Share
A foamy, frothy beer served with a side of crispy pakoras – this is how a beer and food pairing conventionally goes at a weekend gathering. The main course at a dinner would feature beer paired with butter chicken and naan. But what if there were other pairings with beer, that were just as flavourful and just as rooted in their desi touch?
Beyond butter chicken, pakoras and masala papadums is a space for Indian culinary staples which pair just as exceptionally with beer as these well-known culinary offerings. Flavourful repasts including spicy Malabar biryani, well-cooked barbecued veggies in the form of succulent tikkas and a piping hot vada pav served with a salted chilli are only among some of these unexpected dishes that tend to go well with beer.
Read on below to know more about some of these unexpected beer and Indian food pairings with can be go-to alternatives at the next weekend party you host at home:
Pav Bhaji
Recommended Pairing: Hefeweizen
Image Credits: Unsplash
A speciality from Mumbai’s streets that reigns supreme for its thoroughly spicy, buttery and masala-filled combination of flavours, pav bhaji is in fact an excellent pairing with the creamy body and banana-clove compounds which make up a classic hefeweizen. The slightly sweet flavours of the frothy beer cut through the rich, butter-laden flavours of the pav and the spiciness of the warm bhaji. This is a culinary and beer pairing that has all the makings of a flavourful dinner party hosted for intimate friends on a monsoon weekend.
Tandoori Broccoli
Recommended Pairing: Indian Pale Ale (IPA)
Video Credits: Rajshri Foods
While seekh kebabs and tandoori chicken might feature as classic pairings with beer, what stands out as an imaginative alternative is charred broccoli, cooked in the tandoor following a marination in yogurt and some really flavourful spices. The vegetal, slightly earthy flavour of the cruciferous vegetable coupled with the tandoori masala marinade produces an umami tasting note that goes well with the complementary flavours of the slightly bitter and citrusy notes of a classic IPA.
Malabar Biryani
Recommended Pairing: Saison Ale
Image Credits: Pexels
A flavourful, peppery, aromatic rice dish prepared along southern Indian coasts, the Malabar biryani is well-known for its mild flavour and the host of spices like fennel, mace, nutmeg and cinnamon that go into its making. This is a thoroughly fragrant biryani, complete with the flavours of green chillies and a tomatoey tang. A layered dish that goes well with ales, Malabar biryani can be paired with a beer like the saison which replicates the dry and peppery flavours of the rice.
Also Read:
Vada Pav
Recommended Pairing: Wit Beer
Image Credits: Pexels
A very popular street food across western Indian regions, the vada pav is known for its simply spiced potato fritter whose flavours are slightly undercut by the fluffy pav in which the fried goodie is stuffed. Served with a garlic and coconut chutney, vada pav becomes an interesting pairing with Belgian wit beer, whose citrusy, herbal notes tend to go well with the spiciness of the vada. In fact, chilled wit beer and warm vada pav can be an excellent beer and food pairing to serve on a rainy day evening gathering.
Malai Kofta
Recommended Pairing: Stout Beer
Image Credits: Flickr
Creamy, rich and thoroughly dense, malai kofta is a curry known for its combination of sweet and spicy tasting notes. This rather intricately flavoured dish can go well with the contrasting notes of a dark stout beer. Its creamy textures, deep malty flavours and slightly roasted character makes this frothy beer an unexpected pairing with the thick and milky notes of the malai kofta. Often served with tandoori garlic naan, malai kofta and stout can be a flavourful, luxurious pairing during the main course.
