Daisy and Bubbles are trying to figure out gluten-free life at home in Malaysia, and all around the world! Have a question? Drop us a line at daisynbubbles@gmail.com!
I have to say that gluten-free living is, in many ways, far easier in the “West” than it is here in the East. My husband just returned from a trip to the United States, and I from a trip to Germany. I benefitted greatly from both, as I scored a bunch of really tasty gluten- and lactose-free foods, mostly of the sweet persuasion! 🙂
Restaurants (and people in general) are just more aware of how to accommodate food allergies, and most grocery stores and sundry good stores are stocked with GF foods.
For example, in Germany, all DM and Real stores (ubiquitous!) have a solid offering of GF (ohne gluten or glutenfrei) and lactose-free (ohne laktose or laktosefrei) foods.
Some “highly recommended” foods:
United States
Liz Lovely Goods: Probably the best chocolate cookies I have *ever* had! They have a whole variety of gourmet goods, but here are the chocolate fudge cookies that my husband brought back and man, were they amazing! They are also vegan–better for the environment!
Germany
There are several brands that carry gluten- and lactose-free foods in Germany. These include Alnatura, Minus L, Schaer, etc. Here are some the foods I liked a whole lot:
I’m sharing with you my “Favorite Dish of the Moment.” A full-flavoured, satisfying Dhal Curry! I often crave this because it reminds me of Indian home-cooking, but I’ve adapted it so that it cuts out some of the complicated labour that is typical of Indian cooking, while retaining all the essential comforting tastes! It’s also super fast – no longer than 30 minutes, with only 15 minutes or so of “active cooking.”
Gluten alert: This dish is often made with hing powder (Tamil: perungayyam) in Indian restaurants, so it is a no-no for gluten-free people. Learn more about hing powder and gluten in this article.
Lentils are an amazing source of protein, sans all the yucky stuff that is often in processed meat. There are many different types of lentils: red, yellow, green, etc. Split red lentils and yellow lentils, typically called “dhal,” are used for Indian cooking, but really you can use any lentil for this recipe! I like the red ones because they are faster, and look “more cheerful” in the dish than the brown ones…
So many kinds of lentils! Most divided into split lentils (red, yellow) and whole lentils (green, lepuy, etc.)*
This recipe is super easy, delicious, nutritious, and filling. I make it spicy, so tone down the curry powder and chilli powder if you’re not into having a mouth on fire! It goes very well with rice, but sometimes, I just water it down and drink it as soup!
A dhal curry with vegetables! This version is low on tomato paste and curry powder. The redder it becomes, the hotter and more tomato-ey it will be! **
The Red Version… Mmmm, just the way I like it! Extra tomato, extra curry powder (Baba’s Mix)
Ingredients:
1 cup of any lentil (you can use dhal – the red or yellow split ones – to be traditional)
3 large tomatoes
1 cup tomato puree (or half a bottle of 250g tomato sauce)
3 cloves garlic
Vegetables! You can use any, but I like this dish with mushrooms, kale, spinach, potatoes (boiled), long beans, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots
1/4 large white onion
A few large pieces of ginger
Mustard seed (if you have it)
Salt (to taste, try celtic sea salt–the best kind!)
2 tbs coconut oil (or any oil!)
Spice Mix (you can substitute all of the below with 1 tablespoon (or more) of Baba’s Meat/Fish Powder):
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tbs chilli powder (yes, I like it spicy, so tone down if you don’t!)
2 tbs curry powder (ditto)
A few pieces of clove
Method:
Soak dhal/lentils overnight (or for at least 2 hours) to make it soft and easier to boil.
Put the dhal/lentils in a medium pot (use a glass or iron or steel cooking pot!) with at least 2 cups of water (3 or more if you like it watery, or want to make it into a soup).
Boil the dhal with a dash of salt.
When it has reached it’s boiling point, turn heat down and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so, until dhal is tender.
When done, it should be very soft, almost melty. Retain all the water!
In another pan, heat oil, and stir fry the onions, garlic, ginger, and mustard seed (if you have it).
Add your vegetables. Now, here’s when you want to be a little strategic and/or intuitive. Put veggies in based on how quickly they cook. Example: First the mushrooms and cauliflower… then carrots and beans… then kale or broccoli. I always like the green veggies to be quite “sprightly” and crunchy, so I often throw them in last, maybe even after I turn down the fire.
If you’re using potatoes, make sure to boil them ahead of time (and cut them up).
Almost immediately after (or even simultaneously), add the tomato, tomato puree, and all the spices.
Add the boiled dal into this mixture. Add water and salt as necessary.
Ta-daa! 🙂
This is one of those dishes that I like to call “Best Effort Dishes.” It can be done on a best-effort basis (i.e. sometimes without all the ingredients) and it still tastes super good! It’s also a good way to use up all your left-over veggies!
To me, the key to good vegetable cooking is knowing in what order to cook your veggies. The last thing you want is overcooked, grey-green broccoli! It’s not an exact science, so tap into your intuition – your GUT! – as you cook. You’ll know! Keep your dishes… and your lives… colourful! Till next time…
