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International Beer Day 2026 | How chefs are using beer to reinvent Indian classic delicacies
On International Beer Day, which falls on the first Friday of August, we ask chefs how beer is being used as an ingredient in traditional Indian cooking.
Beer as an ingredient has been used in Western formats at the shacks of Goan seacoasts and in pub culture for a long time. Indian chefs have started exploring it beyond beer-batter for fritters and tempura-style starters and now experimenting it beyond exotic dishes.
Using its malt sweetness and properties to optimum they are dishing out delicacies like beer-braised mutton nihari, Awadhi kebab fritters, bhuna ghost, keema kaleji, rara ghost, beer onion rings, beer BBQ chicken, chocolate cake and more.
On International Beer Day (August 7), we explore the trend.
Beyond tradition
“Beer has quietly been one of the most underused ingredients in Indian kitchens. We use it beyond the glass – in slow braises where the malt sweetness cuts through richness, in marinades for tandoori and grilled proteins, and even in bread and dessert experiments where the yeast adds depth you can’t get any other way,” says Avinash Kumar, executive chef at Ramada Hotel on Kanpur Road.
He adds “For Awadhi kebab fritters we use galouti-style mince in a chilled beer batter, flash-fried, served with mint-yogurt dip. For mutton nihari we slow-cooked it with a dark ale added midway and rounded it off the chilli heat. Then we have tandoori prawns with ginger-garlic and kashmiri chilli, malt and jaggery beer bread and four-course Beer-Pairing Tasting Trail.”
Good selling proposition
Celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor fresh pairing with beer is happening and yielding good results with traditional dishes. “We need to understand why beer? Wine has been used in cooking since centuries, but beer is comparatively new. First, beer has carbon dioxide which gives acidic properties which goes well in marination and dishes like bhuna ghost. It has a bit of sourness which goes well. Then the colour! It has less alcohol which anyway evaporates while cooking. So, yes we have been doing fritters and sea food for long and it goes well with mutton dishes,” he says.
Kapoor adds, “It’s a good sell-proposition but it’s important that it should marry well with the dish. Story telling is good as long as it translates in taste on the table.”
Beer isn't traditionally used in Indian home cooking says celebrity chef Kunal Kapur. “However, I've enjoyed interpreting a few Indian dishes with it because it brings a lovely malty depth and helps tenderize proteins. Also, once cooked the alcohol from beer evaporate.”
The chef adds, “In beer and onion bhajiyas, replacing part of the water with chilled beer in the batter makes the fritters extra airy and crunchy. While preparing beer glazed lamb ribs, reducing beer with jaggery, chilli and spices creates a sticky, smoky glaze that works beautifully.”
Experimental dishes
Chef Mohammad Amir Qureshi, Sous Chef, JW Marriott Hotel, Bengaluru tells, “Our murgh barrah at Spice Terrace is traditionally marinated with yogurt and raw papaya to tenderize the chicken and build flavour before it goes into the tandoor. On occasion, we’ve also incorporated one of our malt beers into the marinade. It lends a subtle sweetness and an added depth of flavour that comes alive over the charcoal. As the chicken chars, the malt develops a beautiful interplay with the smokiness, resulting in a richer, more layered flavour profile while staying true to the dish’s original character.”
The Centrum, Lucknow, executive chef, Arun Shukla tells that they have dishes like beer-infused BBQ chicken, fried chicken and onion rings in their menu and work well.
Gurgaon-based Chef Sanjeeb Ghatak says, “North Indian and many other regional cuisine where flamed-cooking happens like bhuna ghost, keema-kaleji beer serves as a good ingredient and its acidity property and bitters adds to flavour.”
Vegetarian picks
“Veg Awadhi kebabs, all types of veggie fritters, bhuna soya boti kebab and other vegetarian delicacies can be given good flavour by infusing beer into the batter or during the low-flame bhunai,” says chef Avinash Kumar.
Keema Kaleji by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
Ingredients
250 gms mutton mince (keema)
150 gms mutton liver (kaleji), cut into small cubes
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp meat masala powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
330 milliliters beer
3-4 tbsps oil
2 medium onions, chopped + to serve
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Salt to taste
4 tbsps freshly chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon wedges to serve
Chopped onion to serve
Pavs to serve
Method
Take mutton mince in a bowl. Add green chillies, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, meat masala, ½ tsp turmeric powder, salt and 110 milliliters beer and mix well.
Heat 1 cup water in a non-stick pan, add 110 milliliters beer, remaining turmeric powder, mutton liver and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add onions and sauté till golden brown.
Add tomatoes and salt, mix well. Add mutton mince and sear on high heat for 5-10 minutes.
Add remaining beer, cover and cook till the oil gets separated or mutton mince is tender. Add cooked liver, chopped coriander and mix well.
Switch off the heat and add lemon juice.
Serve hot with lemon wedges, chopped onions and pavs.
Bhuna Ghost by Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
Ingredients:
750 grams mutton on bone, cut in 1½ inch pieces
4 tbsps oil
6 green cardamoms
10-12 black peppercorns
5-6 cloves
2 dried red chillies, broken
7 large onions, finely chopped
2 tbsps ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1¼ tbsp coriander powder
¼ tsp green cardamom powder
Salt to taste
1 cup yogurt
3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
200 millilitres beer
2 tbsps chopped fresh coriander leaves
¼ tsp garam masala powder
Coriander sprig for garnish
Method:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add green cardamoms, black peppercorns, cloves and dried red chillies. Sauté for a minute. Add onions and sauté till brown.
Add mutton pieces and sauté till light brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute.
Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, green cardamom powder and salt. Add yogurt and mix well, cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.
Add tomatoes, mix well. Add beer, cover and cook for another 30 minutes or till mutton is tender.
Add chopped coriander and garam masala powder, mix well. Serve hot garnished with coriander sprig.
