By The Inventors Of Butter Chicken & Dal Makhani

ABOUT DARYAGANJ RESTAURANT

Daryaganj – By the Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, a North Indian Cuisine restaurant, was conceptualized with the principle of celebrating the culinary legacy of Kundan Lal Jaggi and the resilience and innovation of the Punjabi refugees who migrated to Delhi after the partition of India in the year 1947, blending old-world flavours and closely guarded recipes with the most talented and creative team to create a best in class dining experience reminiscent of a bygone era, with due credit to his grandson Raghav Jaggi and Raghav’s childhood friend, restaurateur Amit Bagga.

ABOUT KUNDAN LAL JAGGI

Kundan Lal Jaggi, was a refugee from Peshawar, where he worked at a restaurant owned by Mokha Singh in the 1930’s. He founded a restaurant with two other partners in the locality of Daryaganj at New Delhi in 1947. At this restaurant, the most iconic dishes of North Indian Punjabi cuisine, Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani were invented by him!

ABOUT THE ICONIC DISHES

Late one evening in 1947, as Kundan Lal Jaggi’s kitchen was nearly empty, a group of guests arrived hungry. With only tandoori chicken remaining, a Bengali diner suggested adding it to a rich, buttery gravy. Kundan experimented with tomatoes, butter, and spices, and the result was a hit. He named it Butter Chicken, and it became a timeless classic on the menu.

THE ORIGINAL 1947

BUTTER CHICKEN

In 1947, a guest named Sucha Singh urged Kundan Lal Jaggi to reinvent the classic “Maa Ki Dal.” Experimenting, Jaggi slow-cooked it with tomatoes, fresh butter, and spices on a tandoor. By morning, it had turned into a luscious, creamy masterpiece, which he named Dal Makhani.

THE ORIGINAL 1947

DAL MAKHANI

In 1947, Kundan Lal Jaggi introduced Tandoori Chicken at his Daryaganj restaurant, where it gained widespread fame. This dish later became the foundation for Butter Chicken.

THE ORIGINAL 1947

TANDORI CHICKEN

Inspired by two British diners craving fried chicken, Kundan Lal Jaggi fried marinated chicken in gram flour batter, naming it Chicken Pakora.

THE ORIGINAL 1947

CHICKEN PAKORA

MENU CONCEPT

The dishes on the menu transcend time, take you to the lanes of daryaganj and enthral you with the authentic flavours that generations have grown up with. The food is genuine,cooked with fresh ingredients, with a selection of tandoor grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables prepared to perfection. It is a celebration of North Indain flavours from the post independence era, brought to life using fresh produce.