Ali Ahmed Aslam, 'inventor' of chicken tikka masala, passes away at 77

New Delhi: Ali Ahmed Aslam, a Glasgow chef who is credited with inventing the 'chicken tikka masala,' has passed away at the age of 77. According to The Guardian, Ali Ahmed Aslam's death was confirmed by his Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow, which closed for 48 hours as a mark of respect. "Hey, Shish Snobs... Mr Ali died this morning... "Everyone is devastated and heartbroken." " the restaurant announced.

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Ali died on Monday morning, according to his nephew Andleeb Ahmed,  "He'd eat lunch in his restaurant every day," Ahmed stated. "He lived for the restaurant. The chefs would prepare curry for him. I'm not sure how often he ate chicken tikka masala." Ahmed described his uncle as a perfectionist and a hard worker. "He was ill last year, and I went to see him in the hospital on Christmas Day," Ahmed said.

Ali told AFP in 2009 that he developed the recipe for chicken tikka masala after a customer complained that his chicken tikka was too dry. "We used to make chicken tikka, and one day a customer said, 'I'd take some sauce with that, this is a little dry,'" Ali stated.

Ali, originally from Pakistan's Punjab province, migrated to Glasgow with his family as a child before opening Shish Mahal in Glasgow's west end in 1964.

He stated that he wanted to give the dish to Glasgow as a gift, to give something back to his adopted city. In 2009, he campaigned for the dish to be designated as a "Protected Designation of Origin" by the European Union, alongside Champagne, Parma Ham, and Greek Feta cheese.

Ali is survived by his wife, three sons, and two daughters.