The Anaarkali Butter Chicken is no ordinary dhaba speciality. While five-star hotels usually charge Rs 450 for a traditional butter chicken, a 650gm portion of this Anaarkali luxurious plate cost a princely Rs 6,000 for two grown-ups.
The so-called dish was created by two software professionals, Iran Bhagat Saxena and Padma Prasad, who both share a passion for the kitchen. The recipe launched last month in Hyderabad was a full eight years in the making. “It all started when we were living in Noida. There was a place around the corner from us that did really great butter chicken but when the chef left, the food changed,” explains Iran Bhagat Saxena. “That was when we started experimenting to make it ourselves.”
However, for the price, the ingredients do not seem out of the extraordinary. In addition to the Godrej chicken and Indian spices, the couple uses Hunt’s tomato paste, Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil, a pack of the Danish Lurpak unsalted butter and Evian natural spring water. Is it worth Rs 6,000? Maybe the little specks of edible gold and silver that the Anaarkali chicken’s creators add to their favourite plate are part of the explanation behind the exorbitant price.
The surprising bit is that there are many takers for this very class dish, which even has its own Facebook group. Considering their success, the young chefs now plan to take it to Delhi and Mumbai by the end of this year, something however Delhi’s restaurateurs seem clearly to dislike. Akash Kalra of the United Coffee House restaurant (Connaught Place) states for instance that the creators of the new recipe are killing the original butter chicken by putting in new ingredients. “This is cosmetic butter chicken and has no connection with the one Kundan Lal Gujral created in the Moti Mahal kitchen,” he explains.
But the young successful entrepreneurs are averaging 10 orders a day and, what’s more, money is not all that they are actually looking for. Indeed, of the Rs 6,000 you pay for the Anaarkali chicken, you get back Rs 800 for a charity of your choice. Maybe the taste of altruism given to the Rs 6,000 butter chicken would convince you to embark on this culinary experience.
The so-called dish was created by two software professionals, Iran Bhagat Saxena and Padma Prasad, who both share a passion for the kitchen. The recipe launched last month in Hyderabad was a full eight years in the making. “It all started when we were living in Noida. There was a place around the corner from us that did really great butter chicken but when the chef left, the food changed,” explains Iran Bhagat Saxena. “That was when we started experimenting to make it ourselves.”
However, for the price, the ingredients do not seem out of the extraordinary. In addition to the Godrej chicken and Indian spices, the couple uses Hunt’s tomato paste, Filippo Berio extra virgin olive oil, a pack of the Danish Lurpak unsalted butter and Evian natural spring water. Is it worth Rs 6,000? Maybe the little specks of edible gold and silver that the Anaarkali chicken’s creators add to their favourite plate are part of the explanation behind the exorbitant price.
The surprising bit is that there are many takers for this very class dish, which even has its own Facebook group. Considering their success, the young chefs now plan to take it to Delhi and Mumbai by the end of this year, something however Delhi’s restaurateurs seem clearly to dislike. Akash Kalra of the United Coffee House restaurant (Connaught Place) states for instance that the creators of the new recipe are killing the original butter chicken by putting in new ingredients. “This is cosmetic butter chicken and has no connection with the one Kundan Lal Gujral created in the Moti Mahal kitchen,” he explains.
But the young successful entrepreneurs are averaging 10 orders a day and, what’s more, money is not all that they are actually looking for. Indeed, of the Rs 6,000 you pay for the Anaarkali chicken, you get back Rs 800 for a charity of your choice. Maybe the taste of altruism given to the Rs 6,000 butter chicken would convince you to embark on this culinary experience.
