti folding it itno a generous bite The butter chicken is simply executed and it doesnrsquot have the punch of masala we expected ldquoThis is the original butter chickenrdquo Gujral explains ldquoMost eateries make it laden with garam masala and garlic But here tandoori chicken pieces are tossed in a tomato and cream puree lightly spiced with chilli cumin and soonth You actually get to taste the tandoori chicken in itrdquo Monish explainsNonveg platterThe dal makhani is simmered on a tandoor overnight and cooked on fire for four hours with milk and tomato puree The classic mutton burra kebab with black kalonji masala cooked in mustard oil is succulent and the dahi ke kebab hold shape The kalmi kebab with a white marinade is a milder chicken lollypopThe group has over 200 outlets across the world including franchises of Moti Mahal Delux Tandoori Trail created to celebrate the food journey of Kundan Lal Gujral along with QSR quick service restaurants formats in food courts and malls In the lockdown Gujralrsquos team experimented with ready blended masalas including ones for butter chicken chicken pakoda tandoori rogan josh and brown curry to be sold under the brand name Kundan Lal Gujralrsquos Original Recipes since 1920 They will be available in leading grocery stores across the country in a few weeksMonish Gujral PicNishad AlamldquoAll restaurants have a set blend recipesrdquo says Gujral ldquoPar haath haath ka farak pad jata hai the taste differs from hand to handrdquo While the appeal of butter chicken remains evergreen he conscientiously adds innovations to the menu Case in point Chicken momos in red gravymdashyoungsters love it ldquoThis dish matches their taste palaterdquo he explains We raise an eyebrow but take the plunge Interestingly the butter chicken that Kundan Lal Gujral created to rehydrate dried chicken has found its way into the momos It gets our nod and leaves us thinking of what more can we expect from the centuryold kitchen that gave us an iconic dish