Dinner invitations don’t get much better than this. Midweek catch up supper chez 2014 Masterchef winner Ping Coombes? Would be rude not to really…  my part of the deal was to bring a selection of wines, so that we could try to work out exactly which styles would go with the diverse, complex medley of flavours that are found in Malaysian cuisine.  So both a treat and a challenge for me – as I’ve learnt from matching food to Indian cuisine, there is no simple answer, and a there is a huge variety of different flavours which benefit from subtly different wines to bring out their very best.

I did my research early – Malaysian food is rich and exotic, a heady mix, which reflects the multicultural society and history of the country, and includes influences from Malay, China and India, with a touch of Thai  thrown in as well.  There is spice, a myriad of complex flavours, and different levels of heat in the dishes.  There is also a greater delicacy than in many Asian cuisines, and, as I discovered, incredible depth and layering of flavours.

Ping Coombes hit our screens, and captivated us, when she, seemingly effortlessly, progressed through the rounds of Masterchef 2014, impressing dynamic judging duo John Torode and Greg Wallace at every turn, with not only her culinary prowess, but her consistency, and calm demeanour.   Chatting to her over dinner, it was a far more gruelling and nerve-wracking process than she let it appear.  But she triumphed with her innovation, precise flavours, and beautiful presentation; her influences, and her passion for food comes from one source – her mother, who brought her up in the Malaysian town of Ipoh, famed for its food.

With an array of bottles, and a kaleidoscope of colours and flavours in the dishes that Ping had prepared, we settled down, in her kitchen in Bath, for a  hard working evening of food and wine matching - tough job but someone had to do it…

With no idea about the feast that Ping was preparing, I focused on spices, exotic herbs, chilli, coconut, mango and lemongrass when planning my selection, and picked a range of mainly aromatic white wines, with a fruity Rose and a juicy Pinot Noir thrown in…

We kicked off with some delicious little  Malaysian prawn fritters, correctly termed as ‘Cucur Udang’, delicately scented and flavoured with turmeric and served with a spicy chilli and plum sauce dip; the texture combined the spiced tenderness of the seafood, with the crunch of the sautéed edges of the batter; this was a relatively easy match, needing a punchy, zesty, and vibrant aromatic white in the form of  Leyda Sauvignon Blanc 2014, where the fresh, mouthwatering lime-zest character lifted these delicious morsels to an even higher level.

View full recipe here

Next up, one of my favourite dishes of the evening – an exciting, vibrant, tongue-tingling salad, sublime in its simplicity, yet absolutely outstanding in the intensity and freshness of its tastes; based on very thinly sliced carrots and cucumber, spiced up with an exotic mix of five spice, lime juice, sesame oil and plum sauce, it was surprisingly subtle in style, despite the bold flavours. It overpowered the previously-tasted Sauvignon blanc,  but played a blinder with the searingly dry, citrus and honeysuckle vibrancy of Johannishof Riesling Weingut Knipser 2012, whose floral, yet crisp character married perfectly with the spicy, dry freshness of the dish.

Then came a great Malaysian version of street food - ‘Pings Buns’, puffed up, fluffy, soft buns which were filled at the table with rich, braised pork, meltingly tender, and glistening with its unctuous marinade and coating of soy, star anise, ginger and cinnamon; too rich for a Riesling, too savoury for a Gewurztraminer, the best match here was without any doubt the stylish, violet and raspberry scented Carrick Unravelled Pinot Noir 2012,  bursting with the naturally sweet black cherry and spice fruit needed to match the richness of the dish. Spot on. A Chilean Rose wasn’t a bad pairing either, but was slightly overwhelmed.

However, the match of the night came in the form of the final, exquisite dish, Ping’s personal version of a rich Malaysian chicken curry, which included coconut milk, a rainbow of spices, chilli, mango, and many other magical ingredients.  Any dish with the sweetness of coconut milk needs a spicy, off dry white to match the intensity and richness – and the exotic, fruity, ginger and lime zest scents, creamy tones, and honeysuckle and apricot flavours of Yealands PGR Pinot Gewurztraminer Riesling 2014, produced a food and wine marriage made in heaven. The flavours balanced, the tones matched, the combination of flavours mingled to bring out the very best in both the creamy, sumptuous curry and the spicy zip of the wine.

I strongly recommend giving Ping's recipe a try, and play around yourselves with the wines I’ve mentioned, it was a fascinating and fun experience.  So much so that we’re doing a repeat match… the only problem is that I’m cooking! No pressure… The theme is Mediterranean and I’ve challenged Ping to pick her own selection of Italian, French, or Spanish gems for the event (with a little help from the lovely chaps at Great Western Wine); a learning curve for both of us – watch this space.

By Angela Mount