4/4 Beer & Wine food pairing with Desi Dishes

Whether you’re eating Indian food at a buffet or an exquisite restaurant, you’ve always wondered what to do with it. The dishes tend to be relatively acidic. They do not require the acidity or bitterness that wine or beer may offer. But that doesn’t mean they can’t enrich your eating experience. Let’s delve into some of the beer and wine categories and pair them with your favorite Indian cuisine!

Beer

1. Blonde Ales and Light Larger: Lighter drinks, such as blonde ales and pilsners, are better combined with lighter foods. This includes greens, fish, appetizers, and vegetable-heavy dishes without too much seasoning. For Indian cuisine, it converts into paneer, mild vegetable curries, coconut or cashew curry, and even a mild butter chicken may suit. 
2. Wheat Beer: A strong wheat beer, or hefeweizen, combines excellently with fish, and it’s also the perfect light beer to go with a curry sauce. Prawn curry, anyone?
3. Amber and Brown Ales: They’ll be your mainstay with strong dishes like rich chicken curry or lamb/chicken vindaloo. Usually, the more malt in the beer, the stronger it blends with spices, which means they’re perfect with hot dishes. We recommend, Amber ale is preferred for thick, smooth, and spicy foods, while brown ale is better eaten with grilled meat, earthy flavors, and tandoori food.
4. Porters and Stouts: Porters, stouts, scotch ales, and a handful more are among the toughest beers you can find. Others can be delicious, like a dark chocolate porter, while others are painfully dry, like an oatmeal stout. These would call for a vindaloo or an extra spicy tikka masala, respectively. 

Also Read: Common Indian Foods and Their English Names

Wine

1. Sauvignon Blanc: Sauvignon Blanc is a white wine sometimes characterized as crisp and sweet. This normally has hints of lemon, which is why it’s a very acidic wine. This wine matches well with highly herbed, citrus, or light cream Indian dishes, such as Palak Paneer or Cranberry-Ginger Clementine sauce. Paneer tikka masala, please?

2. Chardonnay: Fan of white wine? No two Chardonnays are the same, and this will make a difference if you prefer medium-bodied or full-bodied wine. Chardonnay will do well to combine with Indian food such as Roasted Tomato Curry over rice, Veggie Samosa, or a shellfish dish like this Shrimp Fried Rice. It also combines well with puddings, such as Smooth creamy Carrot and Rice Pudding.

3. Merlot: Merlot is considered to come from red fruits and to have a soft and smooth finish. It’s popular to play up the flavors in it, depending on what your Merlot has to bring! When you’re trying to combine your Merlot with Indian dishes, we recommend that you try the Chilled Yogurt Soup with Cucumber and Mint or Samosa Sliders. You can mix it with Chicken Vindaloo for a fun twist, too!
4. Cabernet: Last but not the least, we’re discovering all that is Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the most famous wines in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon is bold and fruity, but it does not bite like many other full-bodied wines. It’s dry and can go along with a lot of different meals.  This wine will be perfect with Chicken Coconut Curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, Roasted Tomato Curry, or some of the other curries.

We hope you’re as excited about this post to dive into the next beer and food combination as we are! There’s just nothing better than settling down with a clean bottle of beer or a soothing glass of wine and a piped hot plate of tasty Indian dishes. Bon appétit!