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{{Short description|Indian chef and restaurateur}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox chef
| name = Kundan Lal Gujral
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{circa|1902}}
| birth_place = [[Chakwal District|Chakwal]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British Raj|British India]] <br> {{small|(now in [[Punjab, Pakistan]])}}
| death_date = {{circa|1997}}
| death_place = [[Delhi]], [[India]]
| occupation = [[Chef]], [[Restaurateur]]
| spouse = Ram Prakash Devi
| style = [[Indian cuisine]]
| education = [[Matriculation#India|Matriculation]]
| restaurants = [[Moti Mahal Delux]]
| awards = IATO (Indian Association of Tour Operators) - 1990 for Inventing [[Tandoori Chicken]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to IATO :- Indian Association of Tour Operators |url=https://iato.in/pages/view/7 |website=iato.in |publisher=IATO}}</ref>
|}}

'''Kundan Lal Gujral''' (c.1902 - 1997)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kundan Lal Gujral: Father of butter chicken|date=21 August 2021 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/independence-day-special/story/20210830-kundan-lal-gujral-father-of-butter-chicken-1843143-2021-08-21}}</ref> was an Indian [[chef]] and [[restaurateur]] based in [[New Delhi]]. He invented several [[Indian cuisine|Indian dishes]] which have since become popular worldwide, including [[butter chicken]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=father of butter chicken|date=21 August 2021 |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/independence-day-special/story/20210830-kundan-lal-gujral-father-of-butter-chicken-1843143-2021-08-21}}</ref> [[paneer makhani]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Recipe: Chef Monish Gujral shares the knowhow of their famed Signature Butter Chicken |url=https://www.indulgexpress.com/life-style/recipe1/2020/jan/10/recipe-chef-monish-gujral-shares-the-knwohow-of-their-famed-signature-butter-chicken-21344.html |website=www.indulgexpress.com|date=9 January 2020 }}</ref> [[tandoori chicken]] and [[dal makhani]].<ref>{{cite web |title=TBI Food Secrets: The Humble Origins of the Hugely Popular Butter Chicken |url=https://www.thebetterindia.com/75100/butter-chicken-history-kundan-lal-gujral/ |website=The Better India |date=15 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=5 facts about Kundan lal Gujral, the man who gave the world butter chicken&tandoori dishes |url=https://thenortheasttoday.com/archive/5-facts-about-kundan-lal-gujral-the-man-who-gave-the-world-butter-chickentandoori-dishes/ |website=TNT-The NorthEast Today }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chauhan |first1=Divya |title=This Man Gave The World Butter Chicken, The Iconic Curry We Love |url=https://www.scoopwhoop.com/man-who-gave-the-world-butter-chicken-and-dal-makhni/ |website=ScoopWhoop |language=English |date=11 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sahni |first1=Diksha |title=Moti Mahal: Delhi's Gastronomic Pearl |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/12/22/moti-mahal-delhis-gastronomic-pearl/ |website=WSJ |date=22 December 2011}}</ref> He was the founder of the restaurant chain [[Moti Mahal Delux]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nakra |first1=Rachana |title=Utterly, butterly unbelievable |url=https://www.livemint.com/Home-Page/5RZDV7YXJKdmEhjSUdDvjL/Utterly-butterly-unbelievable.html |website=www.livemint.com |language=en |date=25 September 2009}}</ref>

==Early life==
Kundan Lal Gujral was born around 1902 to Diwan Chand Gujral and Maya Devi in [[Chakwal District]], in the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]] of [[British India]] (now in [[Punjab, Pakistan]]) into a [[Punjabi Hindu]] [[Khatri]] family.<ref>{{cite book |title=Moti Mahal's tandoori trail |date=5 January 2004 |publisher=Roli Books |isbn=9351940233}}</ref> His only brother Chunni Lal died at the age of 18 due to [[pneumonia]]. His father was a cloth merchant. Kundan Lal Gujral completed his [[Matriculation#India|matriculation]] in [[Chakwal]]. In {{circa|1920}} he started working at a small eatery called Moti Mahal, owned by Mokha Singh Lamba in [[Peshawar]], [[North-West Frontier Province]], [[British India]]. He married Ram Prakash Devi with whom he had a child, Nand Lal Gujral on 26 November 1935.

In 1947, during the [[partition of India]] he migrated with his family to [[India]] and settled in [[Delhi]]. He then went on to start an eatery by the name of Moti Mahal in [[Daryaganj]], [[Old Delhi]].

==Known for==
Kundan Lal Gujral is known for the famous [[culinary]] inventions such as tandoori chicken, murgh makhani and dal makhani.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Butter Chicken, Indian Cuisine's Most Loved Curry |url=https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/the-history-of-butter-chicken-indian-cuisines-most-loved-curry-1686611 |website=NDTV Food}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The modern dal makhani was invented by Moti Mahal |url=http://www.virsanghvi.com/Article-Details.aspx?key=451}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Rupa |last2=Trivedi-Grenier |first2=Leena |title=Your Favorite Indian Takeout was Invented by a Refugee Fleeing Pakistan |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/your-favorite-indian-takeout-was-invented-by-a-pakistani-refugee/ |website=Vice |date=2 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to IATO :- Indian Association of Tour Operators |url=https://iato.in/pages/view/13 |website=iato.in}}</ref>

===The invention of tandoori chicken===
Gujral started as a chef in a small restaurant owned by Mokha Singh Lamba in Gora Bazaar, [[Peshawar]], [[British India]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of Tandoori Chicken |date=19 January 2019 |url=https://www.desiblitz.com/content/the-history-of-tandoori-chicken}}</ref> He experimented by skewering yogurt marinated pieces of chicken and sticking them into the [[tandoor]] (which was previously used only for Breads). This experiment led to the famous dish tandoori chicken.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vellampalli |first1=AuthorJaya |title=The tale of Tandoori chicken |url=https://telanganatoday.com/tale-tandoori-chicken |website=Telangana Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Behura |first1=Monica |title=High on bar Be Cues |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/hotels-/-restaurants/high-on-bar-be-cues/articleshow/3256806.cms?from=mdr |website=The Economic Times |date=21 July 2008}}</ref> Tandoori chicken is another popular dish in [[Indian restaurants]] around the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Partition Changed India's Food Cultures Forever |url=https://thewire.in/food/partition-food-punjab-mughlai-bengal |website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tandoori chicken: inventor's grandson shares first-ever recipe |url=https://gulfnews.com/going-out/restaurants/tandoori-chicken-inventors-grandson-shares-first-ever-recipe-1.1026244 |website=gulfnews.com |date=24 May 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

===The invention of murgh makhani===

To avoid wastage of the leftover or unsold tandoori tikkas (marinated pieces of chicken cooked in a tandoor) due to the lack of [[refrigeration]] facilities at that time, Gujral added [[tomato gravy]] with butter to the tandoori tikkas to soften the chicken so that he could sell them the next day. This culinary accident led to the famous dish.<ref>{{cite web |title= |url=https://www.pressreader.com/india/mail-today/20190317/281724090881977 |via=PressReader}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Balasubramaniam |first1=Chitra |title=A palatial offering |url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/a-palatial-offering/article19463307.ece |website=The Hindu |language=en-IN |date=10 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Pitman |first1=Isabelle |title=Don't Miss Moti Mahal Restaurant |url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/dont-miss-moti-mahal-restaurant/ |website=Culture Trip|date=4 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Helstosky |first1=Carol |title=The Routledge History of Food |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781317621126 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S16vBAAAQBAJ&q=%22Kundan+lal+gujral%22&pg=PT606 |language=en}}</ref> Today, murgh makhani, or butter chicken, is the most popular [[curry]] in [[Indian restaurants]] around the world.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Haksar |first1=Nandita |author-link=Nandita Haksar |date=21 July 2018 |title=How intolerance has left India's culinary culture poorer |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/883258/how-intolerance-has-left-indias-culinary-culture-poorer |website=Scroll.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sep 15 |first1=Mumbai Mirror |title=Want your Naan dipped in alcohol? |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articles/features/want-your-naan-dipped-in-alcohol/articleshow/53582593.cms |newspaper=The Times of India|date=15 September 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The unsaid story of Butter Chicken |url=http://www.blog.distantfrontiers.in/unsaid-story-butter-chicken |website=DFT Blog |date=1 May 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dilli Diaries: The Butter Chicken Connect |url=https://www.hungryforever.com/dilli-diaries-butter-chicken-connect/ |website=HungryForever Food Blog |date=10 May 2017}}</ref>

===The invention of dal makhani===
Gujral is also known for inventing dal makhani which is a mildly spiced [[pulses]] curry made with the combination of tangy tomatoes, butter, and rich cream. This combination of mixed spices and dairy products is known as famous dal makhani.<ref>{{cite web |last1=February 21 |first1=Sourish Bhattacharyya |title=Punjabi platter minus butter chicken |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/food-drink/food/story/punjabi-platter-minus-butter-chicken-mokha-singh-lamba-peshawar-309792-2016-02-21 |website=India Today |date=21 February 2016 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Who Invented the Dal Makhani |url=https://littleindia.com/who-invented-the-dal-makhani/ |website=Little India: Overseas Indian, NRI, Asian Indian, Indian American |date=30 January 2014}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
After having fled [[Pakistan]], Kundan Lal Gujral settled in Delhi and opened a small [[dhaba]] (roadside eatery) to introduce Delhiites to the tandoori chicken.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tandoori chicken {{!}} dish |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/tandoori-chicken |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=16 November 2023 |language=en}}</ref> He bought a small space in [[Daryaganj]] and set up Moti Mahal.<ref>{{cite web |title=EatTreat |url=https://eattreat.in/delhi/restaurants/moti-mahal-delux |website=eattreat.in }}{{Dead link|date=July 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The place quickly proved popular and within a year Kundan Lal Jaggi & Gujral bought the adjoining area, turning his eatery into a 400-seat restaurant. Dignitaries like former [[List of Prime Ministers of India|Indian Prime Ministers]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] and [[Indira Gandhi]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mathur |first1=Ajeet N. |title=IIMA-Strategies for Future: Understanding International Business |date=2016 |publisher=Random House India |isbn=9788184003673 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1UAgszMG3ZUC&q=%22Kundan+lal+gujral%22&pg=PT75 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Indra Gandhi with Mr Kundan Lal Gujral - Picture of Moti Mahal, New Delhi - TripAdvisor |url=https://www.tripadvisor.in/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g304551-d5786486-i149120552-Moti_Mahal-New_Delhi_National_Capital_Territory_of_Delhi.html |website=www.tripadvisor.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=In Search of Lost Butter Chicken |url=http://www.natgeotraveller.in/in-search-of-lost-butter-chicken/ |website=National Geographic Traveller India}}</ref> former [[Indian President]] [[Dr. Zakir Hussain]], actors [[Raj Kapoor]] and [[Nargis Dutt]], and Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] are among the famous patrons.

He served his iconic dishes here. Later in 1970's Kundan Lal son, Nand Lal Gujral expanded Moti Mahal in [[South Delhi]] to establish [[Moti Mahal Delux]] chain of restaurants. Currently, Kundan Lal Gujral's grandson, [[Monish Gujral]] has instituted Moti Mahal Delux Management Services in 2003 by expanding the business into [[Franchising|franchises]] across India. Today, it has grown from a small restaurant in [[Old Delhi]] to a modern eating chain with more than 150 franchises in India and worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Moti Mahal, Daryaganj: The world-famous restaurant continues to live its legacy |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/moti-mahal-daryaganj-the-world-famous-restaurant-continues-to-live-its-legacy/ |website=The Indian Express |language=en-IN |date=3 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Forbes India Magazine - Print |url=http://www.forbesindia.com/printcontent/52613 |website=www.forbesindia.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Historic Moti Mahal enters kitchens with convenience food |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/83039/historic-moti-mahal-enters-kitchens.html |website=Deccan Herald |language=en |date=22 July 2010}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gujral, Kundan Lal}}
[[Category:1900s births]]
[[Category:Chefs of Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:Indian chefs]]
[[Category:1997 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Hindus]]
[[Category:People from Chakwal District]]
[[Category:Punjabi Hindus]]

Kundan Lal Gujral - Revision history

Rolly at 11:23, 17 December 2025