What is chicken tikka masala? | Behind the culinary legend
Chicken tikka masala is a dish with many interesting features. It has its own abbreviation, often referred to as CTM. Its origins are hotly debated. It has sparked political debate in Britain. All that while being sold as ready meals in supermarkets, prepared in households, served in upscale restaurants and street-side eateries, and consumed with great delight around the world as a global favorite.
But how did all this happen? How did this dish, consisting 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 story of chicken tikka masala takes us into a confusing muddle of claims about its invention, all the way to Glasgow and even into political arguments over Britain’s migration policies.
Origin of chicken tikka masala—from Moti Mahal Delhi to Shish Mahal Glasgow
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 pieces of meat grilled on skewers as ‘kebabs’, among other lands in West Asia and the Mediterranean Basin, took place in ancient Persia.
Now, this might seem to be a digression, but let’s see what Shish Mahal and Moti Mahal really mean. Moti means ‘pearl and mahal means ‘palace’. There are around eight famous pearl palaces in India, and there are chambers called Moti Mahal in numerous historic buildings across India and Pakistan.
Shish Mahal can be seen as a play of words. In culinary terms, the word shish is of Turkish origin, meaning skewer. But it is pronounced like sheesh, an architectural feature which 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 in the case of the pearl palaces, there are also famous chambers in historic palaces decorated with intricate mirror work located in both India and Pakistan.
Pakistani-born chef Ali Ahmed Aslam (now deceased), owner of Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow, claimed to have invented chicken tikka masala in the early 1970s at his restaurant when a British customer found chicken tikka too dry to eat and complained. Chef Aslam responded by adding a can of tomato soup and spices, and thus invented this culinary legend. This claim is debated by cooks from Bangladesh working in restaurants in Britain, saying that the dish emerged from their creations of culinary fusion.
Whether this story is true or not, it irresistibly reminds us of the invention of a very similar dish, butter chicken. Chef Kundan Lal Gujral, the founder of Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, is credited by his descendants for having invented butter chicken as a way to prevent waste of chicken tikka that had gone dry, by simmering it in a rich butter, tomato, and cream sauce. However, this claim is also contested by the descendants of Chef Gujral’s once-partner, Kundan Lal Jaggi, who have their separate rival restaurant, Daryaganj in Delhi. Interestingly, the story of butter chicken is further complicated by the possible contribution to its invention by a Hungarian woman, Erzsébet Szabó, who met Chef Gujral at the restaurant in Peshawar where he had worked before the partition of India and his departure to Delhi.
It is easy to see why claims of invention are as contested.
Given the history of fusion dishes and the adaptation of Indian foods to the British taste, chicken tikka masala could have emerged simultaneously at 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.
It was Persian culinary influences on Indian food traditions that led to foods such as modern-day tikka. And of course, it was an adaptation of Indian foods to the Western palate that created various kinds of curry because the British liked their meat in gravy, and many new dishes emerged during British rule over India. So, whoever invented chicken tikka masala, the dish was a long time in the making, and we are not talking about decades but centuries!
Chicken tikka masala vs. butter chicken—the Indian predecessor and its British descendant
There are more similarities between chicken tikka masala and butter chicken than differences.
Both dishes are based on chicken tikka, or boneless chicken pieces marinated in Indian curd and spices and then grilled in a traditional Indian tandoor oven. Both are simmered in a rich dairy and tomato-based sauce. However, the differences mean that the dishes have distinct flavors and textures despite being very similar.
Butter chicken is prepared with a lot of butter in addition to heavy cream and strained tomato puree. Dried fenugreek leaves are added to provide a rich, savory note, balanced by sugar or honey. Kashmiri chilis are used to create the bright red color without too much heat.
Tikka masala is prepared in a sauce dominated by the tomato flavor. Tomatoes are usually diced or crushed instead of being pureed and strained for extra smoothness. There is less cream than in butter chicken, and of course, no butter. The sauce is more hot, spicy and tangy, with a thicker texture.
Butter chicken can be seen as a predecessor to chicken tikka masala. The geographical shift from India to Britain in the emergence of the tikka masala is also comparable to the shift in the recipe. 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!
Chicken tikka masala—above and beyond the political controversy
In April 2001, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook referred to chicken tikka masala as “a true British national dish”, speaking at an event at the Social Market Foundation. Cook wished to make the point that Britain can boast of a society that is open to multiculturalism and embraces diversity. The statement led to much controversy. It was seen as culturally offensive in the context of Britain’s colonial past. Food critics found it demeaning because the ‘watering down’ of 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 recipe of this one single dish, the chicken tikka masala, it becomes clear that it is natural for people to meet, to learn about each other’s cultures, and to exchange ideas and knowledge. If a cook adapts their food to suit a different palate, they are not relinquishing cultural ownership or abandoning tradition. They are creating great recipes that will eventually celebrate their culture, and they will take pride in it.
When we see a beautiful old building that combines architectural traditions from different cultures, we admire the creativity and innovation of its designer. Fusion food recipes are similar. Combining ingredients from different cuisines to make new and delicious dishes makes us admire both the knowledge of tradition and the talent for innovation of the chef.
Concluding words…
So, what is tikka masala?
One answer is that it is a great fusion recipe that is known and loved around the world. The fusion behind it is the secret of its global popularity. Another answer is that it is a testament to human interconnectedness. And the best thing is that ultimately, ownership is not important. It is the joy of eating and sharing food that really matters. So reach out for Kaiser’s delicious ready-to-eat chicken tikka masala and scoop it up with Kaiser’s fluffy naan together with your friends and family!
