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Italian Wine Pairings for Indian Food, Page 4
Pairings at a Glance
Showing 31–39 of 39 dishes
Tandoori lamb chops
Tandoori lamb chops are rack-cut Punjabi chops marinated with yogurt, garam masala, cloves and black pepper, fired in a tandoor to medium-rare. The meat-fat register is full. Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese) is the textbook Italian red match; Primitivo from Puglia brings the riper-fruit alternative; Barbera d'Asti covers the acid-led side.
Perfect grape varieties
Appellations to explore
Vegetable biryani
Vegetable biryani is the vegetarian layered rice: cauliflower, carrot, potato, peas, fresh paneer cooked with saffron-spiced basmati, dum-style. Gewürztraminer Alto Adige and Moscato d'Asti match the saffron-aromatic register; Falanghina del Sannio is the drier alternative; Frappato covers the low-tannin red angle.
Perfect grape varieties
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Aloo tikki
Aloo tikki is the North Indian street-food potato cake: boiled potato spiced with garam masala, cumin, coriander, green chilli and ginger, shallow-fried until crisp. Served with tamarind chutney and yogurt. Falanghina del Sannio and Soave Superiore both sit cleanly; Conegliano Prosecco Superiore brings the sparkling option.
Perfect grape varieties
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Baingan bharta
Baingan bharta is fire-roasted eggplant mashed with onion, tomato, green chilli, cumin and coriander, Punjabi-style. Smoky char is the defining note. Etna Rosso (Nerello Mascalese) carries the smoke and acid-led weight; Frappato (Cerasuolo di Vittoria) is the lower-tannin red; Falanghina del Sannio handles the white side.
Perfect grape varieties
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Chicken madras
Chicken madras is a British-Indian curry-house spice-level marker: medium-hot chilli, tamarind-acid finish, Madras-style tempered curry powder. Not a dish from Chennai itself despite the name. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG and Lambrusco di Sorbara both carry the heat without amplifying it; Moscato d'Asti is the off-dry sweet buffer; Frappato is the low-tannin red answer.
Appellations to explore
Lamb seekh kebab
Seekh kebab is Central-Asian-origin minced-meat skewer: lamb (or goat) hand-pounded with garam masala, ginger, green chilli and fried onion, moulded onto metal skewers and fired in a tandoor. Nero d'Avola (Sicilia DOC) and Primitivo both carry the lamb-fat-spice combination; Barbera d'Asti brings the bright-acid alternative.
Perfect grape varieties
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Rajma
Rajma is the North Indian kidney-bean curry: red kidney beans simmered with tomato, onion, ginger-garlic and garam masala, served over basmati. Characteristically thick and lightly sweet-earthy. Barbera d'Asti handles the umami-fruit register; Frappato is the lower-tannin alternative; Falanghina del Sannio is the white side.
Perfect grape varieties
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Chicken dhansak
Dhansak is a Parsi-Iranian dish from Gujarat: chicken or lamb slow-cooked with toor dal, pumpkin or gourd, tamarind, jaggery and dhansak masala. Sweet-sour-savory signature. Gewürztraminer Alto Adige catches the spice aromatic; Moscato d'Asti handles the jaggery sweet side; Frappato is the low-tannin red that carries dal umami.
Perfect grape varieties
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Tandoori prawns
Tandoori prawns are king-prawn shells-off marinated in yogurt, Kashmiri chilli, ajwain, lemon and tandoori masala, skewered and fired dry-heat. Pairing stays on the white-plus-sparkling axis. Vermentino di Gallura DOCG handles the prawn sweetness; Falanghina del Sannio matches the spice; Franciacorta cuts the smoky char with fizz.
Perfect grape varieties
Also worth trying
Appellations to explore
