M&S chicken tikka masala pasta – a step too far or a stroke of genius?

One is Britain’s favourite curry, the other is close to being Italy’s national dish. But M&S’s new “mash-up” of the two, a chicken tikka masala pasta, has not gone down so well with admirers of both cuisines wondering why a British take on a south Asian chicken curry would be mixed with a Mediterranean staple.

Cristina Onuta, the manager of I Camisa & Son in Soho, one of Britain’s oldest Italian delicatessens where they have sold fresh pasta and sauces since 1929, said: “I know it’s good to be diverse and inclusive but this sounds just a bit too unusual.

“With cuisine you have to be careful with what you mix together.

“At Camisa we try to stick to what we know from our traditions when we make our fresh pasta and sauces, like our pesto and ragu. I certainly don’t think we’ll be trying chicken tikka masala sauce with pasta.”

Scepticism was also rife across the other side of the culinary globe.

Aktar Islam, the head chef at Opheem, the first Indian restaurant to be awarded two Michelin stars earlier this year, told The Telegraph: “It’s not something I’ve ever tried. I won’t be indulging in that, it’s just not for me.

“But at the end of the day the customer will decide. Food is always evolving and it’s a universal language. That’s the beauty of it.”

The introduction of the “limited edition lightly chargrilled chicken tikka masala pasta”, part of the Viva Summer range, comes after M&S was accused of cultural appropriation over its “Spanish chorizo paella croquetas”, which critics described as “wrong on every level”.

M&S say their fusion of pasta and curry is the brainchild of its chef Russ Goad, who developed it after being inspired by a trip to Pijja Palace in Los Angeles – a restaurant that promises to serve “classic American bar fare through an Indian lens”.

Bethany Jacobs, the product developer at M&S Food, added: “Our Best Ever Chicken Tikka Masala is the number one Indian dish in our Foodhalls and we’re also famous for our pasta dishes, so when Russ came back with an idea of an Italian and Indian fusion, I was all for it.”

Emilie Wolfman, the food trends researcher at M&S Food, said: “Fusion and mashups allow experimentation and freedom in exploring a contrast of flavours and textures and can take many forms, including combining two culinary disciplines evenly to create something new and distinctive.

“Whether it’s Yorkshire puddings served burrito style or Italian food with an Indian twist, mash-ups are making waves of their own, in particular with a younger audience.”

Pasta is increasingly popular in the sub-continent itself and is often tipped straight into gravies and curries, with home-rolled dough sometimes containing spices such as turmeric.

But the new M&S dish is a mashup too far for some customers.

One shopper on Instagram said: “Wrong, just so wrong.”

As if adding insult to injury M&S suggested the only conundrum was whether to serve the dish with naan bread or garlic bread.

Maria Vuoto, a Londoner of Italian origin, said: “Being Italian I can’t think of anything worse on my pasta! Why the need? Buy Italian or Indian.”

Erica Gilly, wrote on M&S’s Facebook page: “I’m so confused by this. Indian style chicken with Italian pasta and cheese? I have never understood the British obsession with chicken and pasta anyway. No thank you.”

But not everyone thinks the masala pasta combo is doomed to failure.

Devinder Singh, who runs an Indian Italian fusion restaurant in north London, says his own experience proves otherwise.
He opened East West Pizza four years ago, drawing on the Indian food he grew up with and the Italian dishes he fell in love with on holiday.

“What M&S are doing is great but we’re very different from them,” said Mr Singh. “We take both the Indian and the Italian side very very seriously, using traditional ingredients and techniques with dishes like butter chicken bucatini.

“We’ve always done that in our homes and families and now we’re going a bit mainstream with it. Nobody thought it was a good idea when we started East West Pizza, but our customers love it.”

When you think about it, Indian-style pasta doesn’t seem like such a stretch. Semiya upma (spiced vermicelli), is widely eaten for breakfast in South India, while hakka noodles, an Indian-Chinese mash-up, are a popular street food in Kolkata and beyond.

But chicken tikka masala and… parmesan? Curry and cheese? My first instinct is that it’s just weird but then again, that thick vermillion gloop bathing the spiced chicken is deeply reminiscent of tinned tomato soup – whether or not (as legend has it) the original chicken tikka masala was created when a desperate Glaswegian chef chucked a can of cream of tomato over his chicken tikka to satisfy his customers’ demands for gravy. And who hasn’t eaten cheese on toast with a mug of Heinz’s finest?

Along with the parmigiano reggiano, the ingredients in M&S’s limited edition chargrilled chicken tikka masala pasta ready meal are pretty good – pasta, chicken, tomato, cream and a full rack of spices. Bar a bit of stabiliser (pectin) there’s nothing to cause the ultra processed food police to sound the alarm.

As for their taste and texture, the pasta (made from durum wheat, as it should be) has a decent spring and the chicken (British) is tender, even if it lacks the smokiness I’d expect from the chargrill. The flavour delivers a pleasant balance of spices in the Anglo-Indian tradition. The dish as a whole is a bit stodgy but in a comforting way – this might be part of the supermarket’s “Viva summer” range but it feels more suited to a grey and rainy after-work dinner than an al fresco lunch in the sunshine.

As for the parmesan, I can’t taste it above the gentle mouth-warming heat of ginger but maybe that’s just as well.