6 gluten-free Asian noodles
By Martha Cheng and Kathy YL Chan
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Being gluten-free doesn’t mean missing out on the noodle party. These days, wheat-free pastas are becoming more common, from Old Spaghetti Factory to Godmother Pasta. But while noodles at those places will do in a gluten-free pasta pinch, thanks to our Asian-dominated culture, a variety of gluten-free Asian noodles with unique textures and flavors are easy to find. Some to seek out:
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Rice noodles are probably the most accessible gluten-free substitutes, used in pad thai to pho. Ever popular Pho to Chau, with its beef pho-only menu, never disappoints. It’s beef pho all the way here, with your major choices being: small, medium or large ($7.25 to $9.25), sliced rare beef in the soup or out. Need a vegan option? Then try Nickie Cafe. Photo: Martha Cheng |
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Our favorite Thai rice noodles: Opal Thai’s stir-fried crab noodles ($12.25), tossed in the wok and minimally dressed with chili, lime and peanuts. It’s the closest we’ve found to Bangkok streets’ pad thai. Photo: Joel Chang |
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While Opal Thai accommodates vegan requests, for a raw, vegan take on pad thai, try Greens and Vines version with kelp noodles ($9.25). These springy, crunchy noodles are so much fun to eat. A kaffir miso blend offers a punchy mix of ginger and miso, rounded out by kaffir leaves that impart a floral, citrusy aroma. It’s tossed with a rainbow of veggies—bean sprouts, red cabbage, bell peppers, carrots. PHOTO: Linny Morris |
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Thin, chewy buckwheat vermicelli (yes, buckwheat is gluten-free; despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat at all) is available in most Korean restaurants around town. At Shillawon, we like it in the mulnaengmyun ($9.95), served in an iced soup and accompanied with mustard, vinegar and apple slices, and as bibimnaengmyun ($9.95), tossed with a sweet Korean red chili sauce.
Shillawon, 747 Amana St., 944-8700 Photo: Martha Cheng |
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The best chicken long rice (made with slippery cellophane noodles) is the one mom/auntie/grandma makes, but the one from Ono Hawaiian Foods on Kapahulu ($5.75) is no slouch. Shredded dark meat chicken and green onions finish off this savory, thick concoction where the silky noodles are simmered extra long, soaking up every bit of the broth. Photo: Kathy Chan |
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Sweet potato noodles are the foundation of Gina’s jap chae ($6.50), glassy noodles rich with sauteed cabbage, onions, and carrots. It’s seasoned with toasted sesame oil, shoyu* and sugar. And thanks to a heavy hand of black pepper, this jap chae is significantly more spicy than most versions in town. That is a good thing. Gina’s BBQ, 2919 Kapiolani Blvd., 735-7964
Photo: Kathy Chan * for a discussion on whether soy sauce is gluten-free: http://www.celiac.com/articles/23061/1/Is-Soy-Sauce-Gluten-free/Page1.html |
Born and raised on O‘ahu, Food & Dining editor Catherine Toth Fox worked as a newspaper reporter in Hawai‘i for more than 10 years and has freelanced—in between teaching journalism, hitting the surf and eating everything in sight—for national and local print and online publications since 1997. She earned her master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 1999, with a focus on magazine writing and publishing. And she received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, graduating with distinction in 1996. 
