Laura Leyshon/The Globe and Mail
The question
I'm going to go Tamil-traditional for Thanksgiving and plan to make dosa (those pancake-like things made with rice and urad dal) and sambar (like a lovely, tangy stew made with lentils and vegetable) and a coconut condiment (fresh coconut, tamarind, lemon, green chilies and curry leaves buzzed to a paste). Any thoughts?
The answer
My thoughts are as follows: 1) thank you for sparing us the traditional what-goes-with-turkey question; 2) may I please have an invitation to your dinner?; and 3) this is a fabulous canvas for aromatic gewurztraminer.
When pairing dosa, think not of the crepe-like dough itself but of the accompanying condiments. Often served with a variety of chutneys for dipping, it also – as in your case – is served with the southern Indian vegetable stew called sambar. There's a richness to that stew as well as in-your-face, spicy intensity. Gewürztraminer, a specialty of Alsace but also often excellent from Canada, tends to come with voluptuous, rounded texture. It's also perfumed strongly with notes of ripe stone fruit or lychee as well as ginger and rose petal. The wine tends to be dry but with a suggestion of off-dry sweetness – a fine foil for spice. Pinot gris, viognier and dry or off-dry riesling are good alternatives.
Red wines pose more of a challenge. I'd try either a light, bright Canadian gamay (or French Beaujolais) or richly fruity Australian shiraz. Though considerably different in weight, both are playfully fruity and often come with a kick of peppery spice on the back end. Whatever you do, avoid fragile old Burgundy or Bordeaux that may be collecting dust in the cellar; their subtle complexity would get squashed by this enticing Tamil spread. Beer-wise, I'd go with a rounded, English-style pale ale.
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