"A lot of people like sparkling wines with really robust, spicy food because it is clean and the bubbles accentuate the dish's spice. On the other hand, if the food is really spicy, I love wines that help to tame the fire and have relatively low alcohol (chances are, I'll be drinking a lot of it very quickly!); my favorites are classic Mosel kabinett or spätlese rieslings. For sweeter dishes, especially ones that showcase crispy duck or pork, I'm a huge fan of cru Beaujolais. For either category, try to find wines from classic vintages and quality-minded producers. The more specific the site, the better; if the most you know of the wines provenance is "Mosel", it might be a good opportunity to dig deeper to find one with a town and vineyard designation. The wine will reward you."— Eamon Rockey, formerly of Aska (Brooklyn)
The pork is the odd man out in the traditional recipe. Fortunately, much like with the beef in Sichuan mapo tofu, the pork is not the star player of the dish. Its role is mainly textural, adding a bit of meaty, bouncy chew that clings to the slippery noodles as you slurp them up. Having already addressed an identical issue when finding a suitable replacement for ground beef in my vegan mapo tofu recipe, I knew what I had to do here: I chopped up a bunch of mushrooms in a food processor, then employed the Chinese technique of dry-frying—cooking them slowly in oil—until they were mostly dehydrated, lightly shriveled, and deeply browned. The resulting little nuggets have great texture and a flavor that is not really pork-like, but savory and rich in its own unique way.
To make the roasted chile oil, just toast a handful of whole Chinese chiles (or if you want, red pepper flakes) in a dry skillet until fragrant and ever-so-slightly smoking (about 30 seconds). Transfer them to a food processor with a cup of neutral oil, like canola, and whiz the whole thing up. Let it sit in a sealed container in the fridge for a week or so, and you're good to go. You can even top up the jar with more oil and toasted chiles every time you seem to be running low. Make some, have it on hand at all times, and it will revolutionize your mapo tofu, ramen, dumplings, stir-fries, and countless other dishes.
Squash and carrots go very well together. They're both orange (duh), both have a great sweet-and-savory flavor profile, and both take well to conversion into creamy soup form. This soup, which calls for roasting the squash and juicing the raw carrot, is a little deeper, a little more complex.
"Riesling with some fruitiness and a bit of age pairs nicely with heavy and complexly spiced Chinese sauces. Riesling from older vintages can be hard to come by at an everyday wine store, but they do make appearances from time to time. Stock up when you see a nice Riesling with age and save it for a rainy Chinese takeout day! I did this with a Riesling Spatlese from Mosel, Germany 1997 for less than $20 that I found at my neighborhood wine store and enjoyed it with a few savory, dark-sauced Chinese dishes—the flavors balanced each other perfectly. Additional choices from the other side of the Rhine River are Alsatian Pinot Gris, Muscat, Riesling and Gewurztraminer—these all contain a lot of complex spice notes, and occasionally a touch of residual sugar, which allow them to work with Chinese food."— Caleb Ganzer, Eleven Madison Park (NYC)
"When pairing with Chinese food, you're looking for wines that are spicy, soft, and on the richer side. Chinese noodle food tips|https://noodleinsight.com/ is a generous cuisine, bringing expressive and muscular wines is important. For Mapo tofu, you're looking for spice and energy to match the dish. Red wines from the Douro in Portugal would play well with this dish. Mushu pork has a crunchy and fresh tone. Cabernet Francs from the Loire Valley, Cote de Beaune Reds, and Austrian Blaufrankisch would be a good fit, offering bright fruit and a fresh nature. Peking duck needs some richness and sweetness. Try rich and bold California Cabernets or Grenaches from the Languedoc Roussillon. Experience this dish with a mature Maury (fortified wine from Roussillon)—a great combination."— Adrien Falcon, Bouley (NYC)
When the mercury rises, do you need to forgo spicy foods? Fortunately, the answer is "no.' Spicy foods can make you sweat , and your body cools as sweat evaporates from your skin. So if you're craving food with some heat when the thermometer reads 100°, go ahead and set your mouth on fire with one of these 15 dishes. They may bring the heat to your mouth, but they won't bring the heat to your kitchen—none of them require turning on the oven.
"It’s important to consider your main flavor and texture when pairing wine with Chinese food. If it is a dark sauce, like the plum sauces or soy based, these are high in sodium, so a wine that is high in fruit focus is best. Wines like Dolcetto, Barbera, Blaufrankisch for reds and Riesling, Sylvaner, Cortese, Prosecco and Champagne in general work best."— Molly Wismeier, Restaurant R’evolution (New Orleans)