A Soulful Union: Thai Curry and Wine
Curries and Wine Discoveries, hosted by Thai Pavilion at Vivanta By Taj Begumpet, seeks to pair some unique Thai curries (traditional Thai curries improvised & tweaked) with Sula wines, white, rose and red, depending on the level of strength (read spiciness) of the curries. At a recent media briefing, sous chef Benjamin Lalthanga (a pro at all things Thai!) and executive sous chef Arjun Yadav introduced us to the finer nuances of Thai curries, while the Sula representative did the same with the wines.
The sequence of Thai curries sampled with steamed jasmine rice went like this:
- Chu Chee Pla, a yellowish-red home style fish curry, paired with Sula Sauvignon Blanc. Chu Chee gets its colour from a paste of fresh turmeric, red chillies, galangal and ginger-garlic. The curry was grainy and not too creamy because only a little coconut milk had been added but the chopped kaffir lime leaves and the fish (basa fillets) took the curry to a sublime level. The white wine was delicate and fresh, making for a perfect pairing.
- Gaeng Khiao Warn Gai (Thai green chicken curry with a twist in that fresh green chillies were added to the paste) and paired with Sula Chenin Blanc (white wine with a slightly stronger tone) this also made for a good pairing.
- Panang Prawn Curry with Sula Rose seemed to be the perfect couple, because both the red gravy (tantalizing with the addition of fresh tamarind and coarsely chopped peanuts) i and the fruity notes of the Rose wine did its bit of bringing the spirit of a summer picnic to the table.
- Kaeng Kari Gai (yellow curry with tofu and vegetables) paired with Sula Merlot was just about okay.
- Massamman Lamb\Chicken Curry with Sula Dindori Reserve Shiraz was easily voted as the best couple, with just about everyone loving the reddish brown gravy, flavoured not just with familiar Indian spices (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, mace, cumin, star anise) but also with browned onion-garlic and a rather generous dose of potatoes! The full-bodied Shiraz made for the perfect partner with the strong gravy.
The promotion is on an a la carte basis (Rs 999 plus taxes, for a curry-wine pairing of your choice along with steamed jasmine rice) for both lunch and dinner for the month of June and beyond, depending on popularity.
