The inventor of Britain's favourite curry chef Ali Ahmed Aslam passed away at 77. The Pakistani chef, who has been credited with inventing chicken tikka masala moved with his family to Glasgow as a young boy. He went on to open Shish Mahal restaurant. The eatery was shut for 48 hours as a mark of respect. Aslam's funeral was held on Tuesday. He passed away on Monday.
Aslam opened the restaurant in 1964. He was married and has five children, the Guardian reported. Aslam, in an interview with AFP, said, he created the chicken tikka masala in the 1970s when a customer asked if there was a way of making his chicken tikka less dry. His solution was to add a creamy tomato sauce.
Glasgow Central came to be officially recognised as the home of the chicken tikka masala after Mohammad Sarwar, then Labour MP for the city called for it in 2009. He even campaigned for Glasgow to be given EU Protected Designation of Origin status for the curry. But that bid was unsuccessful. Many other establishments in the UK claimed to have invented the dish. Hundreds of customers paid tribute to Mr Ali on social media.
