Indian

Welcome to our expert break down of popular food categories, outlining the main challenges (and pairing solutions) for wine lovers with globetrotting tastes. This round, we focus on pairing Indian food with wine. The challenge: “Although regional styles of food greatly differ in India based on climate and available local ingredients, certain staples, such as mung beans, chickpeas, lentils and rice are commonly found, along with spices like coriander, cumin, cardamom and turmeric,” says Toranosuke Matsuoka, president and beverage director of KOA Restaurant, which serves modern Chinese cuisine. “Also, vegetarian dishes make up a strong base of this cuisine.” Wine fix: “The earthy ingredients found in many Indian dishes lead me to Junmai saké,” says Matsuoka. “These pure styles of saké can be delicate enough not to overpower a vegetarian dish, especially one that has rice as a base ingredient. Get These Recipes Pickle Sambal Sali Boti Scallop Tandoori Uighur Autumn Pulao Rice Tandoori-style Chicken