Beer and food matching: Nice and spicy

Oriental and Asian dishes and flavours continue to make a strong showing on pub menus. However, if customers - and more than a few publicans - are still scratching their heads when it comes to matching beers to many traditional British pub dishes, how much tougher is it when it comes to the spices and styles of the East?

To lift the veil, we turned to an expert. Robert Gong is senior development chef with the Authentic Food Company. Robert offered us an insight into how to match beer to a variety of popular Indian, Chinese and Thai dishes.

Spicy Chicken Gyozas with Asahi Black Beer​

The Authentic Food Company has a proven track record in introducing new flavours to the UK pub and restaurant market, and recently looking to Japan for inspiration, decided to launch its own range of gyozas. The spicy hand-made dumplings consist of a meat, fish or vegetable filling and are wrapped into an Oriental style hot water pastry.

For an authentic experience, pair Japan's favourite dark beer, Asahi Black Beer with a portion of spicy chicken gyozas. Asahi Black Beer is made from three different roasted malts, which give it a rich, nutty flavour and incredibly smooth drinking consistency. The nutty quality of the beer complements the spicy subtleness of the chicken gyoza.

Chinese spare ribs with Greene King IPA​

Chinese spare ribs is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in the UK, with many consumers choosing the dish as an accompaniment to a main course. The dish is made up of marinated pork ribs, coated in a distinctive sticky, sweet Cantonese style glaze and flavoured with a hint of chilli.

To counteract the dominant sweet taste of this dish, a bitter beer such as Greene King's Indian Pale Ale is a good match. This specific beer is particularly suited to Chinese spare ribs thanks to its fresh, hoppy taste and clean, bitter finish, which comes from two varieties of English hops combined with pale and crystal malts.

Thai Green Chicken Curry with Tiger or Tiger Light​

Thai dishes are predominantly highly spicy, and as a traditional hot dish, Thai green chicken curry combines a fragrant fiery sauce with spices and strips of chicken and vegetables.

Singapore's most famous beer, Tiger, is the ideal beer to serve with Thai green chicken curry and other spicy Thai dishes. The natural ingredients used to make this beer, such as malted barley, yeast and hops, perfectly bring out the intense flavours and spices associated with Thai food. For a healthier option choose the lighter version from this beer brand, Tiger Light.

Premium Kadai Chicken with Cobra Beer​

Kadai chicken originates from the north west of India and is a marinated chicken dish, tossed in a tomato based sauce with flavours of coriander seed, red chillis and fresh peppers. The dish would be ideally matched with Cobra beer.

There is an excellent synergy between Cobra and Kadai chicken, with the beers brewed to an authentic Indian recipe using a blend of barley malt and yeast with maize, hops and rice, to create a distinctive, clean taste.

Beef in Black Bean Sauce and Tsingtao Beer​

Beef in black bean sauce is another popular Chinese dish with British consumers. It has a unique nutty, barbecued flavour and is combined with crisp vegetables and Chinese spices. For a refreshing complement to this dish, try teaming it with China's best-known beer, Tsingtao.

Tsingtao beer has a pleasant aroma, light, mild flavour and honey-like aftertaste. It's high-malt taste and well-hopped character makes it an ideal partner for most Chinese dishes.