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Fun pairing for beer: Spicy food
While the tradition of pairing food with drink is not commonly found in Indonesia, some establishments offer dining packages that pair Indonesian food with wine. And more recently, beer.
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A bartender pulls a glass of dark stout beer. (Shutterstock/IsabellaO)
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ndonesian food, like other Asian food, is known for its herbs and spices that add a kick of flavors. While the tradition of pairing food with drink is not commonly found in Indonesia, some establishments offer dining packages that pair Indonesian food with wine. And more recently, beer.
Pairing Indonesian food, as any other Asian food, with beer is not impossible, as we only need to find the right beer to match the Indonesian flavor profile. According to a list compiled by Food & Wine, among beers that match Asian food are hoppy floral beer, lager and ale.
Floral beer, with a high percentage of hops (a bittering, flavoring, stability agent that imparts floral flavors and aroma), is said to match smoky, meaty dishes such as Chinese-style ribs, wrote Food & Wine.
Lager, with its crispness, is a matching pair for rich, fried dishes such as chicken katsu, or spicy dishes like chicken wings with sriracha sauce.
Ale, which is commonly fuller-bodied with traces of fruit, flower and spice in its flavor and aroma, pairs well with dishes made of dark, leafy greens or anything cooked with nuts.
There is, however, another type of beer that matches Asian food, namely stout. Beer Store explains on its website that stout, “not as sweet to the taste, features a rich, creamy head and is flavored and colored by barley. Stouts often use a portion of un-malted roasted barley to develop a dark, slightly astringent, coffee-like character.”
An example of food pairing with stout has been presented by Guinness, the renowned black Irish beer. Guinness has been promoting its Foreign Extra Stout (FES), as a variant that goes well with spicy African and Asian food, including Indonesian food.
Guinness has informed in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post that it held interactive cooking sessions and food pairings in three Indonesian cities, featuring celebrity chef Renatta Moeloek.
Jakarta is the third city to host the event, and it also has given an inspiration in the form of semur lidah khas Betawi (Betawi style ox tongue stew) to be paired with Guinness FES.
Previously, the interactive cooking session and food pairing was held in Bali and then Surabaya, East Java, resulting in special dishes namely Balinese suckling pig and Surabaya style beef ribs black nut soup as pairings for Guinness FES. These pairings are available at Beer Garden SCBD Jakarta.
Read also: Jakpost Nightlife: Must-try beerhouses
Beer aficionados could also experience Guinness Food Pairing with a special menu, crafted in collaboration with chef Renatta, at several bars and restaurants in Surabaya, Bali and Jakarta. Renatta is also said to welcome diners to recommend dishes that may pair well with Guinness FES. (mut)
