Gluten free Chinese food contains gluten, a protein group derived from grains like barley, wheat, and rye. Gluten in food helps in giving moisture and maintaining elasticity. Moreover, gluten provides chewy composition when present in the bread.
Is Gluten Safe to Consume?
Gluten is safe for consumption, but it may cause adverse reactions in people who have celiac disease and glucose sensitivity. People going through these diseases must avoid the use of gluten to keep away from severe health conditions.
Gluten free Chinese food is an essential food in Chinese festivals, and its consumption keeps increasing. Gluten free Chinese food is available in several restaurants throughout China and the world. Isn’t the dish bland when it doesn’t contain wheat, barley, and rye? The answer is No. Consuming a gluten-free diet does not make you deprived of your favorite Chinese food.
Gluten free Chinese food
Here are some mouthwatering gluten free Chinese foods.
Gluten-free sour and sweetened chicken
Gluten-free sour chicken should be on your gluten free Chinese food shopping list. It contains light batter with sticky, tart, and sweet sauce. Add some deep-fried chicken to the batter if you want to make it mouthwatering.
Gluten-free crispy chili beef
Crispy chili beef is a simple recipe. Sweet and sticky fiery sauce made the dish tastier. What’s excellent about the dish is that you can cook it quickly at home.
Chinese chicken curry
Who does not like chicken curry? Curries used in the dish are generally gluten-free, but Chinese dishes frequently contain gluten powder. The significant component is wheat.
Vegan Satan curry (gluten-free)
You won’t get Vegan Satan curry from a Chinese restaurant, but you can quickly cook at home. Sweet potato is an excellent replacement for chicken because it absorbs the flavor well and goes well with the hot sauce.
Gluten-free prawn toast
Prawn toast is delicious. However, most people avoid it due to the gluten content of bread. Anyway, you can also have it with gluten-free bread.
Gluten-free spring roll
Gluten-free spring rolls may appear to be an impossible dish to prepare, but they are not. To get the best result, make sure to mix everything thoroughly. Sweet chili sauce goes well with gluten-free spring rolls.
Gluten-free chicken Chow Mein
Chicken Chow Mein is one of the easiest dishes to make, as only five ingredients are needed. Traditional gluten-free egg noodles are certainly never gluten-free. But, Oomi protein noodles are gluten-free and are the ideal substitute.
Gluten-free Singapore noodles
It contains the pasta’s curried spice, a little pepper crunch with the addition of chicken and prawn. The dish also has gluten-free Siu pork underneath, which makes the dish tastier.
Some other gluten food Chinese food include;
- Steamed rice and vegetable
- Non-thickened soup
- Meat and fish without bread.
Gluten-free Chinese food items
Aside from gluten free Chinese food, gluten-free Chinese ingredients are also available. These gluten-free items are reasonably priced in Chinese supermarkets. Following are some of the gluten free Chinese food items;
Oyster sauce without gluten
Mart selling oyster sauce has listed on their packing that whether oyster sauce contains gluten or is free of gluten. Always shop around to buy gluten-free oyster sauce. Oyster sauce can add to a variety of recipes and stir-fries.
Tapioca starch and rice flour
Starch and flour do not contain gluten, and they are essential ingredients in most gluten free Chinese food. Using these gluten-free items, you can easily create a flour of your blend.
Rice and rice noodles
Chinese dishes made with plain white rice, wild rice, or brown rice are generally safe because rice is naturally free of gluten. In the chilled section, fresh rice noodles are usually available. Fresh rice noodles add perfection to your stir-fries and soup noodles. Glass noodles, soba noodles, and dried noodles are other gluten-free noodles.
Fried beancurd
It’s not known to most people what a beancurd is. Beancurd is fried, crispy, and outdoor tofu. The alternative used instead of meat can be fried beancurd.
Instant noodles
Everyone loves instant noodles, but all instant noodles are not gluten-free. So, before buying, check its nutritional ingredients.
Simple meat and vegetable
Chinese food that contains plain meat or vegetables is naturally gluten-free. Check out those dishes that have soy sauce as they contain gluten. You may also order simple noodles, meat and vegetables, then add your own gluten-free tamari soy sauce or sriracha sauce to the meal.
Mochi
Mochi is sweet-filled rice and available in two flavors; strawberry and peanut butter.
Seasoning mix
Seasoning mixes are delightful and convenient to use. You have to shop around to get a gluten-free seasoning mix.
Bead molasses
Bead molasses is used in dishes to give it a sweetened flavor and are also used as a color enhancer in American Chinese cuisine. All molasses are gluten-free but always check the nutrient content.
Chili garlic sauce
Most brands offer gluten-free chili garlic sauce but always check the labels. The brand that provides the best chili sauce is Lee Kum kee Chili Garlic sauce or the Caravelle brand.
Cornstarch
Natural cornstarch is gluten-free. Although, not all brands offer contaminated-free corn starch.
Duck sauce
Duck sauce is also named plum sauce. It is made with apricots, sugar, plums, and seasoning tout; all the ingredients used in this sweet-sour sauce are gluten-free but still check the label before buying. Trustworthy brands that provide gluten-free items are Ying’s sweet and sour sauce and Wok Mei Plum sauce.
Hoisin sauce
Hoisin sauce has wheat that comes from soy sauce or other sources. To get gluten-free hoisin sauce, buy from Premier Japan wheat Hoisin sauce, Wok Mei, and Joyce Chen.
Mirin, Sesame and chili oil, and plum wine
All are gluten-free but as always, check the label before buying any gluten-free product.
How to convert dark sauce into a gluten-free sauce?
Dark soy sauce always contains gluten. However, if you still wanted to add dark soy sauce in your gluten free Chinese food; Add equal parts of tamari and gluten-free soy sauce with bead molasses and heating it until all the molasses dissolves.
Tips for ordering gluten free Chinese food
There are so many Chinese food dishes that are not gluten-free. Several restaurants offer gluten-containing Chinese food, such as dark sauce like teriyaki, fish sauce or duck sauce, meat bread, and soy sauce. It’s essential to know where gluten and gluten-free food are prepared because if the food is cooked in a pot in which gluten-containing food is ready, contamination is possible. Following are the tips you have to keep in mind while going to any restaurant if you want to eat gluten-free food.
- Bring your soy sauce.
- Be aware of dark sauce as it contains wheat and gluten.
- Avoid sharing dishes with people who are eating gluten-containing food.
- Check the utensil in which gluten-free food is being cooked.
Chinese Dishes that contain gluten
When you want to eat gluten free Chinese food, go through the menu and avoid those dishes that contain gluten or wheat. Here are some items that need to prevent while ordering gluten free Chinese food;
- Anything made with soy sauce, except gluten-free soy tamari
- Dumplings and egg rolls
- Fried rice with soy sauce
- soy sauce and oyster sauce
- Dishes that are containing broth
- Anything made with bread
- Anything made with dark brown sauce
- Noodles containing wheat
- food containing cereals, wheat, barley, and rye.
- Deep-fried food made with soy sauce
- Food containing rice wine and beer
- Avoid black bean sauce
How to make gluten free Chinese food
Not every food is gluten-free, particularly wonton, spring rolls, pizza, and dumplings. If you still wanted to eat but could not, buy gluten-free flour and prepare them using gluten-free content. Usually, fast food restaurants do not offer gluten-free takeaways. However, several Chinese restaurants do provide food that doesn’t contain gluten. If you want to eat gluten-free Chinese food, prepare the meal at home is the best option.
Keep in mind
While checking the label, always keeps in mind the following words; it indicates that the product contains gluten.
- Starch
- Stabilizer
- Flavoring
- Emulsifier
- Hydrolyzed
- Plant protein
Conclusion
Gluten free Chinese food is healthy for those people who love Chinese cuisine and going through celiac disease or having glucose sensitivity, but it also has certain inconveniences. A gluten free diet is not suitable for everyone. Before making any changes in your diet, always consult your dietician. You can get gluten free Chinese food with a bit of pre-planning and co-operation from a Chinese restaurant. The best option to eat gluten free Chinese food is to cook at home. In case you ate gluten-containing food, immediately consult your doctor and get medication for yourself.