Origin of tikka masala | Behind the culinary legend 

Chicken tikka masala is a dish with many interesting features. It has its own abbreviation: CTM. Its origins are hotly debated. It has sparked political debate in Britain. All this, while it is sold as ready meals in supermarkets, prepared in home kitchens, served in upscale restaurants and street-side eateries, and eaten with great delight—a true global favorite. 

But how did all this happen? How did this dish, that consists of boneless pieces of chicken, marinated in Indian curd and spices, grilled on skewers, and simmered and served in a rich sauce, become as controversial as it is popular? 

A deep dive into the origin of tikka masala takes us into a muddle of claims about its invention, all the way to Glasgow and even into political arguments over Britain’s migration policies. 

The story behind the origin of tikka masala—from Delhi’s Moti Mahal to Glasgow’s Shish Mahal 

The word tikka derives from the ancient Persian word tekke, which comes from the Central Asian Chaghatai Turkic word tikkü, meaning ‘bits or chunks’. Similarly, the word masala comes from the classical Persian word masālih, which has different meanings in various contexts—including ‘ingredients’. Using boneless pieces of meat in dishes goes back to the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). The evolution to boneless meat grilled on skewers as ‘kebabs’ took place in ancient Persia, parallel to other lands in West Asia and the Mediterranean Basin. 

Now, this might be a digression, but let’s see what Shish Mahal and Moti Mahal really mean. Moti means ‘pearl and mahal means ‘palace’. Across India and Pakistan, around eight famous pearl palaces—chambers called Moti Mahal—appear in several historic buildings. 

Shish Mahal can be seen as a play on words. In culinary terms, shish is of Turkish origin, meaning ‘a pointing stick’ or skewer. But it is pronounced like sheesh, an architectural feature that uses sheesha (an Urdu word derived from the Persian shishe) or reflecting glass to embellish a lavish interior. Combining shish with mahal thus implies the palace of kebabs, and also the palace of mirrors, in an attempt to bestow a royal quality upon the name of the restaurant. As with pearl palaces, historic palaces in India and Pakistan have many famous chambers decorated with intricate mirror work.

Pakistani-born chef Ali Ahmed Aslam (now deceased), owner of Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow, claimed he invented chicken tikka masala in the early 1970s to accommodate a British customer who complained that the chicken tikka served at his restaurant was too dry for his taste. Chef Aslam added a can of condensed tomato soup, more spices, and cream to the tikka. He thus simmered a new sauce and invented this culinary legend. 

Bangladeshi cooks working in restaurants in Britain refuted this claim, saying the dish emerged from their creations of culinary fusion.  

Others challenge this claim, too. Chef Zaeemuddin Ahmad of Karim’s in Delhi says the recipe is rooted in Mughal culinary traditions and was passed down in his family through generations. Balbir Singh’s 1961 book “Indian Cookery” includes a recipe for ‘Shahi (royal) chicken tikka masala’, long before it was reported to have been created in Glasgow. A street food expert from Delhi, Rahul Verma, also claims to have eaten tikka masala in Northern India in the 1970s, and believes it originated in Punjab.

Most experts agree that all claims about the origin of chicken tikka masala could be true—most likely the recipe was a spontaneous creation involving different people in various places at different times. 

The story behind tikka masala’s origin reminds us of the invention of a similar dish: butter chicken.

Chef Kundan Lal Gujral, founder of Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, is credited by his descendants with inventing butter chicken to prevent chicken tikka gone dry from being wasted—Gujral simmered it in a rich sauce of butter, tomato, and cream. However, Kundan Lal Jaggi’s descendants contest this claim. Jaggi was once Chef Gujral’s partner, and his descendants have their own rival restaurant, Daryaganj in Delhi. Interestingly, the story of butter chicken is further complicated by the possible contribution of a Hungarian woman, Erzsébet Szabó, to its invention. She met Chef Gujral at his Peshawar restaurant, where he worked before the partition of India and his move to Delhi.  

It is easy to see why claims to tikka masala’s invention are so contested. 

Given the history of fusion dishes and the adaptation of Indian foods to the British taste, chicken tikka masala could have emerged simultaneously in different places, with recipes created in their own ways by different cooks, just as the fusion of Mughal and Indian architecture led to the creation of many pearl and mirror palaces throughout India and Pakistan. 

Persian influences on Indian culinary traditions led to dishes like the modern-day tikka. And of course, Indian foods adapted to the Western palate created various kinds of curry because the British liked their meat in gravy. Many new dishes emerged during the British rule over India. So, whoever, wherever, invented chicken tikka masala, the dish was a long time in the making, and we are not talking about decades but centuries!

Butter chicken VS tikka masala—the Indian predecessor and its British descendant 

Chicken tikka masala and butter chicken are more similar than different.  

Chicken tikka is the base for both dishes—boneless chicken pieces marinated in Indian curd and spices, then grilled in a traditional tandoor oven. Tikka is then simmered in a rich dairy and tomato-based sauce. However, the differences between the two dishes give them a distinct flavor and texture despite the similarities. 

Butter chicken uses plenty of butter and heavy cream with strained tomato puree. Dried fenugreek leaves add a rich, savory note, balanced by sugar or honey. Kashmiri chilis create the bright red color without too much heat. 

The tomato flavor dominates the tikka masala sauce. Tomatoes are usually diced or crushed, not pureed, and strained for extra smoothness. It has less cream than butter chicken, and of course, no butter. The sauce is hotter, spicier, and tangier, with a thicker texture. 

Butter chicken can be seen as a predecessor to chicken tikka masala. The geographical shift from India to Britain, where we trace the origin of tikka masala, aligns with the recipe shifting. Chicken tikka masala appears as the natural and inevitable descendant and variant of butter chicken, in a different place and different time, but in the same spirit! 

Tikka masala—above and beyond the political controversy  

In April 2001, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, speaking at an event at the Social Market Foundation, said chicken tikka masala was “a true British national dish”. Cook’s intended to imply Britain boasts a society open to multiculturalism and embraces diversity. However, the statement became controversial—seen as culturally offensive in the context of Britain’s colonial past. Food critics found it demeaning because ‘watering down’ authentic flavors to suit a British palate did not seem to be an achievement of multiculturalism. Opposing politicians accused Cook of touching upon controversial topics related to race and migration to create social tensions. 

Fortunately, food is one of those things that inevitably brings people together rather than separating them. 

When we see the centuries-old cultural exchange that led to the chicken tikka masala recipe, it becomes clear that people meet, learn about each other’s cultures, and exchange ideas and knowledge—it is a natural process. If a cook adapts their food to suit a different palate, they are not relinquishing cultural ownership or abandoning tradition; instead, creating great recipes that will eventually celebrate their culture and bring pride.

When we see a beautiful old building that combines architectural traditions from different cultures, we admire its design for creativity and innovation. Fusion food recipes are similar. Combining ingredients from different cuisines to create new, delicious dishes makes us admire a chef’s knowledge of tradition and innovation.

Concluding words…

So, what is chicken tikka masala? 

One answer is that it is a great fusion recipe known and loved around the world—fusion is the secret of its global popularity. Another answer is that it’s a testament to human interconnectedness. Perhaps the best answer is that, ultimately, importance is not in ownership but in the joy of eating and sharing. So go for Kaiser’s delicious ready-to-eat chicken tikka masala and scoop it up with Kaiser’s fluffy naan, together with friends and family!

Commonly asked questions about the origin of tikka masala

Who invented chicken tikka masala?

Debate on who invented chicken tikka masala cannot really be settled, and no single person can be credited with its creation. The story of Pakistani-born Glasgow chef Ali Ahmed Aslam has gained the most traction; however, many have refuted his claim with plausible explanations, including Chef Zaeemuddin Ahmad of Karim’s in Delhi.  

Is chicken tikka masala Indian or British?

The origin of Chicken tikka masala is hotly debated. If we believe the story of the Glasgow chef Ali Ahmed Aslam or the Bangladeshi cooks working in British restaurants, the dish is British. But if we are more convinced by Chef Zaeemuddin Ahmad, author Balbir Singh, or Delhi’s street food expert Rahul Verma, it is of Indian origin.