A TRUE BRITISH NATIONAL DISH

Chicken Tikka is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks ( tikka) in a spicy ( masala) sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, spiced and orange- coloured. It is one of the most popular dish in British restaurants and hence been called the A true British national dish" . The chunks of chicken are marinated in spices & yogurt, and then baked in a Tandoor oven, served in a masala sauce. A tomato and coriander sauce is common, but there is no standard recipe. A survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was chicken tikka. The sauce usually includes tomatoes, frequently as puree, cream and or coconut cream and various spices.
One explanation of the origins of the dish is that it was conceived in an Indian restaurant. Rahul Varma, an indian expert on street food from New Delhi, stated that the dish originated in Punjab 50 years ago probably by accident. There are claims that an Indian chef in Glasgow invented it by improvising a sauce made from yogurt, cream and spices. In July 2009 a Pakistan born British MP Mohammad Sarwar tabled an early Day Motion in the House of Commons asking that Parliament support a campaign for Glasgow to be given European Union Protected of Origin for status for Chicken Tikka Masala. The motion was not chosen for debate nor has Sarwar spoken on this subject in the parliament.