This summer, experienced chefs and sommeliers of Vivanta by Taj guide you through the ever-confusing world of wine and the ingenuity of Thai flavour and let you experience the best that both the worlds have to offer.
Chef Arun Reddy and chef Benjamin, the in-house Thai food masters at Vivanta, have joined hands with sommeliers of Sula to bring you the delectable gastronomic journey of pairing Thai curries with the wines to perfection.
In fact, pairing wines with oriental flavours is a novel concept in itself, as wine is often a monopoly of western cuisine.
“Thai curries are very different from their Indian counterparts. Using fresh ingredients like lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime or basil gives them a distinct aroma and taste. Gaeng or curries in Thai cuisine have a light gravy and are best enjoyed with jasmine rice, sticky rice or kanom Jeen (round rice noodles),” explains chef Benjamin.
You can take your pick from exotic dishes like chu chee, a home style aromatic curry with fish, crab or prawn made with kaffir lime and coconut milk and topped with basil or gaeng masaman which is again a curry of lamb or chicken flavoured with brown onion, garlic and cashew nuts.
Do not forget to take your taste buds for an adventure with spicy and flavourful gaeng Khiao Warn or the green Curry.
Nearly 65 per cent of this curry is green chilies, which is toned down by coconut milk and flavoured with basil.
To compliment the delectable flavours of the curry, experts from Sula have paired each curry with a wine that balances the flavours perfectly.
“Before pairing the wines, the sommeliers have taken into consideration the ingredients used in curries to balance the taste. The taninn levels, acidity and sweetness of paired wines are thus in flawless harmony with the dishes,” said the representative from Sula.
For instance, the aromatic chu chee is paired with Sula Sauvignon Blanc -- a light and herbaceous wine that goes well with the curry. While the Sula Shiraz blends nicely with gaeng masaman, the rosy and fruity Sula Zindafel Rose -- a fruity wine with strawberry undertones-- brings out the nutty and creamy flavour of lobster in coconut milk and basil-rich gravy of Penang.
Priced at Rs 999 (plus taxes), the Wine and Curry Discoveries at Thai Pavillion at Vivanta by Taj ends on 31 May.