Fiery Thai red curry: What would you drink?

[Robin Garr]

Thai red curry with thin-sliced zucchini and diced tofu. At least three- or four-pepper hot, too spicy for wine in my opinion, but just right with Bell's Oberon wheat ale. What's your go-to drink with fiery fare? Beer or wine, dairy or other?

I'm not much of a chili-head, so if the food is too hot there's really nothing that I'll drink with it that I'll taste. As an example, I had a plate of padron peppers at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago. The first one was just blazing hot (by my standards) and it was probably 20 minutes later before anything really registered with my taste buds. For hot stuff that I can still handle, I'd say cold, not-too-complex riesling or beer.

Beer.

Beer, or a Margarita or a mango lassi, depending on time of day and my mood.

Mark Lipton

Beer.

My partners in our wine store are native Thais and they always have a glass of Thai tea handy with "hot" Thai food. It's a tea already mixed with a large amount of milk. It's the milk that will immediately counter the heat in the food. If it's "Really hot," milk is the only antidote I know to calm that sensation in your mouth down to something reasonable. I'm sure Mark Lipton can explain exactly why.

You don't have to be a chemist. Milk (especially condensed milk such as is usually used in Thai and Viet tea) is fatty. It lines your throat with slippery slidey grease and lets the tasty but threatening HOT stuff go right on down where it can erode the rest of your guts.

John

You don't have to be a chemist. Milk (especially condensed milk such as is usually used in Thai and Viet tea) is fatty. It lines your throat with slippery slidey grease and lets the tasty but threatening HOT stuff go right on down where it can erode the rest of your guts.

John

Love good Thai food and that tea is a Godsend at times. What we eat in most Thai restaurants is made for the "round eyes" as my partner likes to say. When I go with them to a hole in the wall Thai restaurant it is an experience I do not find without them. If you don't like spicy food at least to a certain extent, stay home.

Robin, that looks delicious if not for the Tofu (the ONLY food I will not eat.) I enjoy Thai curries of all colors with low alcohol wines with a little sweetness or Pilsener.

Cheers,
Bill

Tofu (the ONLY food I will not eat.)

Don't like or will not eat for some other reason?

Tofu (the ONLY food I will not eat.)

Don't like or will not eat for some other reason?

I just don't like the texture and absence of flavor.

Cheers,
Bill

What do you mean the texture? There is such a wide range of tofu styles from extremely soft and silky to hard and blocky. Personally, unless the tofu is very fresh and high quality (and at that point it does have a delicate bean flavor) I don't like the firmer kinds. Which means that here in the States I am mostly stuck with the soft silky stuff because it's more delicate.

Obviously Japan is a different story...

Rahsaan,

I simply don't like it. It isn't as firm as chicken or fish and doesn't contribute to the flavor, nor is it a solid base like rice or pasta (other foods that might not always contribute flavor, but provide other benefits.) I used to eat a lot of Tofu until I realized what a free-loader it is. We really don't eat meat for dinner during the week (I just don't need or want it everyday and my wife is vegetarian), so nothing against Tofu in that respect. Just personal preference.

Cheers,
Bill

I would have a quart size glass of iced tea, and save the alcohol for the after dinner port.

Medium hot - beer, NOT very hoppy, either a lighter wheat style or a mellow and slightly sweet dark beer. Super hot - Thai iced tea.