New Delhi: The dispute for the culinary supremacy regarding the creation of iconic Indian dishes, Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, has reached the Delhi High Court. Moti Mahal and Daryaganj restaurants are currently engaged in a legal battle over the usage of the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.”
Moti Mahal has filed a lawsuit against Daryaganj restaurant, accusing them of deceiving the public by implying a connection between the two establishments.
As per Bar and Bench, the lawsuit argues that Daryaganj is falsely establishing an association with Moti Mahal, whose initial branch was set up in Daryaganj.
Justice Sanjeev Narula, presiding over the case, has requested the proprietors of Daryaganj restaurant to submit a written response within a month.
Both restaurant chains have asserted for years that they are the originators of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.
Moti Mahal credits the creation to their founder Kundal Lal Gujral, stating that these dishes have become internationally synonymous with Indian cuisine due to Gujral’s culinary expertise.
The restaurant argues that Mr. Gujral, concerned about unsold tandoori chicken drying out, invented a sauce to rehydrate the chicken, giving rise to Butter Chicken, according to Moti Mahal.
Contrarily, Daryaganj contends that Kundal Lal Jaggi conceived the dishes and dismisses the lawsuit as “baseless.”
The attorney representing Daryaganj argued that the original Moti Mahal restaurant was a collaborative effort between the ancestors of both parties – Gujral of Moti Mahal and Jaggi of Daryaganj – in Peshawar, Pakistan, as reported by Bar and Bench.