Top Naturally Gluten-Free Cuisines

As someone who has been strictly gluten-free (GF) since 2010 my top tip to GF newcomers is to focus on what you CAN have rather than what you cannot. While plenty accessible and convenience foods are either full blown gluten (pizza, fast food) or covered in processed gluten ingredients (wheat starch, flour thickeners, barley malt extract), there’s a whole bounty of cuisines to focus on instead. Explore flavours outside of your regular routine and tantalize your tastebuds with new experiences to crowd out any self pity or longing for your old way of eating.

1. Indian cuisine

Aside from naan bread, most Indian cuisine is naturally gluten free. Before you moan and groan over missing out on naan remind yourself that you may not have control over what you can eat but you have complete control over your mindset. Focus on curries, rice, bhajia — a fritter made from vegetables and coated in chick pea flour — raita, chutney and spice! From butter chicken to lentil dhal, spinach paneer to rogan josh, Indian food explodes with flavour and you can easily learn to cook it to your dietary and taste preferences.

Speaking of curries…

Curry from around the globe is often naturally gluten free. While many soups are thickened with wheat flour, curry is thick by nature, full of veggies, lentils, beans, meat or whatever ingredient your heart calls for! Thai cuisine also has plentiful curries to choose from.

2. Thai cuisine

A lot of Thai cuisine is made with rice noodles, rice, and fish sauce and tamarind rather than soya sauce (which traditionally contains wheat flour). Thai curries have a creamy yet dairy-free basis coming from coconut milk, which warms the soul on various levels. Explore red, yellow, green, panang and other flavours each bursting with citrus, fresh herb, and different vegetable combinations. Many Thai restaurants also make their Phad Thai noodle dish GF and offer at least one GF fried rice. Make some phone calls before choosing where to dine to ensure the staff knows about gluten, then take yourself out for a nice meal and bring that flavour inspiration home for your next meal planning session.

3. Mexican cuisine

Can I just say, tacos? True tacos, not the Americanized flour tortilla ones but stone ground corn tortillas filled with juicy pulled meat, beans and cotija, or rajas con crema are each delectable pinché parcels for your palate. Rice and beans, a Mexican platter classic, is of course gluten free and can make a hearty basis to any veggie and sauce combination you crave. Though they can be dressed up as a nice burrito bowl, rice and beans are a simple side dish next to rich enchiladas coated in melted cheese — yay corn tortillas! Try huaraches, chilaquiles or huevos rancheros next time you’re missing your favourite gluten meal and you won’t be disappointed.

4. Vietnamese cuisine

Get fresh and satisfied with two classic Vietnamese dishes — salad rolls and pho soup. While many Vietnamese rice and meat dishes contain gluten, these two options are often naturally GF. As always when dining out GF, check with the server first but salad rolls are wrapped in rice paper and stuffed with rice noodles, veggies and either prawns, meat or tofu. The meat may be marinated with gluten and sometimes you have to ask for sweet chili dipping sauce instead of peanut sauce… but these hand rolls won’t disappoint. The fresh crunch whets the appetite perfectly for a nourishing, warm bowl of hot soup. Pho soup with rare steak is generally GF and when you seek out the best restaurants in town, you don’t need the hoisin sauce as the broth is rich and perfectly salted.

Furthermore making your own fresh salad rolls with homemade peanut sauce is a great activity next time you want to cook with friends. They are not only simple to make (once you get the hang of the papers) but fun and satisfying.

5. Get Back to Basics

While the above cuisines offer worldly flavours and fun experiences, sometimes you just want some plain old comfort food. Look to nature and what the earth provides in the simplest form and you won’t find hiding sources of gluten. Meat and potatoes, broccoli and butter, grilled salmon, baked sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, egg salad, BBQ chicken. Learn or use simple cooking skills to create simple foods to nourish your deserving body and desires alike. If your food doesn’t have complex ingredients or a confusing label then you can enjoy it with ease.

I hope you found some inspiration for GF dining in this article and please share any naturally gluten-free foods you love!

To continue this conversation with Carly, you can learn more about her and book a nutrition consult at carlyemholistic.ca and connect on Instagram.