Thunder Tea Rice

One of the common gluten dangers of eating out in Singapore is that just about everything gets at least a small sprinkle of Soy Sauce.

Thunder Tea Rice is different. It is designed to be healthy. No lard, no sauce, no MSG. Just plenty of vegetables, tofu (soft, no gluten skin!), peanuts and ikan billis (dried anchovies). You can ask for it to be made without any of the above if you have nut, fish  or soy allergies too, since everything is prepared separately and put together in a dish to serve. It's a little like Bim Bap if you are familiar with Korean food.

The 'Thunder Tea' component is a concoction of blended green tea, mint and basil leaves with hot water. Some eat it like a soup, which I did at first. Now I have taken to pouring it over the rice so that the whole dish becomes almost like a soup! On the side of course there is soy sauce for the gluten eaters, (glutenators?), and usually a chili sambal which should be checked every time you eat at a new place to make sure it is home made (i.e no thickeners or preservatives that would contain wheat). 

One of my favorite things about Thunder Tea Rice is the option for brown rice, which adds to the flavor and touted 'excellent medical and pharmacological values'.

Dish Origins - this is Hakka food with origins in herbal medicine during the Qin dynasty.

No photo this time. I realised that not having the right photo makes me procrastinate in writing this blog so I have decided just to post anyway! Someone else has taken some very nice photos of the Joo Chiat Road store here: http://www.camemberu.com/2009/10/thunder-tea-rice-hakka-lei-cha-fan.html

Chicken Rice

It is high time I addressed the blessing of Hainanese Chicken Rice. This is now my 'go to' meal for hawker dining. You can just about bet your gluten free cookies on finding at least one Chicken Rice shop in every Hawker Center or food court you visit. Chicken Rice shops offer a choice of steamed or roasted chicken, sliced atop a generous helping of rice that has been cooked in chicken stock. It is important to note that the stock is usually made on premise, as well trained Coeliacs are used to avoiding stock at all costs since packaged stock liquids and powders usually contain gluten. As a friend of mine put it - 'why would they go and buy the powder when they have all the chicken they need to make natural stock right there'? Good point, and it is a safe bet for the local HDB food courts and hawker centers. You should be paying between $1.20 and $4.00 for a plate of Chicken Rice. If you find yourself paying more, that's when you should start asking questions about the stock they use, as at that price they may be affording the store bought variety. I tend to stick to the steamed chicken as sometimes trying to ask about any sauces on the roast chicken can confuse the situation. Be sure, though, that you first watch them prepare a dish for someone else. If they add a sauce on top, (which not all do), be sure to ask them for 'no sauce'. You can usually get a plate of steamed bok choy on the side but in this case be sure to tell them 'no sauce' as this usually comes heavily loaded with oyster sauce.You may have to pay close attention when they are preparing yours and stop them from adding the sauce as these guys make plate after plate after plate of the same dish every day and the habit can be heavily ingrained. It is worth pointing out that eating at Hawker stalls is generally safe in Singapore from a hygiene point of view. If you are worried after a bad experience somewhere else in South-East Asia, check for a sign about A3 size that shows the cleaning and food hygiene rating that stall has been given - A, B, or C, with A being excellent, B being good and C being 'needs improvement'. Any lower than that and they get shut down.

Chicken Rice at Eunos

Rice Dumplings - Zong Zi

Bingo! The elusive $1.50 Singapore meal that is Coeliac safe. Rice dumplings, or Zong Zi, are individually wrapped in bamboo leaves and steamed. There is no pastry-like wrapper as the leaves serve the purpose of holding the rice in place. There are rice dumpling stands all over Singapore, all year through. During the Dragon Boat festival in May Zong Zi abound as a commemoration of Qu Yuan, a legendary poet who is said to have drowned himself about 2000 years ago in protest against corruption in the ruling classes. The legend goes that the people threw rice dumplings into the water to stop the fish from eating the revered poet. These days in Singapore the dumplings are exchanged between family and friends to be eaten. Be aware that most of the dumplings will have soy sauce or other gluten containing sauces mixed through, but most stands seem to sell at least one coeliac friendly variety. The gluten-free variety sold at the dumpling stand in the Care Four in Suntec City contains only glutinous rice, (glutinous being a description of the consistency, not an indicator of gluten), crushed peanuts, legumes, mushrooms, salt and pepper. As well as checking that your dumpling does not contain sauce, be sure to check that no additional grains have been added for 'health benefits'. I have been warned by a friend that sometimes wheat or barley is used to add fiber and that these would be visible as full grains, not as a flour. As always, stay away from processed meats where you don't have the opportunity to check the ingredients. Looking forward to seeing the new variety of dumplings that come out in May - fingers crossed that some of these rely on gluten free flavors!

Hawker Breakfast

While I can't freely wander the Hawker stalls adventurously trying new things, I am definitely sorted for breakfast. Kopi, the local coffee, is amazing. Just be sure to close your eyes while they make it. It is gluten free, but it tastes better if you don't know how much condensed milk goes in. Maybe it's just a weekend treat!

Most hawker centers and food courts have a 'breakfast set' that seems to be available all day.

The gluten free option is 'hard boiled eggs' with no toast. You are given a bucket with hot water and your eggs and told to wait while they cook to your desired consistency. Then you crack them into a bowl and eat like a soup, (unless you have left them in so long that they are solid). The locals add pepper and soy sauce for flavor. BYO gluten free soy and bread to dip if you like, but the eggs are still delicious with pepper only.

Kopi and eggs comes to about S$1.90.