There is still the pervasive idea that pairing food and wine is intimidating, as precise as an algebra equation. Get it wrong and risk humiliation.
I don’t know about you, but that’s just not how I experience dinner. As this column has attempted to demonstrate over the years, the best pairings are playful and experimental, not strict and dogmatic. Given that our palates all work a little differently – and since natural wine in particular is an ever-evolving product – there’s no use pretending that pairing is a completely exact science.
A few weeks ago, I attended HB&B’s inaugural wine dinner with Kokum, a modern Indian restaurant in East Dulwich. Across multiple courses and wines, we enjoyed a perfect encapsulation of how joyful pairing can be, especially when it’s flexible and not hemmed in by tradition. With that in mind (and having picked up a bottle of one of the standout wines of the evening, Pedro Olivares’ Muscat Blanc d’Argila), I decided to do a tribute column. At Kokum, the Muscat was paired with several tandoori dishes; I borrowed the idea here by making tandoori prawns.
The preparation requires a few steps, but the cooking couldn’t be easier. Look for the largest prawns you can find (my helpful local fishmonger also peeled and deveined them) and marinate in lemon juice, salt and sugar. Then, give them a plunge in a second, spiced yoghurt marinade. Grill them in your oven for roughly 10 minutes, or until they’re juicy and lightly charred. To make a meal of it, serve them with a cooling yoghurt mint sauce, plus a fresh, spicy kachumber salad.
The Muscat only improves the dish. Thanks to its rich, almost oily mouthfeel, plus its vibrant blossom and stone fruit aroma, it stands up to the spice beautifully, adding a pleasing, mellow sweetness. Sure, the two might not be the stuff of classic wine pairings – but that’s exactly what makes them so satisfying.
Tandoori Prawns and Kachumber Salad
Salad adapted from Nik Sharma
Serves 4 as an appetizer or side dish
For the kachumber salad:
450g medium vine-on tomatoes
400g Persian cucumbers
Fine sea salt, to taste
1 small white or sweet onion
2 green chillis
Juice of 2 lemons
100g coriander leaves
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
For the tandoori prawns:
16 king or jumbo prawns, peeled and deveined (choose the biggest you can find)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon caster sugar
100g full-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus additional for greasing the pan
2 teaspoons ginger paste
2 teaspoons garlic paste
1 bird’s eye chilli, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chill powder
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), optional
½ teaspoon ground white pepper (or use black pepper)
For the mint yoghurt dipping sauce:
40g fresh mint, stems discarded
150g full-fat Greek yoghurt
Juice of ½ lemon
1 bird’s eye chilli, minced
Fine sea salt, to taste
1. First, prepare the salad ingredients. Core and finely dice the tomatoes, then finely dice the cucumbers. Season well with fine sea salt. Transfer to a sieve and place over a large bowl; leave to drain, so the salad won’t be too watery.
2. Finely dice a white or sweet onion and mince your green chillis. Add to a small bowl. Season with a pinch of fine sea salt; then, squeeze over the juice of 2 lemons and set aside. Next, roughly chop the coriander leaves and set aside.
3. Toast your spices. Add the cumin and fennel seeds to a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Toast, tossing frequently, for several minutes, or until fragrant and just starting to brown. Transfer to a spice grinder (or use a mortar and pestle) and grind finely. Mix with the cardamom and Kashmiri chilli powder and set aside.
4. Next, move on to the prawn prep. Rinse the prawns with cold water and drain well, then transfer to a medium bowl. Add the juice of ½ lemon, fine sea salt and sugar. Mix gently until combined; transfer to the fridge for 15 minutes.
5. While the prawns sit, prepare the yoghurt marinade. Add the yoghurt, vegetable oil, ginger paste, garlic paste, bird’s eye chilli and remaining spices to a large bowl, and stir until fully incorporated. Tip the bowl of prawns and any excess lemon juice into the yoghurt marinade and stir until evenly coated. Set aside for an additional 15-20 minutes.
6. As the prawns are marinating, make your mint yoghurt dipping sauce. Add the mint leaves, plus 1-2 teaspoons cold water, to a spice grinder, food processor or small blender, and blend into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
7. Finally, cook the prawns. Line a large baking tray with foil and drizzle over an additional tablespoon or so of vegetable oil; spread it across the foil until evenly coated. Turn your oven’s grill to its highest setting. Once hot, arrange the prawns in a single layer on the baking tray.
8. Place the prawns directly under the grill and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the tray and flip the prawns, then place under the grill for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the prawns are just cooked and starting to char. Remove from the oven.
9. To finish the salad, pour away any water released by the tomatoes and cucumbers, and then tip the vegetables into the bowl. Add the onions and green chillis with their lemon juice marinade; then add the reserved spice mix, plus the chopped coriander. Mix to combine; taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. 10. Divide the prawns and the salad between plates, alongside a generous dollop of the mint yoghurt dipping sauce. Serve right away.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our Natural Wine Killers wine subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings plus expert tasting notes for three amazing wines like this one every month (or two, if you choose our bi-monthly option).
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