After my interview with Jean Jacques Bacci on Sake, The French Connection it felt natural to continue on the topic of Sake for this week's Tokyo Thursdays.
I previously mentioned recipes in Cooking with Sake, The Secret Sauce (April 9).
If you are not inclined to purchase Sake plus experiment in the kitchen and are London bound or happen to live there, Moti Mahal restaurant in Covent Garden offers a Sake and Indian Food Tasting Menu until July 31, 2010.
Moti Mahal’s Head Chef Anirudh Arora, in collaboration with Sake expert Sarah Wedgbury who wrote about the pairing experience, have created this tasting menu:
Crisp fried pastry and chick peas with creamy yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutney
A tea time favourite for all North Indians, this dish finds its roots in the Gallis ‘streets’ of Old Delhi
Pairing: Aki no Ta Junmai Ginjo
Sagar Rattan ~ Malabar
Seared scallops with seasame seeds, coriander, tamarind together with lime and cumin peas
This tangy dish is a perfect example of the fragrant flavours found in Southern India.
Pairing: Fukurokuju Junmai
Murghi Nazakat ~ Punjab
A trio of chicken tikka, prepared with tantalizing variations of mint and basil, poppy seed and kashmiri chillies, cracked pepper and dill. The preparation of three different types of chicken tikka is an indicator that the utmost care, attention and respect is being showeredon one’s guest. Inspired by a hearty meal prepared for me by a Dhaba Walla in Amritsar
Pairing: Yoikigen Daiginjo
Chapli Kebab ~ Gawalmandi, Lahore
Minced lamb kebabs with mint and crunchy onions, topped with a moist masala fried egg.
Birth place of my father, pot pourri to the exceptional kebabs, Lahore sets the bench mark of my travel. I found this version of minced lamb kebabs in the popular foodie street called ‘Gawalmandi’
Pairing: Tamaki Yamahai Junmai Ginjo
Laal Maans ~ Rajasthan
Venison stewed with chillies, cloves and garlic in a clay pot. I would imagine the origin of this dish is in Rajasthan some centuries ago, a region where chillies are not used only for there fieriness but for extreme intensity of flavours that cannot be described in words, their complexity can only be experienced.
Kararee Bhyein ~ Punjab
Fried Lotus flower tossed with peanuts and coriander.
Taken from the national flower of India, Lotus stem is a rare but delicious ingredient often used in Indian cooking. Most famous in the Punjabi style, for being fried and eaten as a snack.
Served with: Tandoor baked breads, Saffron Rice
Pairing: Dance of the Lotus Flower Tokubetsu Junmai Nama Genshu
Meetha Kulcha aur Shrikhand ~ Gujrat
Griddled sweet flatbread served with cardamom yoghurt.
‘Kulcha’, a speciality filled flatbread adored all over India. Here Kulcha is griddled and served with ‘Shrikhand’ – a creamy yoghurt flavoured with cardamom’ hailing from the Gujurati region
Pairing: Akashi-Tai Genmai Koshu
£46 per person | £88 with Sake|
We found out about this interesting match via Eat Japan, a leading Japanese Food Source in the UK.
(* Sake bottle pictured is Fukurokuju Junmai)
Continuing on the Sake Trail for Tokyo Thursdays # 143
Previously: Where's Miso Happiness, In Nakamurabashi According to Kit Nagamura