Best Drinks To Have With Taste Atlas’ Best Of Indian Cuisine List
Indian cuisine is a vibrant mix of a lot of diverse ingredients and flavours that come together to produce some really exciting dishes. From sweet and spicy to umami and tangy, the sheer range of taste and textures that make up the cuisine of this subcontinent is absolutely marvellous. There are a number of dishes like the dal makhani, butter chicken and naan which have become famous the world over for their distinct taste and recipes that have been passed on through generations.
Taste Atlas has curated an extensive list of some of the best dishes that are part of Indian cuisine. And each of these numbers can be paired really well with lots of different alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks when you sit down for your meal.
We have curated a series of essays for you which recommend the best drink to have with all the items on this list.
Here is part one of this ten-part series highlighting the cocktails and mocktails you can pair with recipes like garlic naan, tikka, chole bhature and more!
Butter Garlic Naan And Cucumber Mint G&T
One of the most popular flatbreads across the northern belt in the Indian subcontinent is the garlic naan, an indulgent, buttery dish that can be paired with all kinds of curries and meats. You can make your naan’s flavours shine by pairing this garlicky dish with a very fresh cucumber mint gin and tonic infused with the herby and refreshing botanicals of a quality Tanqueray No. Ten.
Butter Chicken And White Wine
Experts would tell you that a mildly spicy but thoroughly delicious butter chicken dish would pair really well with a fruity and sweet drink like white wine because their flavours nicely compliment each other. You can go for a classic Riesling which pairs well with Indian curries.
Tikka And Scotch Whisky
Tikka is often made using boneless meat marinated in lots of spices like coriander, cayenne pepper, chilli, garlic and ginger which pack it with tons of flavour. Cooked in the tandoor the meat also acquires a smoky touch that would go well with the peaty and slightly spicy notes of a scotch whisky like a Johnny Walker Black Label.
Hyderabadi Biryani And Mint Cooler
This biryani variation mixes rice and meat to craft a recipe that is as tasty as it is aromatic. The dish is spiced well so you can pair it with a refreshing mint cooler infused with carbonated water or soda and lots of lime juice so that it acts as a stunning palate cleanser.
Chole Bhature And Lassi
This is a prized dish that is beloved by kids and adults alike. Pair a spicy chole dish and its companion, the flatbread called bhature, with cooling, thick lassi that will counteract the kick of the chickpeas mix.
Amritsari Kulcha And Moscow Mule
Indian food and vodka go well together and when you are enjoying a helping of amritsari kulcha with a curry, you can pair this stuffed flatbread made from a filling of potatoes, onions and cottage cheese with a zesty moscow mule. The notes of ginger beer will bring a zing to the dense dish.
Tandoori Chicken And Solkadhi
Murgh tandoori is a very popular dish in Indian cuisine which derives its name from the Persian word tannur, meaning fire. The chicken is cooked at high temperature in a tandoor until it becomes smokey and succulent. You can pair this famed dish with a lesser-known solkadhi made from coconut milk and kokum to introduce a bit of freshness into your palate.
Masala Dosa And Filter Coffee
If there is any pairing that was a match made in heaven, it would be this Indian pancake stuffed with potato subzi and a stunning cup of filter coffee made from your preferred southern Indian coffee blend. The aromas of the coffee and sambar accompanying the dosa are simply hard to resist.
Dal Tadka And Chaas
A lentil dish originating from northern India, dal tadka is rich in proteins and goes well with jeera rice and roti to become comfortable in a bowl. You can pair this lentil soup with a non-alcoholic masala chaas whose rejuvenating freshness cuts through the slightly spicy flavour of the tadka poured over the dal.
