Chicken tikka masala is chicken tikka, chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, that is then baked in a tandoor oven, and served in a masala (spice mix) sauce.
Sounds simple enough. But there isn’t a standard recipe in existence. A survey submitted to the BBC E-encylopedia showed that in 1998 there were over 48 recognised recipes for CTM (as it’s known in the restaurant trade) and the only common ingredient in all of them was chicken!
Asif Ali, the son of Ali Ahmed Aslam, who ran the Shish Mahal restaurant in the west end of Glasgow during the 70s, said: “On a typical dark, wet Glasgow night a bus driver coming off shift came in and ordered a chicken curry.
“He sent it back to the waiter saying it’s dry. At the time Dad had an ulcer and was enjoying a plate of tomato soup. So he said why not put some tomato soup into the curry with some spices. They sent it back to the table and the bus driver absolutely loved it.”
So the next time you’re chowing down on a good chicken tikka masala, remember that a man with an ulcer decided to dump his tomato soup into the pot on a hunch that it might improve his curries. Whoever tells you culinary innovation is deliberate is lying!