Comments on: Dining as a Gluten-Free Veg in India: Decoding a North Indian Menu for Allergies http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html Yummy Adventures in Gluten Free Cuisine Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:30:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Gluten-Free Vegetarian Indian Recipe: Aloo Jeera Potato with Cumin Recipe | Book of Yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-20065 Gluten-Free Vegetarian Indian Recipe: Aloo Jeera Potato with Cumin Recipe | Book of Yum Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:01:28 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-20065 [...] they are usually served with gluten wheat flatbread, you can always order them with rice. Of all the dishes I enjoyed, Aloo Jeera, or potatoes with Cumin, was one of my absolute favorites. I never thought I liked [...] [...] they are usually served with gluten wheat flatbread, you can always order them with rice. Of all the dishes I enjoyed, Aloo Jeera, or potatoes with Cumin, was one of my absolute favorites. I never thought I liked [...]

]]> By: Daagh http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-13282 Daagh Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:52:57 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-13282 wonderful article and thanks for linking my recipes to your entry :-) wonderful article and thanks for linking my recipes to your entry :-)

]]> By: Book of Yum - Blog http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-6149 Book of Yum - Blog Thu, 13 Dec 2007 10:57:32 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-6149 [...] When we arrived at the restaurant, it seemed nice, with cute fish in a stone water garden in the entrance. (See if you can find fish #3…) We sat down at a long wooden table covered in magenta brocade strips, and had some bottled water while we waited for all twenty-something guests to arrive. The table filled with people, and count was taken of the “veg” and “non-veg” guests. I love how easy the veg-distinction is here! Slowly the food began arriving- starting with a nice, fragrant tomato shorba (soup). See my previous post for some tomato shorba recipes. It seemed like a nice, safe thin broth, and when we asked, they said they didn’t use flour for thickening it, so I had some and enjoyed the light, delicately spiced broth. This was no thick, gloppy American Campbell soup- it was a million times more subtle and delicious, with a hint of cumin and other spices I could only guess at. Next they brought snacks, which is when I became nervous- a variety of things, many appearing lightly breaded or floured- baby corn in a light batter with red chilis, flat fried disks topped with fresh vegetables and cheeses, potato cubes covered in masala (?) but also perhaps flour and fried- a host of bites that looked like they might contain wheat. I decided not to risk them, and hoped that the future would bring me something I could eat. One thing that surprised me was that they used one plate for this process- the servers would come by and pile servings of each dish on your plate. You could refuse by waving your hand, but several dishes were served to me before I could see them properly, so I ended up with several potentially wheaty things on my plate. I gave a little white moat of plate space around each slightly risky food until it became obvious that everyone cleared the remnants that they didn’t want onto a small plate to the left and then got new food piled on the same plate. After having some of a simple Indian style salad (no lettuce, just fresh veggies sprinkled in salt and chili pepper), I asked for a new plate and got one, which I guarded with my life, or at least, a flutter of hands, until more friendly food came along. One thing to keep in mind about salads is that tap water in India is quite likely to contain bacteria that international visitor’s bodies may not be used to, so raw veggies may pose a risk (of some intestinal distress) if they have been rinsed in said water. I’ve been risking the veggie salads, but not lettuce- the Lonely Planet recommends soaking lettuce and possibly raw veggies in iodized water for 20 minutes before consumption. I’d rather skip the lettuce, and cross my fingers about the (preferably peeled) raw veggies, myself. You may wish to be more cautious. I’ve also been dining exclusively in hotels and mid-to high-range restaurants, so a village experience may be different. The condiments shown as the main photo here include a green sauce (mint or cilantro, I would guess), a numbingly spicy red chutney and some lovely pearl onions- I coveted them but was concerned about the water issue. I should also mention the lovely papadum that was served with the condiments at the beginning of the meal- I avoided it out of a concern for the asafoetida/hing seasoning often used with papad (see comments and previous post), but it looked very crisp and appetizing. If you would like to try papad at home, I found at least one British brand of papad that is labeled Gluten-Free in my local Whole Foods. (If you know the brand, please share in comments and I will edit this post.) [...] [...] When we arrived at the restaurant, it seemed nice, with cute fish in a stone water garden in the entrance. (See if you can find fish #3…) We sat down at a long wooden table covered in magenta brocade strips, and had some bottled water while we waited for all twenty-something guests to arrive. The table filled with people, and count was taken of the “veg” and “non-veg” guests. I love how easy the veg-distinction is here! Slowly the food began arriving- starting with a nice, fragrant tomato shorba (soup). See my previous post for some tomato shorba recipes. It seemed like a nice, safe thin broth, and when we asked, they said they didn’t use flour for thickening it, so I had some and enjoyed the light, delicately spiced broth. This was no thick, gloppy American Campbell soup- it was a million times more subtle and delicious, with a hint of cumin and other spices I could only guess at. Next they brought snacks, which is when I became nervous- a variety of things, many appearing lightly breaded or floured- baby corn in a light batter with red chilis, flat fried disks topped with fresh vegetables and cheeses, potato cubes covered in masala (?) but also perhaps flour and fried- a host of bites that looked like they might contain wheat. I decided not to risk them, and hoped that the future would bring me something I could eat. One thing that surprised me was that they used one plate for this process- the servers would come by and pile servings of each dish on your plate. You could refuse by waving your hand, but several dishes were served to me before I could see them properly, so I ended up with several potentially wheaty things on my plate. I gave a little white moat of plate space around each slightly risky food until it became obvious that everyone cleared the remnants that they didn’t want onto a small plate to the left and then got new food piled on the same plate. After having some of a simple Indian style salad (no lettuce, just fresh veggies sprinkled in salt and chili pepper), I asked for a new plate and got one, which I guarded with my life, or at least, a flutter of hands, until more friendly food came along. One thing to keep in mind about salads is that tap water in India is quite likely to contain bacteria that international visitor’s bodies may not be used to, so raw veggies may pose a risk (of some intestinal distress) if they have been rinsed in said water. I’ve been risking the veggie salads, but not lettuce- the Lonely Planet recommends soaking lettuce and possibly raw veggies in iodized water for 20 minutes before consumption. I’d rather skip the lettuce, and cross my fingers about the (preferably peeled) raw veggies, myself. You may wish to be more cautious. I’ve also been dining exclusively in hotels and mid-to high-range restaurants, so a village experience may be different. The condiments shown as the main photo here include a green sauce (mint or cilantro, I would guess), a numbingly spicy red chutney and some lovely pearl onions- I coveted them but was concerned about the water issue. I should also mention the lovely papadum that was served with the condiments at the beginning of the meal- I avoided it out of a concern for the asafoetida/hing seasoning often used with papad (see comments and previous post), but it looked very crisp and appetizing. If you would like to try papad at home, I found at least one British brand of papad that is labeled Gluten-Free in my local Whole Foods. (If you know the brand, please share in comments and I will edit this post.) [...]

]]> By: Siri http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-5951 Siri Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:27:12 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-5951 Hey Sia, Thanks for putting up the Kadhi pakora recipe up in ur post! Indeed, the post has lots of info.. Great post.. Enjoi! ~ Siri Hey Sia, Thanks for putting up the Kadhi pakora recipe up in ur post! Indeed, the post has lots of info.. Great post.. Enjoi!

~ Siri

]]> By: Fat Louie http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-5949 Fat Louie Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:42:59 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-5949 Gooooooo Sea! So wonderful to see you're enjoying yourself and have time to blog! Gooooooo Sea! So wonderful to see you’re enjoying yourself and have time to blog!

]]> By: Archana http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-5945 Archana Fri, 07 Dec 2007 15:18:32 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-5945 Hi Sea Thanks for visiting and writing about my Paneer Makhani recipe. You have a wonderful post here on a gluten free diet. There is so much about the gluten which I am learning through your site. Archana http://archanaskitchen.wordpress.com Hi Sea
Thanks for visiting and writing about my Paneer Makhani recipe. You have a wonderful post here on a gluten free diet. There is so much about the gluten which I am learning through your site.
Archana
http://archanaskitchen.wordpress.com

]]> By: yum http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/dining-as-a-gluten-free-veg-in-india-decoding-a-north-indian-menu-for-allergies-1280.html#comment-5930 yum Fri, 07 Dec 2007 06:09:45 +0000 http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?p=1280#comment-5930 As far as rice products, the batter for Rice idli and an ordinary dosa are always gluten free as they are made up simply of rice and urad dal that have been soaked, ground up together, and fermented. Rava idli and Rava dosa are made from semolina instead of rice and so are not gluten-free. With these products, especially the dosa, you have to be careful of the cooking surface- it's often a hot, flat grill where rava dosa or other flatbreads may also be cooked. The ideal would be to find a restaurant that only makes plain dosa on the cooking surface... but it's a challenge. I will post about them sometime next week :D -sea As far as rice products, the batter for Rice idli and an ordinary dosa are always gluten free as they are made up simply of rice and urad dal that have been soaked, ground up together, and fermented. Rava idli and Rava dosa are made from semolina instead of rice and so are not gluten-free. With these products, especially the dosa, you have to be careful of the cooking surface- it’s often a hot, flat grill where rava dosa or other flatbreads may also be cooked. The ideal would be to find a restaurant that only makes plain dosa on the cooking surface… but it’s a challenge.

I will post about them sometime next week :D
-sea

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