Gluten-Free Grains

Most people know that rice, potato and corn are staple carbohydrate sources for gluten-free eaters but has the average Australian heard of tapioca or amaranth? And if they have, how much do we actually know about these alternative grains?

Let’s sift through some lesser-known gluten-free grains and get educated.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa)

A great replacement of couscous yet less distinct in flavour, the Andean plant known as Quinoa is often mistaken for a carbohydrate source but is in fact a complete protein. It contains an exceptional balance of eight essential amino acids required by the body.

In its purest form, it can be cooked like rice in boiling water or a rice cooker. Quinoa flakes can be cooked in a similar way to oats to make a porridge for breakfast, while the savoury flour version works well when cooking quiches.

In recent times, there has been a demand for the plant in developed continents like Europe and America which has helped raise the income of many Incan farmers. As a result, it has sadly become too expensive for Bolivians to buy, spurring them to select cheaper, processed foods instead.

Buckwheat

Don’t be fooled by the second syllable of the name Buckwheat. It most certainly doesn’t contain any wheat, or gluten for that matter.

Buckwheat is a fruit which is grouped in the same family as rhubarb. Like Quinoa, it contains all eight essential amino acid and is an easily digestible protein. Buckwheat is high in fibre (a big bonus for fibre-deprived coeliacs) and is great for keeping blood sugar levels balanced.

Roasted buckwheat has an earthy, nutty taste. Buckwheat flour is widely used in the US to make buckwheat pancakes, also known as ‘galettes’ in Brittany, and in Japanese soba noodles.

Amaranth

The delicate Amaranth, like Quinoa, is referred to as a grain because of its malty taste and the way we cook it, but it is actually a seed. It is highly nutritious containing eight times more iron than wheat.

It is often sold popped as an instant breakfast food, or ground into flour. It can also be sprouted in the same way as alfalfa or other seeds. Amaranth tends to have a sticky texture compared to other grains when cooked.

It is recommended to store Amaranth in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator after purchase. This will protect the fatty acids from turning rancid.

Tapioca

Tapioca is, for a change, almost completely protein-free. A root starch derived from the cassava (or manioc) plant, it's often used to thicken soups and sweeten the flavour of baked goods. It is widely known for its usage in tapioca pudding.

The cassava plant, with its thick, fibrous roots is native to South America and the West Indies. When the root has dried, it is ground into white flour which has a similar starchy quality to potato starch.

The Taiwanese obsession with Bubble tea which started as a craze a decade ago has the unique ingredient of tapioca pearls. The pearl’s jelly consistency often repels unfamiliar Westerners from giving it a second shot.

The photo shows a combination of harvested buckwheat and millet. Millet is also gluten-free, along with almonds, chickpeas, soy and sorghum. All of these natural foodstuffs are ground down to flour and used in gluten-free cooking as a substitute to wheat flour. Interestingly, there are more gluten-free flours in existence than flours with gluten.

Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/people/chrissamuel/

By Aimee Wagenheim

For more gluten-free information, visit www.ctrlalteat.org