Who Was Ali Ahmed Aslam? The 'chicken Tikka Masala' Inventor, 77-Year-Old Chef Who Died
The 77-year-old chef from Glasgow, Scotland, Ali Ahmed Aslam passed away on 19 December 2022.
The chef is credited with inventing the popular dish, 'chicken tikka masala'.
The chef's restaurant announced in mourning
“Hey, Shish Snobs … Mr. Ali passed away this morning … We are all absolutely devastated and heartbroken.” On Tuesday,
The 77- year old chef's funeral was held at Glasgow Central Mosque.
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Ali Ahmed Aslam: Early Life And Childhood
- Ali Ahmed Aslam was only a young boy when he moved to Glasgow from his birthplace Pakistan.
- He was married with five kids.
- He is the son of Noor Mohammed who was a renowned chef and ran what many regards as Glasgow’s first ‘proper’ Indian restaurant.
- Aslam's father opened the first Indian restaurant Green Gates nearby Bank Street, in 1959.
- The chef opened the Shish Mahal in Glasgow’s west end in 1964.
The Secret To Aslam's Chicken Tikka Masala
During the 1970s, a customer had asked Aslam if there was a way of making his chicken tikka 'less dry'.
The chef added a creamy sauce to it as a fix and that's how chicken tikka masala was born.
The dish was invented by improvising a sauce made from a tin of tomato soup at his restaurant Shish Mahal in 1970.
"Chicken tikka masala was invented in this restaurant, we used to make chicken tikka, and one day a customer said, 'I'd take some sauce with that, this is a bit dry'," Ali said.
"We thought we'd better cook the chicken with some sauce. So from here, we cooked chicken tikka with a sauce that contains yogurt, cream, and spices."
Later on, the dish went on to become the most popular dish in British restaurants surpassing every other and marking its place in western hearts.
Ali said the chicken tikka masala is prepared according to customer taste.
"Usually they don't take hot curry, that's why we cook it with yogurt and cream," he said.
"Chicken tikka masala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences," Cook said in a 2001 speech on British identity.
Chef Aslam wanted the dish to be a gift to Glasgow, to give something back to his adopted city.
Ali Ahmed Aslam: TIMELINE
1959:
Ali Ahmed Aslam is the son of Noor Mohammed who was a renowned chef and ran what many regards as Glasgow’s first ‘proper’ Indian restaurant. Aslam's father opened the first Indian restaurant Green Gates nearby Bank Street, in 1959.
1964:
The chef opened the Shish Mahal in Glasgow’s west end in 1964.
1970s:
During the 1970s, a customer had asked Aslam if there was a way of making his chicken tikka 'less dry'.
The chef added a creamy sauce to it as a fix and that's how chicken tikka masala was born.
2001:
"Chicken tikka masala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences," Cook said in a 2001 speech on British identity.
2009:
In 2009, he campaigned unsuccessfully for the dish to be granted a "Protected Designation of Origin"
2022
With a heavy heart, Ali leaves a wife, three sons, and two daughters.
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