Curries and whiskies to enjoy for Diwali, the Festival of Light

Despite the post last week there’s a lot of people out there still thinking that whisky has to be enjoyed in solitude and while I have no qualms about how people enjoy their whisky (mostly) – as long as they are enjoying whisky – but it seems a shame that so many discount it with food – or as part of food.

To that end, it was delight to catch up again with my friends down at the Cinnamon Club last week and talk about what curry dishes went with Whyte and Mackay whiskies. Along with Vivek Singh, the Executive Chef, we looked at the best combinations of whisky and curry dishes for the festival of Diwali.

And we came up with a selection that, even if you aren’t celebrating Diwali, will give you some ideas for a curry and whisky tasting night.

The night also gave me the chance to meet up with a couple of bloggers – Joel from caskstrength.net and Matt from Whisky for Everyone and the lads were asked for their thoughts on curry and whisky too.

All in all it was a great night for curry, whisky and talking about Diwali and you’ll be able to see part of it soon as it’ll be online, part of our podcasts and also part of a 20-minute special on B4U, which I believe is available to Sky viewers in the UK.

Now you’re probably saying ‘that’s all and fascinating Richard, but what about the bloody whiskies and the curries?’ and I hear you. But so you don’t think I’m being biased, here’s what Whisky for Everyone had to say about them in their Scotch whisky and Indian food blog post:

Chicken tikka and Whyte & Mackay 22 years old and the smoky, charred flavours that the chicken had picked up from the tandoor oven were complimented well by the sweet and spicy palate of the whisky.

Then beetroot mini fritters and an onion salad were paired with the younger Whyte & Mackay 13 years old. The spicier nature of the two dishes were noted by Richard as being balanced by the delicate softness and sweetness present in the whisky.

The sweet dishes – ladoo (a sweet chickpea ball) and kulfi (a frozen reduced buffalo milk dessert covered in crushed pistachio nuts) – were combined with the Whyte & Mackay 30 years old blended whisky. This is the whisky that this week has won the Best Blended Whisky section at the prestigious International Spirits Challenge. The whisky has rich caramel, dried fruit (think of raisins and candied peel especially) and woody spice aromas that carry through on to the palate and combine with toffee and further spice (almost like cloves, but couldn’t quite place it). The combination, especially with the delicious kulfi was great with the characteristics from the whisky bringing out the subtle grassy notes in the dessert.

But what other curry dishes are out there that go well with whiskies? You’ll remember that in a previous post when talking about curries and whisky I mentioned:

Cured organic salmon with orange and mint salad, Bombay spiced vegetables with cumin pao was served with the Whyte & Mackay Special Blend whisky.

Pan seared breast of chicken with smoked buffalo cheese and korma sauce.Stir fry of paneer with baby corn and Kadhai spice with Jura Superstition.

Spiced mango brulee to accompany the rare Jura 1974.

Dalmore 40 years old and coffee with handmade bitter chocolate brought this memorable dinner to a classic conclusion.

But what else works together?

Let me know…

Share and Enjoy

(Richard Paterson)