When they ‘Poured to pair’, it wasn’t a combination of wine and cheese, whiskey and meats or single malts with chocolates; instead it was a pairing of curries with wine. Sounds quite unusual but when the pairing came with a presentation and an explanation from the chef, it all fell in place.
At the Thai Pavilion, Vivanta by Taj, chef Benjamin Lalhmangaiha is passionate about the Thai curries. So when he wants them paired with wine, he is sure that neither the curry nor the wine wins over the other. “Pairing is like a marriage. Each has to complement the other,” he says. He goes on to warn that a lot of rice will have to be consumed with five different types of curries — red, yellow, green, massaman and Penang curry.
Eating and drinking while receiving gyan on what is being tasted is a good way to get your palate accustomed to new flavours.
And while Thai curries with rice and wine are being savoured, Benjamin keeps the gyan flowing. ‘Please drink water as a palate cleanser,’ he shares about the curries, with a laugh. “Yellow curry is yellow because the use of fresh turmeric lends the colour and the distinct taste. No colour is added. Since sweet curries aren’t preferred much in Hyderabad, I haven’t sweetened them. Also Thai curries originally didn’t have coconut milk. It is the Portuguese who introduced coconut milk as an ingredient long back because they couldn’t eat the hot spicy curries.”
The menu opens with exciting curries such as the Gaengdaenggai rue nuea rupe (Red curry of chicken or tenderloin or lamb with straw mushroom, bamboo shoots and Thai baby eggplants with sweet basil). This was served with rice and paired with Sula Cabernet Shiraz / Sula Zinfandel Rosé. The reason for the pairing is that it blends well with mildly spiced dishes. One can even opt for the fruity refreshing Rosé which is dominated with berry flavours.
The Gaengkhiao warn gai rue nuea rupe (Green curry of chicken with coconut palm heart and Thai eggplants with sweet basil) was paired with Sula Chenin Blanc. A hint of sweetness and fruity flavours was next.
Next, we moved on to Chu chee poo/pla/koong (Thai home style curry with crab/fish/prawn) paired with Sula Sauvignon Blanc (a light, refreshing wine with herbaceous aromas to go with the mildly spiced curry).
Kaengkhuasaparot (pineapple flavoured Thai prawn curry) was up next and was paired with Sula Riesling. The pairing was indeed ‘food for thought’ because as the explanations came, the mild flavours in the wine could be gauged better. “The pairing was done on the basis of the ingredient used in the curries. The idea was to let them complement each other. Hope they did well,” says Benjamin.Yes, it did and so did the sticky rice milk pudding with local mangoes to the entire pairing session.
All in all the experience was not only delicious but an eye-opener too.
