Inculcating healthier practices for greater self-care has been a prominent trend, according to the Godrej Food Trend Report 2021. And a health-related practice that is commonly being discussed these days is avoiding gluten.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye and if you’re sensitive or intolerant to it, it can have some serious downsides. For a foodie, especially, one of the biggest blows is that common comfort foods such as pizza, burger, or cake could go off the table.

But there is hope. What if you could whip up some easy comfort foods that don’t require sourcing fancy substitutes? Yes, we mean skipping the almond flour, tapioca starch, soy milk and xantham gum, among other stuff.

Let’s dig in.

Burrito bowl

A burrito bowl can be just as tasty as its wrap-based counterpart. All you need to do is layer the ingredients of a classic burrito in a bowl. To make the sauce, add some Godrej Refined Sunflower Oil to a pan and cook down tomato puree and finely chopped onion and garlic till it forms a mushy paste. Add some cooked kidney beans to this and sauté it for around 10 minutes. Make a delicious sauteed veggie-based mix by stir-frying bell peppers, onion, sweet corn, carrots and chopped Real Good Chicken breast pieces in red chilli flakes, dried herbs and salt.

To assemble the burrito bowl, spread a layer of cooked rice at the bottom of the container, and alternate with layers of the stir-fried chicken and vegetables, the sauce and grated cheese. Repeat the layers if your bowl is big enough and there you have it, a delicious comforting burrito bowl! You can even convert this colourful meal into a baked dish — simply layer the ingredients in a glass baking dish and leave it in a pre-heated oven at 180° Celsius for around 10 minutes or till the cheese turns brown or melts (if using mozzarella).

Stir-fried fries

This is a quick and easy recipe which can be whipped up before a party too! You can either fry store bought frozen fries or cook the fries from scratch. Just check the ingredient list for gluten, if buying ready-to-cook fries. Mix chilli sauce, honey, vinegar, soya sauce and salt in a bowl. In a pan, stir fry sliced spring onions and green peppers. Add the sauce, followed by the fries. Toss until the fries are evenly coated with the sauce. And there you go, enjoy classic French fries with a twist!

Potato and cheese layered omelette

While an omelette is a great way to drive away the blues, potato and some gooey, melty cheese will only enhance its comfort quotient. Using a mandoline, thinly shave some potatoes or finely slice them with a knife. Heat some oil in a pan and spread a layer of the potato slices and let them cook for a while. Next, add a layer of grated cheese and spread it evenly across the potato shavings. Finally, add eggs that have been whisked with any seasonings you like and/or some finely chopped onions and tomatoes. Make sure to flip the omelette and cook the other side as well. And there you have a decadent layered omelette you can whip up in no time!

Desi poppers

Take some fresh jalapenos, slice them open vertically and scoop out the seeds. Make sure you wear gloves while doing this or wash your hands soon after. Next, make the filling by mixing boiled and mashed potatoes, salt and spice powders — cumin, coriander, garam masala, dried ginger (sonth), turmeric, and chilli. Stuff the sliced jalapenos with the filling and top with grated cheese. Bake the poppers in a pre-heated oven for about 7-10 minutes and serve hot. You can replace the jalapenos with some bell peppers if they aren’t readily available!

Pizza

That’s right. You can enjoy a gluten-free pizza by replacing wheat flour with sorghum (jowar), buckwheat (kuttu), pearl millet (bajra) or rice flour to prepare the base. To make a quick base, knead together the flour of your choice, active dry yeast, a little sugar, warm water and Godrej Refined Sunflower Oil. Knead the ingredients thoroughly until the dough comes together. Let it rest for an hour. Dust the dough generously with the gluten-free flour you’ve chosen before rolling it out into a circular shape. Pre-heat the oven at 250° Celsius and bake the crust in the oven for around 10 minutes or till it turns light brown. Remove the base, add the toppings of your choice and once again bake the pizza in the oven for another 15 minutes. Who says you can’t enjoy a pizza if you’re gluten intolerant?

While there is no dearth of gluten-based comfort food dishes out there, there are enough and more options to create one’s own gluten-free food heaven.

Do you know of any other interesting gluten-free comfort food recipes? Tell us in the comment section below.