It's great news that there are plenty of healthy grains to cook with if you plan on trying a gluten-free diet. While their tastes and textures may differ significantly from one another, they may all share one thing in common: their adaptability. These gluten-free grains can be used in a wide range of culinary applications. Use them for cooking morning porridge, and top it with your favourite dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Another option can be quinoa with maple syrup and cinnamon for breakfast. Substitute them for white rice when serving vegetarian dishes like curry, stir-fry, or Indian lentil-based dishes. Adding a handful of these gluten-free grains benefits from soups, gravies, stews, and many salads.
Corn
The corn we use as grain differs from the sweet corn sold in cans, freezer bags, and on the cob. Polenta, cornmeal, and cornflakes come from field corn, while hominy, grits, tortillas, tortilla chips, and popcorn come from flint corn. Regardless of their similarities in preparation, polenta and grits are quite different foods, despite having the same nutrient profile, flavour profile, and adaptability.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is gluten-free, regardless of the name. Buckwheat groats, the unprocessed form of the grain, can be found both untoasted and toasted. You can simmer it with a ratio of two parts water to one part grain. The earthy taste of buckwheat is substantially enhanced by the toasting process. Buckwheat can be used in many diverse ways once cooked, such as porridge, a side dish, a pilaf, salads, and even in casseroles. In addition to wheat flour, buckwheat flour can be used in baking.
Buckwheat and apple pancakes, Image Source: Pexels
Sorghum
Sorghum has a long history of use in North American food and beverage industries, most notably as a sweetener known as sorghum molasses and an animal feed. As opposed to this, it has been in use for hundreds of years in India and a few other Asian countries. It is used to make flatbreads, crepes, and pancakes and is known as jowar. Sorghum's popularity as a grain has surged recently due to the rising demand for gluten-free options. In the kitchen, sorghum can be substituted for wheat flour. You can make it like risotto and serve it with salads, stir-fries, and other veggies.
Oats
Steel-cut rolled and instant oats are just some of the varieties available. There are two varieties of rolled oats available: standard and quick-cooking. While oats are gluten-free, they may be contaminated with wheat if processed in a facility that also handles wheat. Try to find oats that are guaranteed to be gluten-free.
Amaranth
Since that amaranth is botanically a seed, not a grain, it is classified as a pseudocereal. Amaranth can be prepared similarly to rice and oats by simmering it, with one key difference: while rice only requires as much liquid as it can absorb, amaranth requires more. This is due to the amaranth's high starch content, which is released during cooking and significantly increases the thickness of the cooking liquid. Hence, before serving, amaranth must be drained and rinsed. The crunchiness of its exterior complements the nutty and mildly spicy taste of its interior.
Quinoa
Quinoa is a pseudo-grain that tastes somewhat nutty and is quite fluffy. The white quinoa is the softest, while the red variety has a nutty flavour, and the black type is exceptionally crunchy. Quinoa is a complete protein because it has all nine essential amino acids. Due to its high protein content, quinoa pairs well with savoury proteins like chicken or fish, but it also works well as the star of a sweet breakfast bowl.
Cooked quinoa meal, Image Source: Unsplash
Teff
The Ethiopian flatbread known as injera is made from teff, a grain native to the country. Although it is commonly considered a grain, teff is a seed and does not contain gluten. To manufacture injera, the teff seeds are pounded into flour and then fermented. Similar to polenta, teff grains become gelatinous when cooked. Similarly, how leftover polenta can be sliced and pan-fried, cooked teff can harden somewhat when chilled. Teff can be used as a thickener in soups, and it is particularly delicious in pancakes and pastries.
Finger millet
Alternative gluten-free grains include finger millet. Ragi, Nachani, Mandia, and many other names refer to the same ancient Indian grain. It can be used to thicken soups, bread, beverages, and even as a pancake or waffle flour substitute. As a whole grain, it can stand in for glutinous rice varieties.