Photo of today's lunch taken by Ms. Jen with her Nokia n95
Tues 07.08.08 - Ever since Julie Wanda introduced me to India Sweets and Spices in the Fall of 2000, I have been in love. I love the hot food counter at this great little Indian grocery store in Tustin.
My first love at India Sweets and Spices was the Spring Dosa, a dosa (large rice / lentil crepe) with fresh vegetables folded into a nice triangle. Then the guy who made the Spring Dosas left for parts unknown. I lamented but moved onto ordering the Masala Dosa every time I went for lunch at India Sweets and Spices. Then a year or two later, all Dosas were cut from the menu. Shock, horror, leaving me to the regular lunch special.
Then I started driving to Udupi Palace in Artesia for my South Indian dosa fix (although I really don't like the Spring Dosa at UP), but for every day lunches, I kept returning to India Sweets and Spices for their lovely, cheap, veggie hot lunches. Each day they offer a rotating selection of 6 veg and pulses choice from the hot buffet.
India Sweets and Spices is the main place for my Pea-a-Palooza festivals as they regularly serve peas & cheese (Mattar Paneer), as well as Potatoes and Peas. Most of all I like the surprise of showing up and looking at the six lunch hot choices, choosing two for my $4.99 plate which will also include rice, raita, fresh crunchy veg plus a lime pickle or two.
Due to my gluten-free life, I usually get a rice/lentil papad or two instead of the wheat-ful chapati or poori. The nice folks who run the lunch counter at India Sweets and Spices in Tustin are very accommodating about substitutions.
The best part is the six picnic tables of which one eats at in the middle of the grocery store. When it is busy, the proprietors sometimes will ask you to share a table. I met Scruffy's vet, Dr. Kali of North Tustin Veterinary Clinic, here about 4 years ago at lunch while sharing a table.
India Sweet and Spices has good hot food, great prices, and it can be sociable as well.
India Sweet and Spices, Tustin
14441 Newport Avenue
Tustin, Ca 92780
(714) 731-2910
Just so you know, a lot of Indian Dishes have Hing (Asafoetida) which has wheat flour added to it so that it is a smooth flowing powder form.
South Indian Restaurants like Udipi Palace use Hing in a lot of their Dishes.
Also many times, the Dosas and Idlis are made from Rawa (cream of wheat) instead of Rice. Or Even if you order a Rice Dosa, it will be made on the same griddle as the Rawa Dosa (I don't know how sensitive your stomach is and whether a slight contamination bothers you).
You have to be very careful and ask questions beforehand.
Good Luck.
Hi M.,
I have learned what I can can and can't eat at both India Sweets & Spices and at Udupi Palace; I have asked about the papaddum, idlis and dosas. At both places the ingredients are lentils & rice. I make sure I avoid the Rava Dosas, they look lovely and lacey but no.
I generally can eat things cooked on the same grill, but if it is dusted in wheat flour then I have troubles (see my post of the evils of Empress Pavillion). I probably should be more careful about cross-contamination, but I don't want to eat every darned meal at home.
I ran a google search on Hing, and there are several brands that are 100% gluten free, I just need to ask what brand is being used.
I love Indian food and have found it to be pretty safe here in the US, if I stick to South Indian and avoid the sweets. But when I was in India in Feb, the farther north I traveled, the more troubles I encountered.
Thanks for your input, if you know of any other ingredients used in Indian food that might have gluten in them, please let me know.
Hi Ms. Jen,
I have Celiac Disease myself and an of Indian Origin. I cook Indian food at home all the time and am very familiar with Indian ingredients.
Hing in its purest form is gluten-free however it is a hard rock and it is very difficult to use it in that form- it takes a lot of effort to powder it, which almost all restaurant will not do.
The Hing available in the market has wheat flour (I have read online that there are some brands that use rice flour instead, but I have not come across such a brand yet. Most Rstaurants add Rava or Maida )flour) to their Dosas to make it tastier. There are a few restaurants that don't add. I'm not sure about Up, but Tirupathi Bhima's in Artesia does add it. I have found that Woodlands restaurant in Artesia has Gluten-free Dosas and Idlis. Also try their Uthapam which is a thick Dosa with veggie toppings.
All Restaurants serve their Dosas with Sambhars and all Sambhars have Hing. So, avoid Sambhars completely. I make Sambhar at home without Hing.
If you need any Gluten-free Indian recipes, let me know.
I eat out at Indian restaurants, but I prefer north Indian restaurants to eat curries- because they usually don't add hing. But always ask them first.