Diplomatist caught up with Chef Virender S Datta, Founder & Chairman of the International Institute of Culinary Arts, New Delhi, to talk about the French classic Coq au Vin—a dish where tender chicken meets the richness of red wine. From Cabernet Sauvignon as a bold twist, bacon skins for smoky magic, to cranberry juice as a clever swap, Chef Datta served us delightful insights with a dash of flavour.
1. For someone tasting Coq au Vin for the first time, what’s the one step in its preparation that truly defines the dish?
Tenderness of the chicken pieces and richness of the Red wine sauce
2. The dish is traditionally cooked with Burgundy wine. If you could play matchmaker, which other wine would bring out its hidden character?
Cabernet Sauvignon
3. What’s the most unusual twist you have ever tried with Coq au Vin that surprisingly worked?
I have used Bacon skin to add smoky flavour to the dish
4. How does the choice of chicken – free-range, organic, or even an old rooster (as in the original recipe) – change the soul of the dish?
The key to the quality of the dish is the tenderness of the chicken pieces. Therefore any chicken other than rooster will not deliver the same results.
5. Imagine you are serving Coq au Vin at a dinner party – what side dish or bread absolutely steals the spotlight when paired with it?
Toasted bread, cut in a triangle shape and dipped in chopped parsley will certainly be the highlight of the dish.
6. Which herb or spice in Coq au Vin do you think is the real “scene-stealer” that people often overlook?
Rosemary & Thyme are the key herbs. However Bacon flavour is the scene stealer of the dish
7. Wine gives the dish depth – but if you had to swap it for a non-alcoholic ingredient without losing its French soul, what would you pick?
Cranberry or pomegranate juice
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