Butter Chicken - Global Sales Mentor | Zach Selch

22 May 2020 · 3 min

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3:20

In this on‑location segment at Moti Mahal in Old Delhi, Zach Selch explains that the iconic butter chicken was invented there about 90 years ago. He describes the dish’s preparation—slow‑cooked whole chicken with butter, cream, saffron and spices—served with flaky butter naan, and paired with a homemade fresh lime soda (lime juice, soda, salt, sugar). Selch then outlines his personal "Delhi food pilgrimage": five essential meals and venues for visitors. He recommends a traditional Indian vegetarian breakfast (any of the many local spots), Karim’s for classic northern Indian fare, Moti Mahal as the birthplace of butter chicken, Bukhara for upscale North Indian non‑veg cuisine frequented by world leaders, and a Chinese‑Indian restaurant (e.g., Gulati’s attached Chinese outlet) for Indian‑Chinese dishes. He adds practical travel tips, such as asking hotels for recommendations and avoiding newer, purely Chinese establishments. The segment blends culinary description, cultural history, and travel advice in a conversational, enthusiastic tone.

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I'm at Moti Mahal in Old Delhi. This is where butter chicken was invented 90 years ago, 80, 90 years ago. And it's totally empty, which is sort of crazy, but I'm here at a crazy hour. I'm just sort of running around. But this is really the paradigm of butter chicken. I'm going to say there are 5 meals you've got to eat when you're in Delhi. OK? You want to have an Indian breakfast someplace. And you might be able to do that at your hotel, or you might ask at your hotel for a recommendation. But I wouldn't send you anything— anyplace special. There are 1,000 places in Delhi that can whip up a good Indian veg breakfast. I would really say you want to go to Karim's. You've got to try it. It's a hole in the wall, but it's an ancient hole in the wall, and it makes fantastic northern Indian food. You want to go to Moti Mahal. Again, hole in the wall, but it's the home of butter chicken. And you've got to see where butter chicken originated, right? It's a historical journey. A pilgrimage of Indian food, as it were. And then I would say you want to get to Bukhara. Bukhara is the high-end stuff. This is where Clinton's eaten there, Obama's eaten there. You know, it's really— certainly the Prime Minister of India has eaten there any number of times. It is fantastic, high-end, North Indian, non-veg food. A little pricey, but by American standards, not pricey at all. And then I'd say— Thank you. Thank you. say you have to get some Indian-Chinese food. And again, I'd ask at my hotel. I can't really recommend— there's a place by the Khan Market called Gulati, which has a Chinese restaurant attached to it. But I'd say there are 100 restaurants around Delhi. And I wouldn't cross Delhi for a specific Chinese restaurant. But don't go to one of the new ones that's really Chinese. You want to ask at your hotel for a Chinese-Indian one, preferably one that's at least 30 And what I'm drinking with butter chicken is fresh lime soda mixed. It's lime juice, soda, a little bit of salt, a little bit of sugar. Very, very refreshing. And really, nobody does it right outside of India. So this is sort of the holy grail of butter chicken. Mmm. Look at the color on that. Slow cooked with the bone. It's not just white meat chicken, all sorts of— it's all the whole chicken essentially, with butter and cream and saffron spices. And I'm eating it with butter naan. Look at that naan as well. Flaky, falling apart. Very, very nice.