Who needs wheat to make pizza?

In 2009 when Akshay Patil discovered that his body was intolerant to gluten mdash a protein found in grains such as wheat barley and rye mdash he stopped eating out completely Diagnosed with celiac disease Patil was given strict orders by his family doctor He was not to consume gluten found in beer chapattis and most cakes at all It seemed too much effort to ensure that the food he was being served at restaurants was completely devoid of gluten So when Patil found out that his friend Abhishek Honawar was setting up a restaurant he ensured that the menu included a glutenfree item That is how the nowpopular Red Millet Pancakes landed up on the menu of The Pantry at Kala Ghoda The chef uses red millet flour instead of using refined flour or maida Chef Amit Chaudhary offers a slice of glutenfree pizza topped with arugula leaves and cherry tomatoes Pic Pradeep Dhivaru00a0 ldquoNow after all these years I eat out a little more often but I usually limit myself to dal and ricerdquo says Patil A trip to Suzette a creperie at Nariman Point is an indulgence he allows himself once in a while ldquoI go there for a dose of crepes sometimes Luckily their savoury pancakes are all glutenfreerdquo says 32 yearold Patil a litigation lawyer A welcome change What may come as great news to Patil is that there are other restaurants in the city that have introduced glutenfree options too Otto Infinito which opened at Bandra Kurla Complex in August this year serves glutenfree pasta made with chestnut flour And soon Carter Roadrsquos Corniche will serve both glutenfree pizza and pasta Jeetesh Kaprani feels it is essential to have glutenfree options on the menu so that people who suffer from gluten intolerance do not walk out of their restaurant without eating anything because of a lack of options Pic Sunil Tiwari ldquoGluten intolerance isnrsquot very common in Mumbai But we have had customers coming in with an allergen card stating everything they are allergic tordquo says Jeetesh Kaprani vice president operations Ka Hospitality which has set up Hakkasan Yauatcha and Otto Infinito The Mediterranean cuisinersquos glutenfree pasta is not the most popular dish at the restaurant admits Kaprani ldquoHowever it is essential for us to have it on the menu so that people who suffer from gluten intolerance know that there is something available to them here It would be a shame if a patron walked out of our restaurant without eating anything because of a lack of optionsrdquo he feels Bandra W has a large expat community and Corniche a multicuisine restaurant caters to them as well Quite a few have made requests for glutenfree food in the past ldquoThat is one of the reasons I decided to try and incorporate glutenfree options on the menurdquo reveals Amit Chaudhary head chef at Corniche which opened its doors to the city in 2011 They plan to introduce a wheatless pizza within 10 days Chaudhary uses a combination of soya flour and moong dal flour to create the base for his wheatless pizza ldquoCreating this pizza wasnrsquot much of a challenge for me But making the perfect combination for pasta dough is proving difficult I have given myself a 10day deadline by which time both the glutenfree pasta and pizza will be on the menurdquo he says enthusiastically But Paediatric Gastroenterologist Dr Vishnu Biradar is extremely sceptical ldquoFor a celiac patient even one particle of gluten in 10 lakh particles of flour can cause trouble Restaurants need to get their food tested in a lab before they can stamp their food as glutenfreerdquo he says Why lose the wheat Having glutenfree crepes on the menu wasnrsquot a question of choice for the owners of Suzette ldquoTraditionally in northwest France savoury crepes are made of buckwheat which is glutenfree It is the flour ground from the seed of a plant We wanted to stick to tradition But that apart my mother suffers from celiac disease so glutenfree foods have always been a priority for usrdquo says Antonia Achache owner and director of Suzette adding that her mother visits Mumbai once every year ldquoThe expat community in Mumbai is more aware about the benefits of avoiding gluten in their dietrdquo claims Lubna Khan manager at Corniche In the West often going glutenfree is more of a choice than a compulsion The trend is now slowly seeping into Mumbai too ldquoMumbaiites are definitely more conscious of what they eat nowrdquo says Abhishek Honawar owner of The Pantry Perhaps this is one of the reasons why their Red Millet Pancakes are so popular A glutenfree diet is believed to be easier on the digestive system Thirtyseven yearold Sushma Awatramani believes that going glutenfree has given her a lot more energy ldquoI stopped eating gluten years ago I suffer from a combination of allergies and I am constantly down with sinus or with a cold Apart from the gluten I think the chemicals in wheat didnrsquot suit me Doing away with wheat has helped me live a far healthier liferdquo says Awatramani who retails glutenfree soya sauce among several other health products Andheri resident Sheetal Vanjari a regular at Corniche is extremely excited about the introduction of the glutenfree pizza ldquoOne of my friends is sensitive to gluten and she has had a terrible time in the past She only eats out when she goes to Hong Kong where she travels for work oftenrdquo says Vanjari ldquoMy body may not be intolerant to gluten but I am very keen on eating healthy I eat out a lot and perhaps that is why it excites me more when healthy options are introduced on menusrdquo she adds Poor manrsquos food According to homeopath Lubina Mohammed there is still a tremendous lack of awareness about the benefits of going glutenfree The 42 yearold says she has a terrible time getting patients to give up wheat even if it is temporarily ldquoGluten sensitivity can cause uneasiness At such times it is recommended that you lay off wheat and other gluten products There are so many options available mdash red millet ragi amaranth mdash but people are too used to consuming wheatrdquo rues Mohammed But while restaurants are warming up to glutenfree foods now bajra jawar and nachni have been used instead of wheat for generations in Indian homes ldquoThe trouble is that these flours are considered to be the poor manrsquos foodrdquo says Kaprani That perception is certainly changing Rasesh Vissanji founder of Samskara Wellness a social business retails a range of organic glutenfree products including Pearl Millet Rava Amaranth ldquoWe have close to 1000 customers in the city The belief is that glutenfree foods aid digestion and reduce acidity bloating and constipation among other health benefitsrdquo says Vissanji u00a0 Gluten intolerant and donrsquot even know it Celiac disease a permanent sensitivity to gluten is considered to be a genetic disorder In 2008 paediatric gastroenterologist Dr Vishnu Biradar set up a celiac registry in Pune ldquoWe conduct endoscopic exams a biopsy and a special blood test which helps us diagnose the disease From 10 patients in 2008 the number has gone up to 200rdquo says Dr Biradar blaming lack of awareness for the low number of cases Biradar who makes a trip to Mumbai once a week has been actively trying to create greater awareness about celiac disease When celiac patients consume wheat the surface area of their intestines is reduced leading to symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea ldquoChildren often come in with Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS It is important to get them tested for celiac diseaserdquo he adds u00a0 u00a0 Where tou00a0get what gtgt Glutenfree soy sauce At La Devi Call 9821112626 Sushma Seksariau00a0 gtgtu00a0Glutenfree flours At Samskara Wellness Call 66364970 Faiyaz or Nidau00a0 gtgtu00a0Glutenfree cake mixu00a0 At Godrej Naturersquos Basket all outlets