Moti Mahal’s Tandoori Trail

A Punjabi-Pathan from the North-West Frontier Province, who made the ordinary curry a butter-filled delight; who turned the ordinary village tandoor for baking into a royal mode of innovation resulting in tandoori chicken and butter chicken, heralding a complete revolution in taste, a transformation in Indian eating habits, and a special place on the international gourmet map. The man was Kundan Lal Gujral and the home for his culinary creations was Moti Mahal, a restaurant that grew to be a legend in its own lifetime. Moti Mahal’s Tandoori Trail showcases great recipes, some inherited and some a result of experimentation by the author, which are as delicious today as they were 57 years ago. This is a collection of secret recipes offered to the lovers of good food and as a token of their loyalty towards Moti Mahal’s cuisine worldwide. Enjoy and savour each of them. Besides this treasure house of recipes, a picture gallery of unique photographs of Kundan Lal Gujral at several award ceremonies, as well as with various dignitaries including former president Zakir Hussain, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Ghandhi, and the Kennedys among others, make this book truly a collector’s item. MONISH GUJRAL a Modern School product, graduated from Hansraj College with a B Com, and then studied Hotel Management at Pusa, New Delhi, before sweating it out at the Moti Mahal kitchen to understand firsthand the concept of inventory management. He is the youngest grandson of the late Kundan Lal Gujral. He had the opportunity to learn special recipes from his grandfather. He wrote a food column called Food Wise in HT City (Hindustan Times), and is raring to conquer the international palate in its home ground. To commemorate Kundan Lal’s tandoori trail from Peshawar to Delhi, Monish launched the upmarket Moti Mahal Delux-Tandoori Trail restaurants inspired also by his late father, Nand Lal, who died before he could translate his dream into reality. Monish has taken up the challenge and plans a global chain of such eateries. This would also be fitting tribute to his grandfather.