For that perfect match

Wine and Food

The Taj was playing host to the food lovers to popularise the concept of pairing Indian food with wine. Food connoisseurs across the City have always faced the problem of pairing Indian food with wine. "The spices are too overpowering and the taste of wine is simply lost in all of the spice," said Micheal, a food lover and an IT professional with Espresso 50, an IT company.

Micheal thinks such food clubs help popularise wine drinking in India and also familiarise the Indians with the concept of pairing food and wine. Stanley Pinto, another die-hard foodie thinks that unless such dinners are hosted the interest in wines cannot be cultivated in India. He thinks food and wine not only have a great digestive effect but also enhance taste.

Sheela Krishnaswamy, a nutritionist observes that India has had a variety of cuisines and each region across the country has a different taste and feel to it.
Later that evening, the guests were treated to a five-course sit down meal. Each Indian dish was paired with a different wine.

The course began with Tandoori fruits on English cucumber. Then Khumb Galouti on Lahsooni Palak tempered mushroom and corn cake was served on the bed of tempered spinach. All of this was combined with Champagne Bollinger. The Henri Bourgeois, Pouilly Fume and Loire Valley celebrated the diverse flavour spectrum of Indian cuisine: mixed spices, spinach, mustard, coconut and bay leaf, paired with complementing and contrasting flavours of the wine.

The second course highlighted the tandoor style in Indian cooking, the mild acidity of the green olives accentuated in the Tandoor was paired with Chardonnay wine.
The non vegetarian spread was equally or more enticing. The course began with Adrakhi Jhinga ginger flavoured jumbo prawns, char grilled Malabar and soft shell crab, a contemporary classic of crispy soft shell crabs stir-fried with fennel seeds and curry leaves. Then, there was Doodhiya Murgh Tikka chicken cubes draped in a cheese marinade, spiced with green cardamom and infused with burnt garlic. All of this was paired with Champagne Bollinger.

Among the desserts was Anjir Halwa, Elaichi Ka Jamun and Malai kulfi petits fours.