One of the most magical cuisines in the world to me is Indian cuisine.

Besides the obvious complexity of all the spices used, I’m also coming to it from the view of a wine taster; always eager to explore the different levels of sweetness, tanginess, savory and sweet, and umami flavors present in the food. There are so many layers to discover, it’s simply mind-blowing!

Indian food is also naturally very vegetarian and vegan-friendly as the majority of the Indian population follows a largely vegetarian diet.

More so than tasting Indian food and experiencing it in a restaurant, I’m much more interested in building dishes from scratch myself. This provides the opportunity to explore each ingredient as you’re adding them and testing different combinations and how spices complement or contrast each other.

When you make curry, always take time to create your own spice blend and smell and taste each component. This allows you to regulate how much or how little you want to add of each spice and is so much more rewarding than just adding pre-mixed curry powder and gives the dish a much deeper flavor.

As I’m writing this blog post in the midst of summer, I wanted to highlight a seasonal ingredient. I landed on a tomato curry ladened with all kinds of spices I picked up from a new Indian grocery store in my neighborhood. Besides the numerous spices, this dish is really super simple and pure in its composition.

It focuses on the tomato, which is what summer is all about! Of course, should you be coming across this post during the winter, canned tomatoes will work just fine as well.

If you wish, you can add some chickpeas or tofu for added protein or substance, but I really didn’t find it necessary as summer is all about light eating!

You might look at the ingredient list and think that this is a lot, but most of these ingredients you can buy for super cheap and keep in your pantry for weeks to recreate other dishes with.

This curry is filled with the warming, floral spices of cardamom, tangy, citrusy, and sweet and sour tamarind, rich, earthy, and pungent cumin and coriander, spicy, citrusy curry leaves, warm woody aromas of cinnamon, and the mildly spicy, full-flavored and fruity addition of Kashmiri chili – all enveloped by rich, sweet coconut milk.

I challenge you to go down the spice trail with me and cook up this flavor bomb of a dish!

I challenge you to go down the spice trail with me and cook up this flavor bomb of a dish!

Wine Recommendations:

This time I wanted to give you a wine option for both white, red and rosé and have come up with some fantastic alternatives for you. The white and red are a bit pricier but well worth it in my opinion, and still, a fantastic value related to the quality you get.

2019 Domaine Weinbach ‘Cuvée Colette’ Riesling

This Riesling from Domaine Weinbach is by far one of my favorites in the category, perhaps in my top 3. I love the rich Rieslings from Alsace, which are always dry but with lots of fruit and body.

Grapes have grown at Domaine Weinbach’s site since the 9th Century! Truly a special estate and all their wines are well worth seeking out.

The Cuvée Colette is based on handpicked grapes grown on 40+ year-old vines located at the base of the Grand Cru Schlossberhill, an ideal location for Riesling on south-facing slopes with optimal exposure to sunshine. The wine is aged for 14 months in large, older oak casks and has a beautiful floral nose intermingled with stonefruit, pineapple, and mango.

On the palate, it is full-bodied and generous with flavors of honeycomb, citrus fruit, peach, yellow apple, and ginger balanced with crisp acidity and a beautiful minerality. Gorgeous texture and a very long finish.

Organic and biodynamically grown. Also check out their Pinot Gris which is lovely as well!

2015 Arpepe Sassella “Stella Retica”

I chose AR.PE.PE.’s single-vineyard masterpiece, “Stella Retica,” a celebration of the Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) grape. This is one of the iconic reds of the Valtellina in northern Italy, but also one of the greatest Nebbiolos made anywhere.

Sourced from “Sassella,” one of the region’s famed “Grand Cru” sub-zones, the wine is from grapes from 50- to 100-year-old vines dug deep into rocks and sand on steep slopes situation at 400-500 meters in elevation.

The wine is aged for nearly five years in barrel and bottle combined before being released. This is a superbly complex and finessed Nebbiolo with markedly smoky and earthy notes, red fruits, and a touch of spiciness, which I found to complement the complexity and smokiness in the curry.

2021 Domaine La Bastide Blanche Bandol Rosé

Bandol rosés from Provence are bigger and fuller-bodied and can stand up to heftier dishes like a curry packed with spices, textures and flavors. It’s also a rosé perfect for sipping in colder weather and seasons, for the same reasons.

This is a gorgeous organically grown rosé at a very reasonable price of about $26. It’s a blend of the typical wine grapes grown in the region of Mourvedre (always a minimum of 75%), Grenache and Cinsault. All the grapes are hand-harvested, which is required by the Bandol AC and yields are kept very low.

The wine has a beautiful bright orange color and is so pretty to look at. Floral and strawberry cream aromas pop out of the glass, then on the palate the wine has bright flavors of white peach, melon and orange zest with some dried apricot notes.

Elegant, juicy and structured, this is a perfect sip with the tomato curry in this post!

I hope you’ve been inspired to pick up one or all of these bottles. I only choose wines that are sustainably grown and true gems representing some of the best in their category.

TOMATO CURRY

2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon kasur methi (Indian chili powder or regular chili powder)
4 tablespoons rapeseed, avocado or coconut oil
2 onions, sliced
10 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
12 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2.2 lbs (1 kilo) cherry or mixed tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, crushed
4-5 chole Kashmiri chilies (dried or fresh red chilis)
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 x 15 oz (425 g) full-fat organic coconut milk
Pinch of kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon coconut sugar (optional)
1 handful fresh cilantro and lime wedges, to serve

In a large sauté pan, toast the fennel, mustard, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and whole cloves until they are warm and fragrant. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind until fairly fine.

In the same sauté pan, heat 4 tablespoons of the rapeseed oil over medium heat, add the onions, the ground spices, the cardamom pods, curry leaves and the cinnamon stick plus a couple of generous pinches of salt. Fry for 10-12 minutes until the onions are golden.

In the meantime, cut up your tomatoes. Halve the cherry tomatoes, or if using larger tomatoes, dice them as you wish.

Add the chilies and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring for a few minutes before adding the tamarind and coconut milk.

Stir so everything is well combined, then add the tomatoes. Make sure they are in an even, single layer in the pan, If your pan is too small, divide your sauce between two pans and then add the tomatoes.

On low-medium heat, let the tomatoes sit in the beautiful spiced mixture, cooking gently so they soften as the water in the coconut milk evaporates, leaving you with a rich, reduced sauce. This will take about 40-45 minutes. Add a teaspoon of coconut sugar if you think it needs a little sweetness – a little sweetener also helps bring out all the flavors of the spice.

Once the curry is ready, check for seasoning, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with a lime wedge. Serve with jasmine rice and a dollop of vegan yogurt!

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