Curry & Wine: Perfect Partners

Don’t know what to drink with your Dhansak? Bored with Biryani and beer? Angela Mount offers some advice on what wine to sup with your Chicken Tikka or Rogan Josh.

With thousands of Indian restaurants throughout the UK, it’s clear we all love a curry. Indian beer or lager is the traditional drink of choice, but an increasing number of restaurants are now focusing on a top quality wine list, with a carefully selected range to suit the style of the dishes on offer.

One such establishment is The Mint Room, a multi-award winning fine dining Indian restaurant in Bath, and one of the leading Indian restaurants in the South West. They specialise in traditional Indian flavours, with a modern twist; focusing on the wide variety of styles from different regions.

Wine goes superbly with Indian cuisine; it’s all about finding the right wine to match the differing styles and spices in the cornucopia of dishes that we are on offer.  It’s definitely not a case of ‘one style fits all’ - It’s all about matching the intensity of the dish with the richness of the wine and getting the right balance – easier said than done!

As a general rule, aromatic, fruity whites, and soft, lighter styles of red work best. Avoid delicate whites, which will be overwhelmed and tannic reds, which become bitter. I also think fruity rosés, with an edge of sweetness, are a guaranteed great match.

There is an incredible variety of cuisines throughout the Indian sub-continent: Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to enjoy a feast, prepared by the Mint Room, showcasing different regional styles. My job was to find the wines to match – a tough one, but someone had to do it.

With a new menu launching in late February, there are some exciting new takes on traditional Indian flavours, so here's a little taster of one of the dishes to come.

Lal Hiran, courtesy of The Mint Room, Bath:

Cooking Time:  1 hour 45 minutes (serves 4)

Ingredients

Preparation

Clean and cut the venison into small pieces about 3-5 cm in size. Remove the stems and remove the seeds from the chillies. Peel and slice the garlic. Peel and finely slice the onion and wash and chop up the coriander. Whisk the yoghurt in a bowl; add the red chillies, chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Mix well and put to one side for 15 minutes.

Cooking

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok; add garlic and sauté over a medium heat until golden brown. Add onions, green and black cardamom. Then sauté until the onions are golden brown. Add the venison and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Add the yoghurt mixture and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Now add approx 800ml of water, and bring to boil. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the meat is tender. Adjust the seasoning and garnish with the chopped coriander.

Serve immediately

This venison dish, is typical of north-western India; Rajasthan (the land of the Rajs) and neighbouring Gujurat, close to the Pakistani borders have a tradition of cooking with game, vegetables and lots of earthy, spicy flavours. At this time of year, I’d pair it with a rich, yet soft, velvety Pinot Noir (Carrick  Unravelled Pinot Noir 2012, Central Otago). Off dry, spicy whites, like the intriguing Spanish Mariona Moscatel Sauvignon 2013, would also be spot on for these styles of food.

It’s easy to get confused by the sheer variety of Indian food, but I’m fascinated by the heritage and regionality, so have made it my mission to find out more. Here’s a quick round up of the different regional styles of Indian food and the wines that work best, in addition to my tips for Rajastani dishes.

BENGAL - Eastern India, with a rich culture of diverse food styles, and a major influence on many dishes in the UK. Spicing is relatively subtle; lots of seafood and fish on the menu, cooked with mustard oil, fenugreek and fennel seeds, alongside traditional spice. The tropical, fruity flavours of Sauvignon Blanc balance well with these, such as Viña Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2013. The Mint Room have a delicious dish called Mango Mash, which is pan fried red mullet simmered in coconut milk, green mango and spices, which is spicy, yet delicate and is delicious with the fruity, bold flavours of Ken Forrester Petit Chenin 2013.  This is a wine which works brilliantly with most mild, creamy curries.

PUNJAB AND KASHMIR - The northern region of Punjab, and neighbouring Kashmir, have been an integral part of the development of the Indian food culture – this is where tandoori and tikka dishes are said to have originated. The food is rich – hot spices, tomato, abundant cream, ghee and butter with a focus on chicken and lamb. Rogan Josh is a classic and works well with fruity reds such as Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage 2013, with its fruity yet smoky softness.

Generally, spicy tomato-based curries are great with aromatic, spicy whites; Riesling, with its fragrant, gently spiced, lime-zest freshness is spot on here – try an iconic classic Alsace Riesling 2012, Trimbach. The classic spicing and cooking of Tandoori dishes and Chicken Tikka are enhanced by exuberant fruity whites, like the scented, yet dry flavoured, juicy style of Elki Pedro Ximenez 2013, or the exotic red-berried, yet dry richness of a New World Rosé – Skillogalee Hand-picked cabernet malbec Rosé 2013 would be a good bet. With another Punjabi classic, Butter Chicken, or the Mint Room’s Chicken Lababdar, I’d probably veer towards a creamy, unoaked Chardonnay, such as Viña Leyda Chardonnay 2013, from northern Chile.

GOA, KERALA AND THE SOUTH - as you go South, the flavours become bolder, and seafood dominates. The Mint Room has a real focus on the fresh, clean flavours of Southern India, cooking with bold spices, coconut milk and mustard seeds. One of my favourite dishes, Seafood Moilee, is an exotic, creamy mix of scallops, prawns, sea bass and squid cooked in coconut milk, with spices and mustard seeds – gently spiced, and exquisitely flavoured.  The rich sweetness of coconut milk calls for richer, spicier whites, and this is where aromatic whites really come into their own. Riesling and dry Muscat styles will work well, but my favourite has to be the equally exotic, rose petal and lychee scented Gewurztraminer, in all its rich glory (Yealands Estate Gewurztraminer 2013), which is more than able to stand up to the sassy, punchy flavours of Southern Indian cuisine.

Whatever you choose on your culinary voyage through India, enjoy. The key is to balance the spices and the flavours in the wine!  Great Western Wine will be hosting a wine dinner to showcase the best wines for the new Mint Room menu later this year, so watch this space.

By Angela Mount