What to eat alongside your favorite ale - without losing the taste of either.The art of combining food and wine is one we know well (if in doubt, go for whites with white meat, reds with red and keep the champagne for before and after) but having good food alongside your favorite beer is hard to pull off.Most beers have a flavor that will overpower whatever the cook has dreamed up: while we love Guinness, for instance, it's a meal in a glass and doesn't leave much room in your palate.Stick with high quality, refreshing beer, for a start. Delicate cuisine like Japanese and Chinese food is the easiest to smother with beer - so we decided to take on that particular challenge by trying the following dishes with Tokyo brew Asahi.
Garlic prawns
The worst thing about garlic-based food is that it's so tasty, you're likely to eat a lot of it - and wind up with a serious case of garlic breath. But, we've learned, beer has the ability to cleanse you of the flavor without the need to reach for tacky-tasting chewing gum. A great excuse for another bottle.Herring Sushi
Sushi connoisseurs know that the ginger on your table isn't just an accompaniment - it's meant to be eaten between each sushi course, to cleanse the palate. That's a role that can also be played by your beer, so instead of slugging while you chew sushi, have a sip afterwards and prepare for the next dish. Red Snapper stew with chilli and garlicRed Snapper stew with chilli and garlic
Fish is the easiest flavor to spoil with a heavy wine - stay away from red wine - but can work with white wine or a crisp-flavored beer. Sip, don't glug, and if you're dealing with a spicy dish like a chilli stew, the beer will stop you getting too hot under the collar. Stir fried vegetablesStir fried vegetables
Some of the best stir fries taste so good partly because of the oil and fat they're cooked in. The acidity of beer helps to break down fat so it doesn't sit quite so heavily in your belly. Momos
The easiest way to enjoy drinks with food is to find ingredients in common. The wheat flour of momos will subtly bring out the wheat flavor of your beer - and allow you to sound like an instant connoisseur to your dining companions.
Garlic prawns
The worst thing about garlic-based food is that it's so tasty, you're likely to eat a lot of it - and wind up with a serious case of garlic breath. But, we've learned, beer has the ability to cleanse you of the flavor without the need to reach for tacky-tasting chewing gum. A great excuse for another bottle.Herring Sushi
Sushi connoisseurs know that the ginger on your table isn't just an accompaniment - it's meant to be eaten between each sushi course, to cleanse the palate. That's a role that can also be played by your beer, so instead of slugging while you chew sushi, have a sip afterwards and prepare for the next dish. Red Snapper stew with chilli and garlicRed Snapper stew with chilli and garlic
Fish is the easiest flavor to spoil with a heavy wine - stay away from red wine - but can work with white wine or a crisp-flavored beer. Sip, don't glug, and if you're dealing with a spicy dish like a chilli stew, the beer will stop you getting too hot under the collar. Stir fried vegetablesStir fried vegetables
Some of the best stir fries taste so good partly because of the oil and fat they're cooked in. The acidity of beer helps to break down fat so it doesn't sit quite so heavily in your belly. Momos
The easiest way to enjoy drinks with food is to find ingredients in common. The wheat flour of momos will subtly bring out the wheat flavor of your beer - and allow you to sound like an instant connoisseur to your dining companions.
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