Gluten free Chinese food is hard to come by. Soy sauce normally contains wheat flour and even when you do find a rare item on the menu you can eat, it’s likely the wok is cross-contaminated with gluten. For a lot of coeliacs (myself included) not being able to order a ‘normal’ Chinese take-away is hard. Really, really hard.
A few people have been asking me about gluten free Chinese recipes, so I thought I’d start with one of the foods I’d love to have from the Chinese – spicy Singapore fried rice. This vibrant rice with a spicy kick is a great side-dish – or even main meal – and is the mother in law’s favourite. When she tasted this version she said it was better than the one from our local Chinese restaurant!
A super easy gluten free meal
Fresh chilli and spring onions add a bit of fire to this recipe, and the turmeric and curry powder give the rice its zingy, yellow colour. I love the pop of green peas as well, as the juicy prawns. You could add some extra chopped ham or shredded chicken if you like too.
To make this super easy, I opted to use pre-cooked rice, which means this take about 15 minutes before it’s on your plate. Ideal if, like me, you’re constantly rushing round and getting in from work late.
Our gluten free Chinese ‘fakeaway’
The first time I made this, I paired our gluten free Singapore fried rice with some salt and pepper pork belly pieces I found in the Tesco barbecue aisle. A lot of Tesco’s barbecue food is gluten free this summer season, which is great news for coeliacs! I thought the two went really well for a simple and easy gluten free meal.
You could also try making a different gluten free Chinese dish as well to go with this, or just eat it on its own. There are lots of gluten free soy sauce options out there too, which you could use in this recipe. I used the Clearspring tamari soy sauce, but I think Kikoman do one too – you can find them in most of the free from aisles.
Gluten free Singapore fried rice
A spicy dish which makes a great main meal or side dish for a gluten free Chinese ‘fakeaway’
- 500 g pre-cooked basmati rice
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 red chilli
- 1 green chilli
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp curry powder (I used the hot one)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 200 g cooked prawns
- 120 g frozen peas
- 3 large eggs
- 5 spring onions
- If you’re cooking the basmati rice, do so by boiling as per the instructions, and drain well. This is best done the night before to ensure the rice is extra dry before frying. If you’re using pre-cooked, just cut open the packets and you’re ready!
- Slice the spring onions and chillis. Set aside a small handful for topping the finished dish.
- Add the turmeric, garam masala and curry powder to a large wok and fry until fragrant. Then add the coconut oil and melt.
- Add the chilli, garlic and spring onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a med/high heat, until soft.
- Next add the rice, prawns and peas to the pan. Stir fry, mixing well until the whole mixture is combined with the spices. Fry for 4-5 minutes until hot through.
- In a jug, beat the eggs with the soy sauce. Push the rice to the side of the pan and pour the egg into the gap you’ve created.
- Stir the eggs until they are starting to solidify, then stir through with the rice until the whole lot is combined.
- Serve topped with the leftover chilli and rice, straight from the pan.
Serves two as a main, or four as a side dish.
Are there any gluten free Chinese takeaway items you really miss? Please comment below and let me know or tag me on my Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter. I love a challenge!
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Hi Jane my partner is struggling to find a good recipe for gluten free bread she has tried several recipes but all are very far from ideal
Kind regards Colin and Jane