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:                                                        :
:  Excerpts from the Houston Celiac-Sprue Support Group  :
:  ----------------------------------------------------  :
: newsletter: Oct. 1998     Janet Y. Rinehart, President :
:                                      11011 Chevy Chase :
:                                Houston, TX  77042-2606 :
:........................................................:

GF Food Hints:
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Kinga Doris gave a cooking demonstration at the September meeting.
Kinga, originally from Poland, shared some hints with the group:

* Kinga has found that "real" Thai restaurants (those which use
  products made in Thailand where no wheat is grown) are usually quite
  safe for celiacs.  Even the soy sauce has no wheat.  Do ask to look
  at the label of the soy sauce in the restaurant to ascertain whether
  it is a product made in Thailand.  Thai fish sauce is gluten-free
  (GF).

* For cooking GF at home as cheaply as possible, Kinga has discovered
  that Thai food works best for her.  Though you have to go to special
  oriental markets, the products and produce tend to be cheaper.

* French pate' generally has wheat in it.

* Chinese restaurants usually use soy sauce which contains wheat,
  though many establishments will use your own GF brand if asked.

* Hoisin sauce traditionally contains wheat.

* Vietnamese restaurants are often okay, though you must investigate
  to be sure.  Rice spring rolls should be GF.

* The following ingredients are usually only available in oriental
  markets:
     rice sticks (rice noodles)
     pickled radish
     tamarind sauce
     fish sauce (Tiparos brand)
     mung bean noodles (also called cellophane or jelly noodles)
     Thai shrimp paste
     straw mushrooms
     lemon grass (usually used as flavoring and then discarded)
     garlic chives
     lime leaves
     musman (sometimes spelled matsuman, massaman, etc.)
     curry paste
     Thai thick soy sauce (comes in jars, not bottles)

* It may seem that Thai recipes use a lot of unusual ingredients, but
  once you buy the basics you can create many different dishes.

* There is an art involved in knowing when rice stick noodles or mung
  bean noodles are cooked for optimum use.  They should be flexible,
  but not sticky or soggy.

* While on a recent trip, Kinga found that products which are GF in
  the USA are not necessarily GF in Europe.  For example, a Snickers
  bar was certainly not GF in Europe.  Kinga warns you to be extra
  careful about ingredients and brands when you travel abroad.