Craft Beer powerhouse BrewDog Beer wowed UK gastronomes with Indian culinary classics, paired with a selection from its inimitable range of beers, of course.
The UK’s fascination in recent decades with chicken tikka masala and related ‘Indian’ culinary cousins hardly needs further documentation or proof. However, in perhaps as much of a desire to showcase the diversity of Indian cuisines beyond CTM as the stupendous variety of its own product range, craft beer powerhouse BrewDog presented its unique Indian culinary classics to its UK audience.
Chef Gaurav Gidwani, F&B Director at BrewDog India, along with Chef Roshan, curated a multi-course tasting menu including seven expertly paired BrewDog Beers along with an exclusively brewed spiced coriander saison on arrival. The menu comprised authentic Indian flavours reimagined in unique ways, according to the chefs. Each dish on the menu was paired with some of BrewDog’s most well-loved beers.
Enter the Tadka Trail Supper Club
“The idea of Tadka Trail Supper Club came into existence when the BrewDog UK team came to India, tried some authentic Indian food and realised how different it is compared to the Indian food served in the UK, which is kind of tweaked to suit the palate of the British and UK nationals,” explained Gidwani, “thereby the true authenticity and flavours of the Indian cuisine gets diluted.”
“We showcased the actual Indian flavours without any tweaks for the British palate and kind of showcased them in BrewDog all over,” he added. The Tadka Trail did limited period meals at BrewDog outlets in Manchester, Waterloo (which opened recently and is the largest BrewDog outlet till date), and Ellon.
What’s on offer
The menu had four other different sections, said Gidwani. “In one section, had the Butter Chicken Naan Bomb, which is our creation of a dish with beautiful flavours; one is authentic, smoky, sweet, creamy, tangy butter chicken and the second one is Alloo Thecha Naan Bomb. In the second section, we had two items from the tandoor—Lasooni Chicken, which we tweaked by using garlic in a very different manner. Then there was the Atishi Aloo, which is basic tandoori aloo spiked with some crushed chillies, while imparting nuttiness to the dish was black sesame seeds,” he elaborated.
According to Gidwani, they stuck to the basics in the third section, which was ‘Mains’. He elaborated, “We served a very authentic Butter Chicken with coriander, red onion, and a chili pilaf, and in the vegetarian version we had Paneer Makhani. We tweaked it by giving it a very different note and flavour.” He added that they used Halloumi instead of cottage cheese. They also had an authentic Nalli Nehari, which they serve with Khamiri Naan, a fermented Naan, that they make with a sourdough.
To round off, there was Phirni Creme Brulee, with flavours of authentic Phirni and a Brulee crust topped with flavours of castor sugar, cardamom, and paired with mixed berries, giving the dessert a sweet, creamy acidity that cut through the sweetness and acted as a palate cleanser, ensuring fresh notes with each bite.
A beer that’s tangy and sweet!
For Gidwani, as the menu had an Indian palate, a tangy, sweet flavour profile was a smart choice for the team. “The pairing of the beer with the food was easy going with ingredients collaborating with the menu—citrusy orange with herbaceous coriander, the citrus cutting through the spice and the herb refreshing your palate,” he said.
Gidwani revealed that the pairing wasn’t a challenge. Paddy Gardiner, who takes care of the brewery, curated this Indian Spiced Saison-Tiger Style—the perfect pairing for this menu—a small-batch brewed in the Manchester OutPost brewery, he said. Tiger Style is a hybrid of a Belgian Saison and a Witbier, brewed with sweet orange peel, floral coriander, and kaffir lime.
Gidwani was enthused by the response. “We are very happy with the response and this has motivated us to look forward to many inter-continental events/pop-ups for our audience.”