Chicken Tikka Masala: Britisher’s Staple Food

No place is better than London Darbar to offer a variety of foods. From hot dogs to salt beef, the variety is immense. The list can satisfy the voracious appetite of meat eaters as well as vegetarians. From barbeque to smoked dishes they have it all. But one dish is guaranteed to be on every restaurant’s menu, and that is Chicken Tikka Masala. Asian food is very popular in UK and you could say, it is now their staple diet. Even the supermarkets have seen a huge rise in demand for Indian food. They also sell tones of special Chicken Tikka Masala and other curries. Out of all the dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala has been crowned as the winner.

It is chunks of chicken, marinated in spices and yogurt. After marinating it is roasted. After this it is served with a curry. Usually this curry is made of tomatoes, herbs, Indian spices and cream. The gravy may vary as there is no fixed rule for it. As there is no standard recipe for the gravy, it is as per the chef’s choice. Coconut or coriander may be added as per choice. The dish has an orange appearance because of the food color used in it.  This dish is a favourite amongst all because of its lip smacking taste. Britishers can be said to be curryholics but this curry is their favourite.

There was a declaration in 2001 by Robin Cook, The British Foreign Secretary who said that Chicken Tikka Masala is the new national dish for UK. Therefore chicken tikka masala is now a true British national dish. Out of the total curries ordered in Britain, one seventh is Chicken Tikka Masala. Tikka means cutting of chicken to bit size pieces. The best part about this dish is that it can be eaten both with rice or breads. Britishers also know the art of blending food with drinks.

The dish remains true to Indian flavors. As we have variety in its curry, so is the variety in its story of origin. One of the origins of this dish seems to be interesting. A bus driver was returning from his duty. He was quite hungry and stopped at a nearby Indian restaurant. He ordered chichen tikka. He found it difficult to eat and returned it back saying it was too dry. The owner cum chef of the restaurant was having tomato soup. He decided to mix tomato soup and chicken tikka. Thus inventing this fabulous dish called Chicken Tikka Masala.