What to drink with dal

Generally of course dal wouldn’t be eaten on its own but with a curry or a biryani but given it makes a pretty good midweek dish on its own or with rice you might fancy a glass with it. Here are some options

8 great drinks to pair with dal

Dal recipes obviously vary so you’ll need to experiment!

Cider

I mean, come on, this is Bristol. Let’s celebrate our regional drink. Besides it goes REALLY well with gently spiced food like dal

Lager

I’m not thinking of Kingfisher more like a good craft lager like Lost & Grounded’s Keller pils.

Sylvaner

Not as well known as Alsace’s other grape varieties such as riesling and gewürztraminer but I really like its refreshingly fruity character with a dal

Dry rosé

Rosé works surprisingly well with Indian food. I’d personally choose a dry-ish style from Provence or elsewhere in the south of France

A virgin mojito

And other lime-based drinks. Even a Rose’s lime cordial!

Salted lassi

Or mango lassi if you prefer but I like salted with dal. There’s a nice recipe here.

Coconut water

Not a huge fan myself but it would definitely work. My local Indian restaurant, Thali does a Arrack Sour cocktail with Ceylon arrack shaken with coconut water, lime and egg white which would totally hit the spot.

Cold brew tea

I was going to suggest chai but I think cold brew tea would be even nicer. There’s a useful guide on brewing up on the Samovar tea website

Photo © Bart at fotolia.com

Wine and Indonesian food: which wine pairs best with Rijsttafel?

I posted this last year after trying Rijsttafel - the Indonesian speciality that’s widely available in Amsterdam. Translated literally as ‘rice table’, it’s an elaborate array of curries, salads and pickles which present a tough challenge for any wine.

The one we had was at Blauw, a restaurant strongly recommended by foodie colleagues and in the immensely useful Where Chefs Eat and couldn’t have been a better introduction to the genre.

The curries are hot but also sweet which tends to strip the flavour out of drier wines including the Gruner Veltliner we ordered, a normal go-to with south-east Asian food, although it matched a couple of lighter introductory dishes. Several also had a rich peanut sauce. The wines I thought would make the best pairings for Rijsttafel itself were off-dry whites though I came up with a couple of other options you might enjoy:

Viognier

Actually we tried a sip of this and it did work

Gewurztraminer - it wouldn’t match all the dishes but would be a good all-rounder

Off-dry Pinot Gris from Alsace or New Zealand

Barossa semillon would work well with the peanut sauces

Torrontes (a suggestion from Blauw’s own list)

Off-dry Clare or Eden Valley riesling like this Grosset riesling which was my match of the week a while back with a Chinese New Year feast

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a dash of tropical fruit

Off-dry strong rosé such as those you get from Portugal and South America

Chilled New Zealand Pinot Noir - the favourite of the chef Agus Hermawan. Or Chilean Pinot Noir, for that matter. You need a touch of sweetness.

Ripe but not over-alcoholic Shiraz and similar GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre) blends

What are the best pairings for Provence rosé?

Provence rosé has a distinct character that sets it apart from other rosés on the market. It’s known for being crisp, dry, and refreshing—qualities that align it more closely with white wines than traditional rosés. This unique profile can be attributed to the region’s winemaking techniques and climate, which yield wines that are both light and structured. Within this style, however, there are variations. On one hand, you have the lighter, easy-drinking wines, known as “vins de soif,” which are perfect for casual sipping. On the other hand, you have more complex and robust rosés, referred to as “vins de gastronomie,” which are designed to pair with a wider variety of foods.

When it comes to food pairings for rosé, Provence rosés truly shine. The versatility of these wines makes them a wonderful match for a wide range of dishes and ingredients. For lighter rosés, think simple, fresh flavors—salads with goat cheese, seafood, or light pasta dishes are ideal companions. The crisper the rosé, the better it pairs with delicate flavors that don’t overpower the palate. For the more structured, gastronomic rosés, heartier food pairings come into play, such as grilled meats, Mediterranean vegetables, or even richer seafood dishes like bouillabaisse. These wines have the complexity and body to stand up to more intense flavors, making them a perfect match for a well-thought-out meal.

Here, listed from A-Z, are some of the top food pairings for rosé wines from the three key Provence appellations: Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, and Coteaux Varois-en-Provence. These dishes, while perfectly suited to Provence rosés, also work well with other southern French rosés, as they share similar characteristics. 

The best food pairings for Provence rosé

Anchovies - especially fresh ones and anchoiade (anchovy spread)
Asian-influenced food - a rather vague concept but think in terms of westernised dishes with Asian influences. Authentic Thai food for example is too powerful.
Artichokes - raw, grilled or preserved in olive oil (not boiled)
Asparagus - grilled or with a vinaigrette rather than with butter
Avocado
Aubergines - cooked lightly as a purée (baba ganoush) or grilled rather than as a bake with cooked tomatoes and cheese
Brie - though don’t let it get too runny
‘Cake’ - the French word for a savoury, usually cheese-flavoured loaf served with an aperitif
Carpaccio - beef or salmon
Chicken - cold e.g. as a terrine or in a salad
Courgettes in most forms, especially lightly cooked e.g. courgettes à la grecque
Couscous and bulghur salads - e.g. tabbouleh
Crab - esp the white meat. Think crab salads and crostini
Crudités - raw vegetables such as celery, cucumber and peppers. Take care any accompanying dip isn’t too strong though
Dim sum, steamed rather than fried, especially with seafood
Fennel - especially with fish
Gazpacho
Goats’ cheese, especially younger or herb-coated ones
Herbs - fresh rather than dry, especially basil, mint, rosemary, tarragon and thyme
Lamb - roast or grilled rack of lamb, esp with herbs, served rare
Lebanese (and probably Greek and Turkish) mezze
Moroccan food especially cooked salads, pastries, fish dishes and lighter tagines e.g. chicken and lemon
Olive oil - esp fresh grassy ones
Olives, esp green olives and green tapenade
Parmesan biscuits or tuiles
Pesto - and Pistou (the Provençal equivalent)
Pink peppercorns
Pissaladière - made the traditional way with onions rather than tomatoes
Parma ham - and similar air-dried hams, esp with fruits like peaches and figs
Pasta - with light sauces e.g. with fresh tomato, prawns
Plateau de fruits de mer - raw shellfish platter
Porchetta - roast pork with herbs, served lukewarm or cold
Prawns - as in griddled prawns, prawn cocktail, Chinese-style prawn toasts (It’s the colour thing too)
Provençal-style stuffed vegetables
Radishes
Rabbit - rillettes or paté
Red mullet, grilled
Risotto - light seafood and vegetable versions
Salads - especially Asian style salads, avoiding heavy dressings (so not blue cheese or thousand island, for example)
Salmon - served raw, cold, poached or as a mousse. Also salmon tartare and smoked salmon
Satay - if not too spicy
Seabass - grilled with oil and lemon
Spices - used with a light hand - especially coriander, cumin, saffron and zatar
Sushi
Strawberries - on their own, with a little fromage frais or in a sharp ‘fruit soup’. Not in a tart or with meringues and cream
Tomatoes, especially fresh tomatoes, as in tomato salads, a fresh tomato sauce, Tomato ‘tarte fine’
Tuna - fresh or tinned. Grilled tuna, salade niçoise
Veal - served cold as in vitello tonnato
Vietnamese spring rolls with herbs and mint
Zucchini (see courgettes)

What doesn’t work so well
Cream or butter based sauces (though yoghurt, crème fraiche and fromage frais work well)
Red meat
Game
Ratatouille (although the French would almost certainly disagree, I find it too heavy for this style of rosé)
Hot curries
Strong cheeses, especially blues
‘Winter food’ generally

You might also enjoy reading: the best food pairings for rosé

I travelled to Provence as a guest of the CIVP

Photo by Pixabay

What's the best match for a barbecue?

Should it be wine or beer - or even a cocktail? Last year I asked the Twitter community what their favourite barbecue bevvy was and this is what they came up with . . .

@HarryReginald covered all the options with his prescription:

On a hot day: bubbly, followed by bubbly and then some Chenin and a solid Pinot. Or simply cold, hoppy, beers.

There was a fair amount of support for Sparkling Shiraz

Sparkling Shiraz like Peter Lehmann Black Queen, Rockford Black, Majella - especially with chargrilled and marinated meats and ribs @nywines. @robertgiorgione @rovingsommelier agreed

And for light reds . . .

Lightly chilled Austrian Zweigelt/Blaufrankisch @robertgiorgione

Chilled Beaujolais like Brouilly and other Gamay @scandilicious @goodshoeday (if the BBQ is not too spicy @spicespoon)

Cold Valpolicella Allegrini @Lardis

Leg of lamb with juicy, chilled Loire Cab Franc @foodwinediarist

How about a nice juicy Grenache w/ bbq foods? Not too heavy for hot weather. @TheWineyard

but not much for more full-bodied reds except for @HawksmoorLondon who tipped Super Tuscan wines with chargrilled steak

A couple mentioned whites, especially with fish

Hunter Valley Semillon and oysters @SomeSomm @DanSims (not typical UK barbie fare but a great idea)

Catalan Grenache Blanc with grilled sardines and red peppers @foodwinediarist

Others went in a more aromatic direction

Hilltop Estates Cserszegi from @thewinesociety with home made piri piri BBQ chicken @LouiseHerring

Chicken brochette in the Pakistani manner with Domaine Weinbach Pinot Gris @SpiceSpoon

A nice crisp chilled wine like an Alsace Riesling for me @eatlikeagirl @aforkful. @scandilicious agreed: "nice Riesling or Grüner Veltliner w/BBQ fish or prawns"

Surprisingly few went for rosé, one of my own BBQ favourites

Dry rosé like Chapel Down (with butterflied lamb) @goodshoeday - although she also mentioned Peronelles, a kir-like blush cider from Aspalls

There were other fans of cider

Ashridge Devon cider @BistroWineMan

I do like cider at a bbq - its a good gutsy match to bacon rolls which are another bbq must have! @KateWild

But far more fans of beer

Beer fizzy and cold from my shed fridge @crownbrewerstu

BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, CIDER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER, BEER @MelissaCole

What matches caramelised and charred BBQ flavours better than roasted malt flavours? Got to be beer everytime! @WBandBEER

I'm liking dark beers with BBQs at the mo - BrewDog Zeitgeist, a decent Dark Mild, a porter, all served cold @markdredge. @HawksmoorLondon suggested Porter too.

Chimay for a spicy BBQ @spicespoon and Rodenbach Grand Cru for BBQd meats @scandilicious

@Hoegaarden @goodshoeday

not a #twitmatch but a #twecipe-Young's Bitter & Ginger marinade 4 bbq'd spatchcocked poussin @jo_dring

A couple mentioned cocktails (another personal favourite, especially margaritas and rum punches)

Jugs of Bloody Marys @rovingsommelier

A remojito (fino or manzanilla topped up w soda water, mint leaves, ice and lemon) @taralstevens (love the sound of this)

and @bluedoorbakery just went for sherry

@aforkful came up with a great non-alcoholic option: "try this delicious cordial if staying off the booze"

There was even a recommendation for ‘cool water’ from @howardggoldberg (the first - and I hope not the last - #twitmatch linked to a song)

Thanks all, for the great ideas.