Ali Ahmed Aslam, inventor of chicken tikka masala, dies at 77

A chef who allegedly invented chicken tikka masala, considered Britain's favorite curry, has died aged 77.

His funeral took place at Glasgow Central Mosque on Tuesday. . The public was invited to attend.

Aslam was born in Pakistan and moved with his family to Glasgow as a young boy before opening Shish Mahal in the Glasgow's West End in 1964. He was married with five children, according to a social media post.

In an interview with AFP news agency, Aslam said explained that he created chicken tikka masala in the 1970s when a customer asked if there was a way to make his chicken tikka less dry. His solution was to add a creamy tomato sauce.

He said, "Chicken tikka masala was invented at this restaurant. We used to make chicken tikka, and one day a customer said, "I'd have some sauce with that, it's a bit dry."

"We thought it best to bake the chicken with a little sauce. So from here we cooked chicken tikka with the sauce which contains yogurt, cream, spices. It is a dish prepared according to the taste of our client. Usually they don't take hot curry - that's why we cook it with yoghurt and cream.

In 2009 Mohammad Sarwar, then Labor MP for Glasgow Central, called for the city to be officially recognized as the home of chicken tikka masala. He campaigned for Glasgow to be granted EU protected designation of origin status for curry and tabled an early morning motion in the House of Commons.

But the bid fell through, with a number of other establishments across the UK also claiming to have invented the popular dish.

Ali Ahmed Aslam, inventor of chicken tikka masala, dies at 77

A chef who allegedly invented chicken tikka masala, considered Britain's favorite curry, has died aged 77.

His funeral took place at Glasgow Central Mosque on Tuesday. . The public was invited to attend.

Aslam was born in Pakistan and moved with his family to Glasgow as a young boy before opening Shish Mahal in the Glasgow's West End in 1964. He was married with five children, according to a social media post.

In an interview with AFP news agency, Aslam said explained that he created chicken tikka masala in the 1970s when a customer asked if there was a way to make his chicken tikka less dry. His solution was to add a creamy tomato sauce.

He said, "Chicken tikka masala was invented at this restaurant. We used to make chicken tikka, and one day a customer said, "I'd have some sauce with that, it's a bit dry."

"We thought it best to bake the chicken with a little sauce. So from here we cooked chicken tikka with the sauce which contains yogurt, cream, spices. It is a dish prepared according to the taste of our client. Usually they don't take hot curry - that's why we cook it with yoghurt and cream.

In 2009 Mohammad Sarwar, then Labor MP for Glasgow Central, called for the city to be officially recognized as the home of chicken tikka masala. He campaigned for Glasgow to be granted EU protected designation of origin status for curry and tabled an early morning motion in the House of Commons.

But the bid fell through, with a number of other establishments across the UK also claiming to have invented the popular dish.

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