Chinese food is spicy, flavorful, and has a distinct texture. There are limitless flavors to discover. As a consequence, beverage pairings with Chinese cuisine may be just as difficult as deciding what to eat with Chinese food for the greatest eating experience.
The beverage choice may make or ruin the food. It may seem that drinking wine or cocktails with Chinese cuisine is a bad idea, but with the perfect match, you will enjoy Chinese food and completely appreciate the taste.
What should you drink with Chinese food? In general, Chinese cuisine complements beer really well. Ales, lagers, pilsners, and wheat beers are the best bets to combine with the food.
Chinese cuisine pairs well with German Riesling. The wine’s strong acidity and dryness go nicely with the boldly flavored and spicy foods, while a touch of apples, apricot, peaches, and pears round out the dinner.
White wine, such as Pinot Blanc or Chardonnay, is the ideal accompaniment to stir-fried foods. Choose Beaujolais or Pinot Noir from California for meat meals.
When choosing a wine to go with spicy Chinese cuisine, seek for sweetness. Riesling is a good choice if the meal is sweeter than the hot side.
It’s not simple to pair cocktails with Asian cuisine. The wide variety of flavors and textures makes correct judgments difficult.
Several meals, from Dim Sum to fried rice, do not go well with a certain kind of wine.
So, which wine, beer, or non-alcoholic beverage goes well with Chinese food? This page addresses often asked questions regarding what to drink with Chinese cuisine so you don’t get lost.
Contents
- What goes better with Chinese food, beer or wine?
- Non-alcoholic drinks that go with Chinese food
- Drinks with Chinese Cuisine: Conclusion
- FAQs
- What drinks go well with Chinese food?
- Does beer or wine go better with Chinese food?
- What alcohol do Chinese drink with meals?
- What non alcoholic drink goes with Chinese food?
- What do Chinese people drink after a meal?
- What is the most popular drink for the Chinese?
- What drinks do Chinese like?
- What beer to drink with Chinese food?
- Do you drink wine with Chinese food?
- What do Japanese people drink with their meals?
What goes better with Chinese food, beer or wine?
As comparison to wine, beer is the best option for Chinese food. Most Chinese cuisines have strong tastes of chile, ginger, and soy sauce, and few white or red wines can compete with their spiciness.
The refreshing taste, light body, and silky smoothness of a sweet and sour wheat beer, white beer, weissbiers, and witbiers go well with shrimp dim sum, pork dumplings, and spring rolls.
Carlsberg, White Rhino Indian pale ale, and Pilsner, on the other hand, are excellent beers to combine with Chinese cuisine.
Brown ales or Belgian triple beers go well with glazed ribs, beef in black bean sauce, or duck in hoisin sauce.
What kind of wine goes well with Chinese food?
It all relies on the elements of the dinner and the main dish when deciding whether red or white wine goes better with Chinese cuisine.
Red wine goes well with powerfully flavored meats, whereas white wine goes well with fish and fowl. In addition, instead of concentrating just on the meat, match the wine to the sauces.
These are some wines that match with various Chinese dishes:
- Franciacorta egg rolls and fried dumplings
- Rangoon with Crab: Vinho Verde
- Lambrusco, Riesling, and Chenin Blanc fried rice
- Pino Gris Kung Pao Chicken
- Pet Nat, Sauvignon Blanc Chow Mein
- Chicken Tso’s: Rkatsiteli, Gamay
- Grenache spare ribs
- Moscato with sweet and sour chicken
- Ros, Pinot Noir, and Prosecco go well with Sichuan foods.
- Champagne, Cava, and Prosecco
- Sauvignon blanc, Gruner Veltliner, sparkling wine with lo mein
- Chenin blanc, dry Riesling, Peking duck
- Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, and Lambrusco with Ma Po Tofu
- Merlot and Grenache with beef and broccoli
If you like red wines, avoid the darkest ones on the shelf; instead, go for lighter reds. Mild reds, such as Beaujolais or pinot noir, can manage the spice of Chinese cuisine without overpowering it.
Bubbles and sweet wines assist to cool the palate and mask the diverse tastes. An off-dry rose or prosecco is ideal in this instance.
A high-acidity Chenin blanc, Riesling, or other sparkling wine for vegetables, protein, or carbohydrate dishes.
Finally, match sweet and acidic dishes with fragrant wines. A Gewurztraminer is a fantastic option, but other wines with strong acidity and a hint of sweetness are also suitable.
What beer to drink with Chinese food?
Apart than red or white wine, beer is an excellent alcoholic beverage to mix with Chinese cuisine. Dim sum, dumplings, and spring rolls are examples.
Light snacks that go well with a drink of ice cold beer.
The deep rich taste of the refreshing and light bubbly beverage compliments the flavors of sweet, sour, and spicy.
- Carlsberg
- Pale Ale from India
- pilsner
- saison
- pale ale
- ale, red
- beer made with wheat
- Singha Lager from Thailand
Carlsberg smooth, light lager beer pairs well with medium to spicy Asian meals. If you’re having Desi Chinese noodles with Szechuan sauce, pair them with some Indian pale lager, since the citrusy beer goes well with both spicy and savory foods.
Pilsner goes well with a spicy rub. This beer is just what your extra-spicy noodles require, and combine it with light wheat beers like Bira 91 white for seafood.
To complement the hot accompaniments of a spicy side dish, try a strong malt drink like kingfisher.
Non-alcoholic drinks that go with Chinese food
While Chinese food is famous for being served with hot tea, there is a vast variety of non-alcoholic beverages to match with Chinese cuisine.
This is a list of non-alcoholic drinks that go well with Chinese food:
- Coffee from Yunnan Province
- Zhi Suan Mei
- tea with cheddar
- tea with milk
- iced tea
- Lao Ji, Wang
- oolong
- kombucha
- Black Keemun tea
- Biluochun
- Tea from Longjing
- Pu Erh
- a cup of green tea
Drinks with Chinese Cuisine: Conclusion
Combining the proper beverage with Chinese cuisine enhances the dining experience. It helps to balance spicy, sweet, and sour tastes while also providing a delightful way to feel texture in every mouthful.
Chinese cuisine pairs nicely with sparkling or white wines, such as Riesling, which provide acidity and dryness to the rich taste.
If you’re a wine enthusiast, utilize the following instructions to combine your favorite Chinese dishes, from egg rolls to beef and broccoli.
Pair white wine with stir-fried foods, whereas red wine goes well with meat meals. The general guideline is to choose a beverage depending on the sweetness of the drink and the spiciness of the food.
Despite its popularity, beer complements Chinese cuisine better. Wheat beers, Carlsberg, Indian Pale Ale, and Pilsner are all excellent accompaniments to spicy Chinese food.
Consider black tea, Pu Erh, milk tea, white tea, and oolong tea for non-alcohol drinkers. These soothing drinks will assist you alleviate the spiciness of Chinese cuisine with each meal.
Each of our tastes is unique. The more we explore, the more likely it is that we will discover exactly what works best for us.
Try the wines, beers, and non-alcoholic beverages mentioned above to determine the best drink match with Chinese food for you. Best wishes!
FAQs
What drinks go well with Chinese food?
Tieguanyin, Pearl Milk Tea, Xinjiang Black Beer, Chrysanthemum tea, and Soybean Milk are among the most popular beverages in China. If you don’t drink, milk, jelly or cheese tea, Suan Mei Zhi (sour plum drink), and sweet soy milk are some beverages that mix well with Chinese meals. Dim sum pairs well with tea.
Does beer or wine go better with Chinese food?
What wine goes best with Chinese food? The short answer is beer. The reality is that regular takeaway, with its powerful tastes of ginger, pepper, and soy sauce, may fool even the most seasoned sommelier.
What alcohol do Chinese drink with meals?
It is worth noting that the Chinese, like the Westerners, consume beers and wines with their meals. Yet, in the Western world, high distillates are seldom consumed with meals, but the Chinese often drink baijiu during lunch or supper.
What non alcoholic drink goes with Chinese food?
You can’t go wrong if you start with these eleven.
Lao Ji, Wang (sweet tea) Sweet tea is no longer only for the South; Wang Lao Ji may be China’s favorite canned soft drink…. Milk tea…. Jelly tea…. Cheese tea…. Sweet soy milk…. Suan Mei Zhi (sour plum drink)… Pocari Sweat…. Salted soda water.
More to come…
•Feb 17, 2018
What do Chinese people drink after a meal?
Why do the Chinese drink tea after a meal? To aid digestion, Gongfu tea is best drank after a meal. Tea may be brewed in a Yixing teapot for personal pleasure as well as to welcome visitors.
What is the most popular drink for the Chinese?
Baijiu, on the other hand, has been produced in China for over 5,000 years. It is the country’s national drink, outselling gin, vodka, rum, and even whisky.
What drinks do Chinese like?
These are five of China’s most popular beverages.
Tieguanyin. Tieguanyin, often known as the ‘Iron Goddess of Mercy,’ has a flavor similar to black tea but is somewhat yellow in color. …
Suanmeitang…. Soybean Milk…. Yunnan Coffee…. Coconut Milk. Jiuniang…. Pearl Milk Tea…. Xinjiang Black Beer.
More to come…
•Jun 12, 2019
What beer to drink with Chinese food?
Chinese Food Combinations
IPA paired with Cumin Beef. … Saison with Ginger Chicken. The spicy undertones match the taste profile of the delicious meat entrée. The flowery aromas of the tart saison complement ginger.
Red Ale with Hong Kong Style Cumin Short Rib… White Ale with Kimchi Fried Rice…
21st of June, 2019Craft Beer
Do you drink wine with Chinese food?
When it comes to most Chinese meals, avoid the deepest crimson on the shelf. Instead, keep it light! Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, and other lighter reds will be able to tolerate the spicier Chinese cuisine, but will not overpower them.
What do Japanese people drink with their meals?
Green tea is served gratis with all Japanese dishes. If that’s too weak for you, you may try sake (also known as nihonshu), an alcoholic beverage brewed from rice that can be served hot or cold. It complements the majority of Japanese dishes.