Food pairing
Beer with rogan josh
Slow-braised lamb in a deep red sauce whose colour comes from mild Kashmiri chilli rather than from heat.
This is the useful counter-example to the assumption that a red curry is a hot one. Kashmiri chilli is used for colour and fragrance and carries little capsaicin; the intensity is aromatic — fennel, ginger, cardamom, cloves — over braised lamb and yoghurt.
Because the burn is low, the beer does not have to be timid. There is room for malt depth to meet the braise and for enough bitterness to handle the lamb fat, which is a wider range of options than a genuinely hot curry allows.
Rogan josh narrows the field sharply, and one answer stands clear of the rest. Most beer falls down on at least one thing this dish demands. The attribute doing most of the work is aromatic spice.
What to drink
English porter — excellent pairing
Kashmiri chilli supplies colour and fragrance rather than burn, so unlike most curries this one leaves room for a bigger beer. Light roast and chocolate meet the braised lamb, and the low heat means the bitterness costs nothing.
Weizenbock — outstanding
Peppery and clove-like notes from the yeast pick up the warm spicing in the dish — the same aromatic family on both sides.
Tropical stout — outstanding
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Bière de Garde — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Dubbel — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Caution: Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
Czech dark lager — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
Oud Bruin — strong
Beer and dish carry similar weight, so neither flattens the other.
Old ale — strong
Deep malt character matches the savoury weight of the dish instead of sitting apart from it.
What not to drink
- Alcohol-free wheat beer — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.
- Alcohol-free stout — A light beer against a heavy plate tends to disappear.
- Kettle sour — Expect the beer to refresh rather than to stand up to the food.