No one knows how many Indian restaurants exist worldwide; reportedly there are more than 5,000 in the United States alone. The exact number depends on how you define “Indian” and “restaurant.” And most of them – from a little mom-and-pop shop on the corner to the Michelin-starred Junoon in New York City – serve many of the same dishes, the standard repertoire that diners have come to expect. The menu just isn’t complete unless it contains skewered chicken tandoori in

What does gold have to do with food? Well, I am writing about the black dal – yes humble black urad whole lentil whose avatar, the makhani dal, was invented by none other than Kundan Lal Gujral, the founder of the Moti Mahal chain. He revolutionized the way dal was cooked, making it a household name, placing the humble dal on the world culinary map. The idea was triggered off when he invented the famous makhani gravy just to be

There are three kinds of people in this world. Those who love Butter Chicken, those who think Butter Chicken is overrated and those who have never tasted Butter Chicken. Of all of these, I feel deep sorrow for the third kind. It is a loss of gigantic proportions, in my opinion. Delhi, arguably the culinary capital of India, owes a large part of its flavour heritage to the Mughals. Butter Chicken, however, has far more humble origins, and was born far

The non-vegetarians across the country can’t thank the inventor of the Butter Chicken enough, for bestowing upon mankind the ever-so creamy and sumptuous delight. The vegetarians on the other hand, echo similar sentiments about Dal Makkhani. Now for those who are a fan of both the delicacies, we’ll make the job easier for you. Did you know that both the dishes were the brainchild of a single man, who came up with the lip-smacking recipe(s) in a bid to make

Delhi, 1948. In the first year after independence from the British Raj, this ancient city is reeling. Hundreds of thousands of families who fled bloody religious strife are on the move — Indian Muslims to Muslim-dominated Pakistan, Hindus and Sikhs to Hindu-dominated India. Countless emigres — many of them arriving here in the capital — are suddenly homeless, without work or ways to support their families. In Darayaganj, a working-class area that straddles Old and New Delhi, a Hindu family

ONLY a handful of chefs in all the history of gastronomy might be credited with inventing a cuisine, or even a dish. One of them is alive and well in Delhi. He is Kundan Lal Gujral, the founder of Moti Mahal – one of India’s most famous restaurants and a forerunner of tandoori cuisine. Without knowing about it, chances are that you have enjoyed the results of his culinary expertise. Today thousands of restaurants in India, Pakistan, Britain, and North