6 October, 2014
Eat & Drink

Pairing Food with Wine! What to drink with your favourite Asian dishes

6 October, 2014

We all know that Hong Kong is a haven for the foodie… everywhere you go, food seems to be only a step away. But for us wine lovers, what should we drink with all these choices? Sassy to the rescue. Use these handy food and wine pairing tips to eat and drink your way around your favourite restos and dai pai dongs with some vino in tow!

Tip 1:
Too much oak is, well, too much. Soy sauces, fish sauce and oyster sauces are fermented with oak, just like wine. For foods with these ingredients, choose a wine made without oak like Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sancerre.

Tip 2:
Spicy foods have a bold reaction to oak as well. If your dish is a spicy one, choose a fruity wine like a Merlot or dry or sweet Riesling. The wine will complement the food and help tone down the spice.

Tip 3:
Feeling hot? Sometimes even wines can taste hot! Try plunging your red in a bucket of ice for a few minutes before serving. It will take the heat off you and the wine.

Tip 4: Spice counts. The same dish, Hainan Chicken Rice for example, will change depending on how much chilli you use. Less chilli and you’ll prefer the white wines, spice it up and the dish might be better with a Merlot or Pinot Noir. Too much chilli, grab a sweet Riesling to help fight the fire.

Tip 5:
Generally, white wines pair better with lighter foods as the tannins of red wine can overpower these dishes. Ideally, you want the wine and food flavours to complement and enhance each other. There’s nothing worse than a food and wine fight in your mouth! But remember it’s your mouth, so you can drink whatever you think tastes good with your favourite Asian dish.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRINGS WORTH A TRY

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Image sourced via Pinterest

Try teaming these wines with some of our favourite Asian dishes… are you hungry (and thirsty!) yet?

Cabernet Sauvignon
Black Pepper Beef (Chinese)
Satay (Malay)

Merlot
Dhosai (Indian)
Keema (Indian)
Rendang (Malay)
Satay (Malay)

Pinot Noir
Hainan Chicken Rice (Chinese)
Otak-Otak (Malay)
Satay (Malay)
Tandoori Chicken (Indian)

Syrah (or Shiraz), Rioja
Bak Kut Teh (Chinese)
Mee Goreng (Indian)
Mutton Curry (Indian)
Nasi Goreng (Malay)
Roti John (Malay)
Satay (Malay)
Tandoori Chicken (Indian)

Chardonnay, Chablis
Curry Puff (Malay)
Hainan Chicken Rice (Chinese)
Otak-Otak (Malay)
Shrimp Oats (Chinese)
Tandoori Chicken (Indian)

Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre
Carrot Cake (Chinese)
Char Kway Teoh (Chinese)
Chili Crab (Chinese)
Shrimp Oats (Chinese)
Xiao Long Bao (Chinese)

Dry & Sweet Rieslings
Oyster Omlette (Chinese)
Xiao Long Bao (Chinese)
Dim Sum (Chinese) – check out this article for some more dim sum pairing tips!
Nasi Goreng (Malay)
Satay (Malay)
Laksa (Malay)

Champange or Prosecco
Egg Tart (Chinese)
Oyster Omelette (Chinese)
Nasi Lemak (Malay)

Top image sourced via Shutterstock

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