The legend, The Man, The Punjabi-Pathan – Shri. Kundan Lal Gujral “This is the story of a man who set on a culinary adventure and changed the face of Indian cooking. This is a story of a man and a recipe which internationalised the Indian taste of succulence and spice in its food. A man who turned the plebeian village tandoor for baking into a royal mode for his innovation – “The Tandoori Chicken” and then came the Butter chicken. The result: a revolution in taste, a change in Indian eating habits, and a place on the international gourmet map. This man was Kundan Lal Gujral. The restaurant where he housed his innovations was Moti Mahal-“The Palace of Pearls”. The two became a legendary mix. Kundan Lal not only made Tandoori cuisine popular throughout India but also strengthened the appeal of Indian food in many parts of the world. The Tandoori Chicken has become a draw card for Indian tourism. What more convincing words can be said, as were said by our very own Maulana Azad, former education Minister, who said to Shah of Iran on one of his state visits that, “coming to Delhi without eating at Moti Mahal would be like visiting Agra without seeing Taj Mahal.
–Uma Vasudeva (First Editor, India Today)
