Whisky with Indian Cuisine

[awadhesh13]

I am doing a whiskey menu - blended & malts for a five star hotel in Delhi, India. Could anyone help me in pairing Indian foods with whisky.
Thanks.
mail me at : awadheshkumar13@gmail.com

[ClubSmed]

I find that whisky tends to burn the tongue when you try to pair it with spicy food so I would try matching it with the milder side of Indian Cuisine.

[desouza]

ClubSmed

I find that whisky tends to burn the tongue when you try to pair it with spicy food so I would try matching it with the milder side of Indian Cuisine

.
True to some degree - must blend with the spices to enhance the experience. Add 1 cube of ice in the neat dram of whisky!

The Blends that go well with most Indian food are:
Dewers
Famous Grouse 12 yr
White Horse
Ballantines
100 Pipers

If you were going to use Single Malts, you have a whole universe to deal with.

Slainte!

[The Third Dram]

The following is excerpted from an article by Chris O'Leary entitled PLAYING WITH FLAVOURS (alas, I'm not sure of the name of the periodical in which the piece was published)...

In this article, Richard Weiss (a London-based sommelier and wine consultant) proffers the suggestion that seafood will pair well with whiskies displaying similar maritime traits. However, he also warns of the dangers in matching heavily spiced dishes with any whisky, as the relatively high alcohol of the spirit can, in concert with those spices, roughen up the palate.

Further on in the piece, London chef Anirudh Arora offers a few recommendations for pairing Indian cuisine with Scotch whisky. To quote him...

"Speyside malts, owing to their floral and seed-like finish, match well with fried foods.
Glen Elgin 12 YO works wonderfully with onion bhajjis.
Highland malts can be easily paired with coconut-based dishes.
Dalwhinnie 15 YO goes well, in particular, with puddings.
Lowland malts, the cleanest of all, complement seafood dishes with a
touch of sweetness.
Glenkinchie 12 YO (pairs well) with a South Indian crab salad.
Islay and Skye, known for their peatiness, can handle robust flavours
from the tandoor.
Talisker 10 YO is stunning with Tandoori chicken."

These sound like great suggestions to me!

[bond]

Awadesh:

I personally believe beer washes down Indian food the best. The one single malt that goes best (IMHO of course) is Isle of Jura. Te whisky does not have a very distinct flavour profile and that seems to help as it does not compete with too many flavours.

All the best and do let me know once the menu is ready. will certainly give it a shot at your hotel.

Cheers

[craig-mcgill]

Awadesh, Whyte and Mackay's Master Blender Richard Paterson held a curry night recently with some whiskies. You can find his thoughts on what whiskies and curries went well here: http://www.themasterblender.com/2009/07 ... -thinking/

[adogranonthepitch]

hot and spicy curry ......talisker (tastes like white pepper) or lagavulin

good luck with the pairings

I love curry

I love whisky

...... I think I need to work for you

[Queen of the Hebrides]

There is a great recipe for Gram Masla Prawns with ginger and chilli paired with Glenkinchie here:

http://www.malts.com/resources/en-gb/wh ... /main.html

[Reggaeblues]

I wait to be converted. Curries are complex. Whiskies are complex. Both tend to be hot n' spicy.

The result always seems to be a mish-mashup of the tastebuds for me.

I like my whiskies unadulterated by other tastes, and curry is the last food I would pair with a whisky. Takes a while, and loads of water or milky dessert, to bring my 'buds back to enjoying a dram after a currry, and like ADog, I love both!