What is Gluten?
Gluten is the general term used for the group of proteins found in such grains as wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten acts as the glue that holds the grain together and allows it to maintain its shape. It can primarily be found in the dough, bread, pasta, baked goods, cereals, and more unexpected products like oats, soy sauce, dressings, condiments, deli meats, cheeses, candy, alcohol, certain medications, supplements, cosmetics, and much much more.
What is a Gluten-Free Diet?
Gluten-free diets are diets that focus on removing gluten intake from everyday meals and foods. They’re primarily followed in response to a gluten allergy or similar medical reason. They can also be implemented in an effort to improve energy levels, overall health, and can assist with weight loss. However, such a drastic dietary change will alter your nutritional intake, so it’s not advised that you begin a gluten-free diet without first consulting a health professional first.
Why go Gluten-free?
The most common reason to go gluten-free is if you suffer from an allergy, the most common of which is celiac disease. Gluten is a protein that triggers intestinal issues within people who have celiac disease or general gluten sensitivity. While this is the most obvious and likely reason one might consider going gluten-free, there is a bevy of other reasons you might consider removing gluten from your diet.
Following a gluten-free diet requires careful attention by the person participating in such a diet. They have to be aware of the foods that they’re consuming and the source. Individuals without any of the above-discussed health conditions may partake of such a diet as well, based on the claimed health benefits of the same.
How can you start a gluten-free diet with an Indian food menu?
It may sound dull when you consider you’ll be removing a lot of foods you normally eat, but there are actually a lot of different savory and delicious Indian food menu items that can be supplemented in the place of certain hallmark meal items you’re accustomed to eating, items that typically contain a lot of gluten and aren’t very healthy for you. We’re going to cover different items perfectly lined up for meals during the day, all of which are available in Denver at our Little India locations located on 6th Avenue, W 32nd Ave, and Downing St.
Indian cuisine offers a wide variety of gluten-free food.
Bruch Time Options
Brunch is a favorite for many – especially on the weekends! Start brunch with dosa, which is a thin pancake or crepe, poha, which is flattened rice, steam cooked with onions, spices, and herbs, or you could select from a variety of fruits or dhokla for breakfast. If you want to go with something lighter, you could choose one of our many appetizers from the Little India menu; you could choose from the Pakora Masala, which is a mildly spicy dish that contains spinach, onions, and potatoes, and is batter-fried then topped with masala sauce, or you could go with Aloo Tikki, which consists of potato patties lightly spiced with cumin topped with our tamarind, mint chutneys, and fresh raita.
Other options that cover you for breakfast and lunch, you could choose to go with our house-made Cucumber Fruit Salad, which combines Cucumber, Pineapple, and Grape Salad with Fresh Mint & Black Pepper, or you could go with the Quinoa Turmeric Paneer Salad, which is a Quinoa Salad made with house-made cheese paneer, Turmeric and a variety of spices. Quinoa is an excellent gluten-free substitution for a variety of whole grains due to its extremely high protein value.
Lunch options
For lunch, you can go with any number of our curries with rice: you can choose from the Chicken, Lamb, Shrimp, or Fish Curry, all of which are carefully seasoned with an exotic blend of curry spices, onion, garlic, ginger, and tomato, and then tossed in medium thick house-made sauce. If you want to go with something that features a little bit of everything, you could go with our famous Combination Curry, which combines Shrimp, Lamb, and Chicken in our medium-thick sauce.
Snacks options
If you want to replace your normal gluten-rich snack favorites with something heartier and healthier, that’s also gluten-free, you can choose to go with a variety of chutneys—which are at type of savory spread, which can be sweet, sour, or hot and spicy—in combination with some Aloo Tikki, Momo (which is an Indian style dumpling), or simply with a charcuterie spread, chutneys make an excellent mid-afternoon or late-night snack.
Dinner options
If you’re looking to round out your gluten-free Indian Cuisine options, you can go a little heartier for dinner. You can choose from a variety of Masalas, Kormas, or Vindaloos; each of which comes with the option for Chicken, Shrimp, Lamb, or Fish as your protein selection.
Our three Little India locations in Denver, located on 6th Avenue, W 32nd Ave, and Downing St, each offer a variety of specialty dishes as well, that offers a foray into Indian Cuisine that’s unrivaled. You can choose from a Chicken or Lamb Jalfrazie, which is marinated proteins with fresh ground spices and mixed vegetables, or you could go with something like our Lamb or Beef Pasanda, which consists of tender chunks of lamb or beef, marinated in yogurt and spices, baked in our clay ovens, then tossed in a tomato-based curry—similar to our famous masala sauce.
Order Online from Little India or Enjoy Gluten-Free Options at 1 of our 3 locations in Denver, CO
Our online ordering system allows clients to schedule their order so that it is ready and waiting for them when they walk in the door. Our guests can sit down and enjoy their meal right away, pick it up and take it away, or have it delivered to your home or office for free.
The Baidwan family has been living in Colorado and serving delicious Indian Cuisine for more than 20 years. Since then, Little India has been serving Denver the most authentic fine Indian cuisine and has quickly become an area favorite. Learn more about our Gluten-Free Menu options by checking out our online menu, or visit one of our three Little India locations in Denver, located on 6th Avenue, W 32nd Ave, and Downing St.
Featured Image: AS Food studio/Shutterstock