Just because you are allergic to foods or ingredients commonly found in American supermarkets and restaurants, you don’t have to settle for yet another meal involving the same old “safe” ingredients prepared “as usual”.
Southeast Asian ingredients, found in ethnic markets and increasingly in local supermarkets too, are dazzling gems waiting to burst forth from the food allergy treasure chest. Best of all, many of them can be tasty substitutes for ingredients that may have become “off-limits” due to allergies, plus Southeast Asian ingredients offer new flavors and textures to revitalize your drooping spirit as well as your tastebuds.
You are Not Alone
While it is estimated currently that 12 million Americans are allergic to one or more of “Top 8” most common food allergies in the United States (wheat/gluten, eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and soy), there is growing evidence of an increase in the number of people enduring less commonly seen food allergies such as sesame, mustard, corn, rice, tomato, citrus, and sunflower. If you or someone you know is only too familiar with the daily challenge of figuring out what to eat safely and enjoyably when your ingredient list is limited by food allergies, read on!
First, though, it is important to note that foods eaten very frequently can cause food sensitivity and ultimately induce allergic reactions, so the more varied the types of food you eat and the frequency with which you eat them, the better your chances of avoiding allergic reactions – not to mention gaining new sources of nutrition and flavor. Furthermore, foods that come from a small food family may be less likely to cause allergenic reactions, which is great news because some of the foods you will find in ethnic markets are sole edible members within their own botanical families (examples include pineapple, from the Pineapple Family or Bromeliaceae, and pili nut, from the Incense Tree Family or Burseraceae). Just be careful not to consume those foods in excess or you’ll still risk developing an allergy to them.
Ethnic Treasures
With all the challenges that food allergies can pose to your eating options, what a welcome relief to discover a trove of amazing treasures among the cuisines of the world – all you have to do is turn to ethnic markets and open the door to myriad foods that can either replace or enhance hitherto problematic ingredients. Even if you don’t have food allergies, you may be happily surprised to find some heretofore unknown but irresistible alternatives for your next meal.
One of the most bountiful among those treasures is food native to Southeast Asia – a diverse and versatile group of ingredients which makes an appearance in so many world cuisines that it is often hard to tell where they started out. Fortunately for us, where they ended up is here in the USA, as you can now find Southeast Asian ingredients in shops and markets often designated as “Oriental” but which have offerings historically found in the cuisines of the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and Burma. Usually these stores also carry foods and ingredients from countries neighboring that region, such as China, Japan, and India.
Spanning such a large area of the world, it is no surprise that Southeast Asian ingredients and their preparation can vary enormously. For example, you can get coconut sugar (sometimes called palm sugar) from Thailand, coconut vinegar from the Philippines, and coconut oil for cooking from Indonesia while of course coconut milk is used throughout Southeast Asia to make curries, soups, and sauces.
On the other hand, salam leaf (also called Indonesian bay leaf), seems to be unique to Indonesia. Some Southeast Asian ingredients are used the same way in very different countries or dishes, particularly if the purpose is to add a certain flavor, texture, or color. For instance, rice paddy herb (also known as ngo om) is used for its lemony flavor in both Vietnam and Cambodia.
For people whose meal choices are limited by food allergies, Southeast Asia offers so many enticing possibilities of ingredients which can be used as an alternative to any number of other ingredients. Among these are unripe/brined jackfruit to replace chicken in stews (jackfruit “chips” are also sold in Oriental stores and make an interesting alternative to potato chips!) or jujube berries (also known as red dates) to replace either fresh or dried cranberries.
Where to Start
Look for the following ingredients not only in Southeast Asian or Oriental markets but also in some Japanese, Indian, Korean, and even Latin American food stores. Additionally, an increasingly wide range of Southeast Asian ingredients can be found in the ethnic foods aisle at your local supermarket and at gourmet supermarkets like WholeFoods. I encourage you to explore beyond the foods listed here and refer to the below links for suggestions on how to use these wonderful alternatives to your advantage when you want to eat safe but can no longer endure monotony in your meals:
- Bilimbi (kamias) fruit/juice: ½ tsp. bilimbi juice = 1 tsp. lemon/lime juice; 1 T. bilimbi juice = 1½ T. lemon/lime juice powder; add fresh chopped or boiled and strained bilimbi fruit for lemony flavor in drinks or cooked foods; substitute chopped bilimbi fruit for green (unripe) tomato in salsa
- Breadfruit: use cooked chunks in place of white potato
- Black sapote (black persimmon): adds mild chocolate flavor to puddings/desserts
- Chinese potato (arrowhead, arrowroot tuber): use cooked chunks in place of white potato
- Chinese artichokes (chorogi, crosnes): substitute whole cooked ones for white potato chunks
- Chrysanthemum leaves (shungiku, tung ho): replace other greens in soups and stir fry dishes (add fresh young leaves at last minute to avoid bitterness); baby leaves can be eaten raw in salads
- Dragonfruit (pitaya, pitahaya): similar taste to kiwi (but from separate food family)
- Fish sauce (nam pla): adds salty flavor to foods (Note: may be made from anchovy, soybean, or black bean, but only versions derived from anchovy or black bean should be used if replacing soy sauce)
- Jackfruit seeds: can be used as nut butter when roasted and crushed smooth
- Lemongrass: adds lemony flavor to cooked dishes; can be used to make pleasant herbal tea
- Lotus root: use cooked chunks in place of white potato
- Lotus root flour/starch: substitute for wheat/other flour as thickener; substitute for other fine flours/starches for frying and breading
- Lotus seed: cooked seeds can be eaten like nuts
- Lychee: use in place of fresh grapes or mangosteen (similar texture, but different flavor)
- Mangosteen: use in place of fresh grapes, lychee, or rambutan (similar texture, but different flavor)
- Mung bean (green bean) flour: substitute for wheat flour/other flour as thickener; substitute for other fine flours/starches for frying and breading
- Mung bean (green bean) noodles/vermicelli: substitute for wheat noodles or other noodles
- Pili nut (kenari, Java almond): can replace other nuts in some dishes
- Rambutan: use in place of lychee, mangosteen, or fresh grapes (similar texture, but different flavor)
- Sago: substitute sago flour for other fine flours/starches as thickener and for frying or breading; use sago starch in place of animal-derived gelatin
- Shrimp paste: adds salty flavor to cooked foods
- Thai (kaffir) lime leaves: adds lemony/slightly acidic flavor to cooked dishes
- Water chestnut: substitute whole or chunks for white potato chunks in cooked dishes
- Water chestnut flour: substitute for wheat flour/other flour as thickener; substitute for other fine flours/starches for frying and breading; use in place of animal-derived gelatin
- Water spinach (kankong): replace other greens in soups and stir fry dishes
Sources
- “About Food Allergy”, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (April 15, 2011)
- Alice Richer, Food Allergies, Greenwood Press, 2009
- “Allergens”, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (April 15, 2011)
- “Allergy Statistics - Food Allergy”, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (April 15, 2011)
- “Asian Food Pyramid”, NewAsianCuisine.com (May 27, 2011)
- “Coconut Oil”, Indonesian Directorate General for National Export Development (May 29, 2011)
- “Food Allergies Around the World”, Food Allergy Living (April 15, 2011)
- “Food Allergy Around the World”, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Alliance (April 15, 2011)
- “Foods Causing Allergy”, Food Allergy Information/InformALL Database (April 15, 2011)
- “Indonesian Bay-Leaf”, Information Portal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (May 27, 2011)
- “Jackfruit”, CloveGarden.com (May 29, 2011)
- “Jujube”, California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (May 29, 2011)
- Nicolette Dumke, The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide, Adapt Books, 2006
- “Other Common Allergies”, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (April 15, 2011)
- “Palm & Coconut Sugar”, Thai Food & Travel (May 29, 2011)
- Paul J. Hannaway, On the Nature of Food Allergy, Lighthouse Press, 2007
- “Pili Nut”, Encyclopedia Britannica (May 29, 2011)
- “Rice Paddy Herb”, Culinary Herb Guide (May 29, 2011)
- “Southeast Asia”, NationsOnline.org (May 27, 2011)
- “Thai Chicken Curry in Coconut Milk”, AllRecipes.com (May 29, 2011)
Bethany Niazian - A former language teacher and business administrator, I've spent much of the past 10 years researching food allergies, finding alternative ...
