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I would say that just about everything would be gluten-free except for breads and breaded foods, although anything breaded in chickpea flour would be fine.

 

What Indian food would be naturally gluten free? (no wheat, barley or rye--this includes soy sauce) I have 2 kids who are gluten intolerant, but can stand a small amount of cross-contamination, so in general, common cooking areas are ok.
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I would say that just about everything would be gluten-free except for breads and breaded foods, although anything breaded in chickpea flour would be fine.

Sometimes, in various cuisines, when a particular grain is mentioned as the breading grain, mention of the other grains used is omitted (except in the ingredient list). For example, something might have corn breading--but usually wheat is in there also.

 

Have you breaded anything in just chickpea flour? Does Indian foods that are breaded in chickpea flour contain only chickpea flour?

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Sometimes, in various cuisines, when a particular grain is mentioned as the breading grain, mention of the other grains used is omitted (except in the ingredient list). For example, something might have corn breading--but usually wheat is in there also.

 

Have you breaded anything in just chickpea flour? Does Indian foods that are breaded in chickpea flour contain only chickpea flour?

 

With Indian food, when chickpea flour is used, it is not blended with any other type of flour. (While I did not inherit the cooking gene, I spent years watching/helping my mom cook.)

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Amelia,

 

Following is a link to a recipe for pakora (gram flour is chickpea flour). Aside from breads and pastries like samosa, all which are pretty easily identified, wheat isn't as common an ingredient in Indian cuisine. Dosa, uthapaam, vada, idli, etc. are all made with fermented lentils and rice, so gluten-free as well. I think anyone with a gluten allergy could do quite well with Indian, all long as they take care to confirm the ingredients with the kitchen. Just because something is normally prepared a certain way doesn't mean someone hasn't gotten it in their head to make a substitution or sneak something in.

 

http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pakora-recipe-basic-pakora-recipe/

 

Bechi

Edited by pf778c
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What Indian food would be naturally gluten free?

 

You didn't mention any cruise line specifically, but I can tell you that RC has a special needs department who can also help you out with making sure dining choices are available. I would assume the other lines do something similar. Just ask your travel agent or booking agent if you are dealing direct.

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  • 2 weeks later...
With Indian food, when chickpea flour is used, it is not blended with any other type of flour. (While I did not inherit the cooking gene, I spent years watching/helping my mom cook.)

Thanks!

 

Amelia,

 

Following is a link to a recipe for pakora (gram flour is chickpea flour). Aside from breads and pastries like samosa, all which are pretty easily identified, wheat isn't as common an ingredient in Indian cuisine. Dosa, uthapaam, vada, idli, etc. are all made with fermented lentils and rice, so gluten-free as well. I think anyone with a gluten allergy could do quite well with Indian, all long as they take care to confirm the ingredients with the kitchen. Just because something is normally prepared a certain way doesn't mean someone hasn't gotten it in their head to make a substitution or sneak something in.

 

http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/pakora-recipe-basic-pakora-recipe/

 

Bechi

Thanks!

 

You didn't mention any cruise line specifically, but I can tell you that RC has a special needs department who can also help you out with making sure dining choices are available. I would assume the other lines do something similar. Just ask your travel agent or booking agent if you are dealing direct.

We'll be on Carnival Dream. There is a special needs team. I plan on speaking to them, and I've read a lot about how Carnival handles gluten intolerances, so that has been helpful. But since I know very little about Indian food and especially in terms of gluten, I want to educate myself ahead of time.

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The best curry I have had on a cruise has been Celebrity's offering. They even had a curry station at breakfast which at first was only visited by a few mad Brits (inc myself) but by the end of the cruise it had a queue to get to it. :)

 

As for gluten free I wanted to add a word of caution. While typical curries,rice and tandoor meats on a cruise or in a generic buffet style land restuarant contain no flour some pakoras/bhajis etc sometimes have added normal flour to the chickpea flour as its cheaper. Now obviously an authenic Indian restuarant would never do this but it does happen at mass catering establishments so check before eating those types of things.We found this out when my celiac friend asked a chef what she could have in an Indian buffet section on land and he told her to stay away from all of the fried pakora style things.

 

Oh and I wanted to add that if you live in the UK curry has always been 'in'. Its sort of our second cuisine and as I have always told my US friends and Americans who have asked me on the ship what curry is like...If you like Caribbean curries and the curry sauce you get in Cantonese takeaways then you are more likely to like an Indian curry of some type.

Edited by Velvetwater
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I like to eat the vegetarian entrees in the dining room, and I like the taste of Indian food. So, I always choose it when I see it. MSC had the worst ever! The peas were hard as rocks!

 

 

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The best curry I have had on a cruise has been Celebrity's offering. They even had a curry station at breakfast which at first was only visited by a few mad Brits (inc myself) but by the end of the cruise it had a queue to get to it.

 

I mentioned a few pages back, but on our last Alaska cruise with RC they had Indian food at breakfast as well:

 

"Breakfast.... on one side of one buffet they had a daily veg curry and also sheera (a sweet dish that other members of my family said is the same texture as a firm corn meal pudding). I'll also add that right beside that was a Chinese breakfast of fried rice and veg and also congee. On the other side was an scrambled egg dish that appeared to be popular amongst the Indian pax, but I'm not sure if it was actually Indian or not."

 

My personal observation is west coast cruises tend to offer more Asian style foods on the buffet (probably because there are more pax from those countries on the cruise).

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Indian food is just one of those things. Either you love it or you hate it. I personally love it and am glad that it is available since i dont get a lot of chance to eat it at home. As previously mentioned by other posters, many Indian dishes are vegetarian friendly and im sure are a welcome change from salads and steamed vegis.

 

 

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I <SNIP>

In addition, nothing to do with Indian food but if this were about those fertilized chicken eggs that people open and eat then I'd also say gross, nasty, and ewww! ;)

 

I must admit, the bottom of the barrel would be looking quite good when the other option was fertilized chicken eggs. Like I've said before, I haven't gotten quite that hungry yet.:eek: But anyone who wants my share is welcome to them--enjoy!

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<SNIP>

Oh and FWIW I'm having Indian food next month for my work's quarterly lunch. Our Indian co-worker always suggests it. She will guide us on our choices. Maybe I'll find something different that I like.

Good luck and good eating!

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  • 2 weeks later...
I have to do this, sorry.

 

For those who are saying they can't stand "Indian food" because it is nasty-looking/tasting/smelling curry: How about we introduce some other ethnic foods into the buffet so you can "taste the world":

Thai curry (red, green, massaman)

Indonesian curry (gulai)

Japanese curry (kare)

Jamaican goat curry

Egyptian ful

 

I love South Asian/Middle East food. I don't do red meat, so these wonderful dishes serve a purpose of having something with flavor to eat instead of the usual bland pasta offerings. those pastas either have the boring tomato sauce or nasty cream sauce (aka "Alfredo"). My little town has 2 Indian restaurants, 1 Vietnamese restaurant, 1 Israeli/Jordanian restaurant, and 1 Thai restaurant. I hit these up frequently because I can get a well-spiced (well-spiced does not equate to spicy) meal. I'm picky about my fish and seafood - I won't eat it just anywhere, so I'll stick to vegetarian most of the time.

I'll leave the boring beef to everyone else...

 

Every curry I've ever tried has a strong flavor of turmeric and I think I've narrowed it down to that spice as the flavor I don't care for. Do any of these curries skip turmeric?

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Every curry I've ever tried has a strong flavor of turmeric and I think I've narrowed it down to that spice as the flavor I don't care for. Do any of these curries skip turmeric?

 

Thai red or green curry does not have turmeric.

 

To the previous post, I have also seen Thai and I believe Indonesian style dishes at lunch (on RC, but can't comment as to authenticity).

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Turmeric is a very popular spice in Indian cooking, but as it imparts a yellowish hue to dishes, avoiding any yellowish/orangey curries should give you a generally better chance of enjoying your meal if you do not care for the flavor. In general, the brighter the curry, the more potential for turmeric in the recipe.

 

Bechi

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  • 3 weeks later...
Good luck and good eating!

 

 

Well small update. Had Indian at a local place today. It was okay. I didn't hate anything and didn't find it disgusting. I would not choose to go back. It was South Indian and it wasn't bad but really just not my thing. If a group wanted to go for it I wouldn't push the issue but it would never be on my list of regular meals.

 

Turmeric is a very popular spice in Indian cooking, but as it imparts a yellowish hue to dishes, avoiding any yellowish/orangey curries should give you a generally better chance of enjoying your meal if you do not care for the flavor. In general, the brighter the curry, the more potential for turmeric in the recipe.

 

Bechi

 

Oh and one of the best dishes today was a goat curry. The sauce was brown, no turmeric flavor at all and I enjoyed it.

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There are no indian food on the Carnival buffet. Only a veg dish at the fine dinning.

 

Tumeric is good for you. It is a anti inflammation food. Go google it.

 

How sad to hear that about Carnival; :( this will go into our decision-making for near-future cruises.

 

And quite a lot of standard yellow "table" mustards have turmeric as a flavorant/colorant. It is also the orange exterior of muenster cheese.

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I have to do this, sorry.

 

For those who are saying they can't stand "Indian food" because it is nasty-looking/tasting/smelling curry: How about we introduce some other ethnic foods into the buffet so you can "taste the world":

Thai curry (red, green, massaman)

Indonesian curry (gulai)

Japanese curry (kare)

Jamaican goat curry

Egyptian ful

Fuul! Yes!!!! The food that built the pyramids! Protein and fiber and good fats (olive oil) and carbs (from the pita)...

 

And Koshari, and baba ganouj and hummas with garlic, and...

Sorry. I _like_ Middle Eastern food, too!:hearteyes:

 

I love South Asian/Middle East food. I don't do red meat, so these wonderful dishes serve a purpose of having something with flavor to eat instead of the usual bland pasta offerings. those pastas either have the boring tomato sauce or nasty cream sauce (aka "Alfredo"). My little town has 2 Indian restaurants, 1 Vietnamese restaurant, 1 Israeli/Jordanian restaurant, and 1 Thai restaurant. I hit these up frequently because I can get a well-spiced (well-spiced does not equate to spicy) meal. I'm picky about my fish and seafood - I won't eat it just anywhere, so I'll stick to vegetarian most of the time.

I'll leave the boring beef to everyone else...

Having shared a household with a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I, too, have come to appreciate flavorful food over just large slabs of meat.

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There are no indian food on the Carnival buffet. Only a veg dish at the fine dinning.

 

.

 

Not true for some ships...some of them have a tandoor

 

Dream class ships (Dream, Magic and Breeze) all have a Tandoor.

 

I have a feeling the Splendor has it to and it might have been on another ship or so but has since been removed.

 

https://www.carnival.com/cruise-food/tandoor

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  • 4 weeks later...

I love food and I love to cook...I started cooking when I was 10 years old and worked my way through college 50 years ago at various kitchens and finally at one of the best kitchens in Boston...The Ritz Carlton. I apprenticed under a great Russian chef and a great French chef.

 

I love Indian food...and I cook Indian food on special occasions. I learned Indian cooking in my travels to London in the 70's.

 

My big complaint with serving Indian food onboard ships is that they never seem to have the necessary condiments that are required for a decent Indian meal. Most of the time they prepare the main dish decently but they fail to include all the condiments. I even offered to show the Chef on the RCI Jewel of the Seas how to make a good chutney! All I got for a response was a blank stare. HP Sauce and curry just does not cut it...IMHO.

 

I think that Indian food as an addition to the Noon buffet is a great idea. I just wish they would do it right.

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The Wok Station on some NCL ships is what makes eating in the buffet so enjoyable. Such a great selection of Far Eastern Food: Indian, Thai, Korean. etc. Beats burgers, fries, hot dogs, pizza and pasta any time - for us. If, as suggested, the food should reflect the area the ship is cruising in, what would we eat on our T/As? Non-stop fish and other seafood?

 

 

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(SNIP)

My big complaint with serving Indian food onboard ships is that they never seem to have the necessary condiments that are required for a decent Indian meal. Most of the time they prepare the main dish decently but they fail to include all the condiments. I even offered to show the Chef on the RCI Jewel of the Seas how to make a good chutney! All I got for a response was a blank stare. HP Sauce and curry just does not cut it...IMHO.

 

I think that Indian food as an addition to the Noon buffet is a great idea. I just wish they would do it right.

You're preaching to the choir, here. I did miss pickle and chutney when diving into the Indian section of the Windjammer.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The Wok Station on some NCL ships is what makes eating in the buffet so enjoyable. Such a great selection of Far Eastern Food: Indian, Thai, Korean. etc. Beats burgers, fries, hot dogs, pizza and pasta any time - for us. If, as suggested, the food should reflect the area the ship is cruising in, what would we eat on our T/As? Non-stop fish and other seafood?

 

 

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It's always nice to have a change of food selections. I get to the point by the third day of feeling full and tired of eating. The Wok Station or Chinese/Indian Sections are a nice change from the standard fare. I have been on RCI many times but I don't ever recall booking RCI because of their food...lol. They are basic nuts and bolts. Funny you mention Transatlantics. You end up with whatever they want to get rid of before they arrive in the US or Europe. I remember one crossing on RCI from GB and we had mountains of British bangers for breakfast...and they were really good!!

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