Travelling as a Coeliac

On a bit of a side note, I wanted to write a brief post about our experiences of travelling with people in South East Asia who had coeliac disease. As a dietitian, I took an interest in how they were managing on a continent where beer, bread and egg noodles are everywhere and language barriers often make it very difficult to communicate specific needs.

Some of the biggest grievances that travellers who we met with coeliac disease shared with us included:

1) Paying more for alcohol as beer is the cheapest drink across South East Asia.
2) Soy sauce (non gluten free) is in the majority of dishes.
3) Cross contamination at buffets/ restaurants/ street food stalls/  organised trips where food is included.
4) Language barriers: making special requests wasn't a problem and appeared to be well understood, however a meal would then regularly be served with bread on the plate, particularly in Laos.
5) Having a lack of variety as it is easy to chose the same dishes which are known to be gluten free over and over.

Coeliac UK offer some great travel advice for a number of countries, but there are no sheets specific to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos. Here are 5 top tips to help you if you are travelling South East Asia as a Coeliac:

1) If you are going on any organised trip or tours that include meals, tell the tour operator in advance. They almost always speak very good English and can translate your dietary needs to the chef for you.
2) Look out for restaurants with open kitchens. That way it's easier to point to ingredients containing gluten and ask for them to be omitted from your order, with less communication barriers.
3) Be aware of street food as you may order a dish that is gluten free based on its ingredients, but becomes contaminated by the single wok that is used, and very rarely cleaned between dishes. Some street food options are less risky such as BBQ'd bananas, fresh fruit and smoothies, and sauce free grilled meats.
4) Stock up on gluten free snacks when you find supermarkets in big city's. Many of these are imported from Australia and so come with a higher price tag, but can prove priceless in areas where you are limited to contaminated street food and have restricted choices.
5) Be aware that gluten free eating (and drinking, if you drink alcohol) is likely to be more expensive and factor this into your daily budget. It won't always be the case, but it helps to be prepared in order to maintain your health and a varied diet.

On a final note, seek advice from people who have done it before. There are a number of travel blogs dedicated to gluten free eating abroad, with some really useful hints and tips based on first hand experience. Some examples are listed as links below:

Coeliac Backpacker

Coeliac Travel
Gluten Free Traveller

Laos

We spent a total of 8 nights in Laos, cramming in as much as possible in our short time there. From bike rides to elephant training, spending time in monasteries to tubing, we covered a wide range of activities that were at polar ends of the scale, and left us wishing we had longer to spend in this beautiful country. Our trip was divided into three parts: Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang and the food differs greatly between these regions. 

Vientiane

We only spent 2 nights in Vientiane and therefore didn't have too much time to explore the cuisine there. It was Chinese New Year: not widely celebrated in Laos, however our hostel manager was Vietnamese and he put on a complementary buffet for all of his guests. It was very difficult to differentiate the food in Vientiane from Vietnamese cuisine, as it has also maintained its french influence, with baguettes being a staple street food much like Banh Mi. Noodle soup (see full image) and pork with sticky rice are also in abundance. Here we are enjoying some in Vientiane night market.

Vang Vieng

Our main reason for visiting Vang Vieng was to go tubing. Everyone who visits Vang Vieng is visiting to go tubing. Therefore, exploring the cuisine wasn't at the top of our priority list. We did however, try the fragrant, national dish, Larb. Served with sticky rice, this dry mix of spiced mince and fresh herbs is traditionally eaten with your hands. It would be easy to confuse with Northern Thai dishes, as bamboo sticky rice is served everywhere North of Bangkok. However, many of the inhabitants in these regions originate from migrating Laotians, explaining some of the similarities that are seen between the neighbouring countries.

Luang Prabang 

Our time in Luang Prabang started less than comfortably, as we arrived at 2am on a "sleeper bus" to a deadly quiet town with boarded up guest houses and nowhere to go. After passing multiple signs saying "no vacancies", we gave up on our search for accommodation, seeking solace at a monastery. I'm sure that the Monks would have shown us great hospitality, had we not been chased out of the grounds by guard dogs, which resulted in us sleeping rough on a park bench until dawn. Sleeping rough was actually a blessing in disguise as it meant that we were awake and in a prime spot as locals and tourists alike emerged to give Alms to the Monks. Sticky rice, chocolate bars, fruits, vegetables and biscuits were just some of the offerings that were piled into the Monks metal bowls. It's an amazing experience to encounter, and you can witness it if you head to the monastery at sunrise any day of the week.  Just don't be tempted to buy offerings from the opportunistic street vendors if you arrive unprepared. The Monks consider it dirty food and throw it away after receiving it.(see full image)

Much like Northern Thailand, in Luang Prabang BBQ's are everywhere, the best being those located near to the fresh food market. Live fish in buckets and chicken in baskets clutter the stalls and surrounding streets, creating noisy obstacles and an assault course type atmosphere. Some of the live stock are a little more exotic, including turtles and frogs which are butchered on site. It's not a pleasant thing to see and is a world away from the pre-packed meat that we are so used to buying from the supermarket. However, it guarantees fresh produce and every bit of the animal is always used!

The night market is an Aladdin's cave of hand crafted souvenirs, traditional dress and of course, street food. For less than £1 you can get an all you can eat vegetarian buffet, which you can easily add meat to by picking up a kebab, sausage or a pork chop from one of the many BBQ's.(see full image)

The baguette made yet another star appearance, with row upon row of neighbouring stalls with identical menus. A highlight for me was the tuna and avocado sandwich that I washed down with a fresh fruit shake. Delicious! 

Vietnam

Where to start with this one. Vietnam is a culinary delight and without doubt, my favourite place that we visited in South East Asia. Our journey here started in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) where we were lucky enough to stay with my friend from University who lives there. Exploring as a backpacker is a great way to discover a place, but if you're shown around by a resident, it opens up whole new doors. 

International cuisine 

Ho Chi Minh has a lot of expats and so international cuisine is everywhere. In fact, some of the best international cuisine that I've ever eaten is in Ho Chi Minh. There were 2 knock out places which blew the budget, but, we saved on accommodation and were assured that we wouldn't want to miss out. The first is an Italian called 4P´s.The wood-fired oven pizzas are delicious and taken to a whole new level when you add a huge blob of homemade, burrata cheese to the centre. This is lovingly spread across each slice by your waiter, leaving your mouth watering as you watch and anticípate taking a bite.(see full image)

The next place holds with it a rather huge claim... I ate the best burger of my life there. Granted, it was at 10am following a 12 hour karaoke stint, but, just to be sure we went back for a second time and were just as astounded. If you look past the retro decor of Mogambo, you won't be disappointed. The owner´s are a wonderful, eccentric couple who are happy to advise on the best dishes and take great pride in their food. Even so, my advice would be: don´t even bother looking at the menu. Just order a Coronary Bypass Burger and prepare to be blown away. (see full image)

Hoi An

Hoi An is a beautiful, historic town(see full image). By night it grows even more stunning, as the central canal glitters with floating lanterns, bobbing along under the colourful Japanese bridge. This was the setting for a rather special meal on board a canal boat at The Pink Flamingo floating restaurant. The food here is prepared in the open kitchen which is entertainment enough, but we were also lucky enough to be serenaded by an acoustic guitar as we watched the chef work at record speed. We only had a couple of beers with our meal which was probably a sensible move, considering that you have to walk a plank to enter and exit.(see full image)

 

Vietnamese food

So that's pizza and burgers covered, now onto Vietnamese cuisine itself. If I were to describe it in three words they would be fresh, fragrant and flavoursome. I really could talk about it all day, so instead I´ll summarise some of our favourites below:

 

Banh Mi

Bahn Mi is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread, but is most commonly associated with baguettes which were introduced here in French colonial times. Street carts selling delicious sandwiches are ten a penny, particularly at night when you find hoards of tourists chowing down on a pate and pork filled roll in the early hours of the morning. My favourite Banh Mi (and believe me, we tried A LOT) was in Hanói, in a small shop located a few doors down from the Downtown Vietnam Backpackers Hostel. But... if you´re nursing a hangover (highly likely if you stay here!) and that seems like too far to walk, the beef chilli nachos there are awesome.

Sizzling skillets

I don´t know the Vietnamese name for this dish and I don´t know the name of the restaurant that we ate it in, but I do know that this meal was delicious. It´s served as a red hot, sizzling platter of luncheon meat, sardines, egg and laughing cow cheese, with a side of bread, french fries (optional) and tender steak served in a flaming bowl of butter. Without trying it, I would contest that this strange combination would never work but believe me it does and for around £1 per person, it can´t be beaten for value. (see full image)

 

Phở

Pronounced ¨far¨, this herb enriched, fragrant soup is delicious and probaby the most famous Vietnamese dish. It also happens to be one member of the hungry backpackers favourite meal... he couldn´t get enough of the stuff. Personally, I prefer the slightly richer, stew versión, Phở Bo Kho,(see full image) but which ever you choose, be sure to customise it to your taste with the addition of basil, mint, chilli and sugar. It´s the perfect light lunch.

 Vietnamese spring rolls

Differing from their Chinese cousins, Vietnamese spring rolls aren´t deep fried. In fact they aren´t cooked at all and consist of rice paper stuffed with lettuce, herbs and veg or prawns. I would have really enjoyed them if they weren´t  full of corriander, but I´ll certainly be making my own version at home as they´re packed with goodness and would make a great packed lunch (see full image).
 

To wash all off this amazing grub down, what better than a glass of fresh beer.  Many restaurants and bars brew their own, selling it for as little as £0.06 a pint. Just be careful if you stop by for a beer on your push bike as it's easy to get carried away on these unregulated brews. 

On a final note, don't be misled that every street cart will be selling delicious treats. It took me almost 3 weeks to notice the flashing lights on some of the carts saying 'Chien'. For those of you who aren't familiar with French, that means dog and for sale are some rather innocent looking kebabs of mans best friend. We weren't brave enough to try them but they were selling like hot cakes (see full image).

 

 

Cambodia

OK, so I'm a little behind with blogging and the key reason for that is that I've been struggling to remember very much about Cambodian food at all. The cuisine as a whole seems a little bit confused, fusing Thai, Vietnamese and international foods in a second rate way. I acknowledge that there are probably hundreds of wonderful Cambodian dishes out there... We just didn't find them.

One dish that is readily available  and cheap is chicken noodle soup. Unfortunately the couple of times that we tried it, it had very little flavour and even less meat. It does however feature a peculiar, dark brown, jelly like substance which has a really pleasant flavour. It was only on a market tour that I discovered it was congealed chicken blood. I must admit, I found the texture a little bit hard to stomach, but it added a little bit of excitement to an otherwise bland dish. (see full image)  

"BBQ's" can be found on every other street, but not the type that your used to sparking up in the summer months. 'Khmer BBQ's' feature a bowl of bubbling broth, surrounding a raised metal griddle. The idea is to cook your noodles and veg in the broth and grill the meat in the centre. The Khmer BBQ's in Siem Reap were a little out of our backpacker budget, as many of them feature in Lonely Planet and offer exotic meats such as crocodile, zebra and ostrich. Khmer Kitchen is at the top end of the price range, as they are able to boast that Mick Jagger has dined with them.(see full image)

 

We found a Khmer BBQ restaurant in Phnom Penh which was a little more suited to a backpacker bank balance. Menus were unavailable as only one dish was on offer: we just couldn't work out what it was. We had a conversation in very broken English, and I confidently concluded that we had ordered a fish dish. We were both very surprised when the platter of goat meat appeared at our table, including goat heart, liver and kidneys. Upon leaving, we finally noticed the huge sign donning a picture of a goat hanging above the restaurant. We had clearly walked in with our eyes closed! On the same street as the goat grill, is a restaurant called 'Asian Cafe'. Located away from the river bank, the prices here are significantly cheaper and it was one of our eating highlights in Cambodia. From Singaporean background, the chef here serves a variety of Chinese, Malaysian and Cambodian dishes and we enjoyed it so much that we went more than once. 

Overall, dining in Cambodia was more expensive that we had anticipated. With a slightly bigger budget, I'm sure this blog post would have been much longer. But, don't be deterred, the temples are amazing and it's ancient and modern history leave a lasting, albeit morbid impression (see full image). After the spoils of Thailand, it's easy to forget that Cambodia is a newly developing country, recovering from years of hardship: so if you're eating like the locals, it may be out of necessity rather than for the gourmet experience. 

 

 

 

Bangkok

Third Stop: Bangkok

Thai food and street stalls go hand in hand and some of the best street food around can be found in Bangkok. Khao San Road and its surrounding alleys are littered with small street vendors, dotted between over-priced restaurants that are no match for the street guys on taste or value!

For a filling meal at a great price then look no further than the classic Pad Thai. It's dirt cheap (especially if you choose the veggie option) and is a vast improvement on the similarly priced toasties from 7-Eleven. If the humidity is getting the better of you, by all means take your box of Pad Thai into a 7-Eleven for a blast of air con.... just don't be tempted by the carbonara toasty that promises so much and delivers so little. (see full image)

If egg and peanut doesn't quite satisfy your protein needs, then you can grab a bag of diced pork or chicken wegs (a term we coined for the leg size chicken wings) for 30 Baht a piece. The teriyaki like dressing is sticky and sweet, ensuring a perfect accompaniment to a box of soft noodles.

Not all of the street food in Bangkok is as safe as Pad Thai. You can earn man points by gobbling down a char grilled tarantula or a bag of crickets. We settled for a scorpion and a sorry looking frog that tasted like charcoal and made me gag, but it was a good photo op and story to tell my 4 year old nieces.They still believe that my burps have turned into "ribbits"! (see full image)

On a serious note, the floating markets in Bangkok are a foodie haven and another great opportunity to sample street food and restaurant quality meals alike. We did the obligatory trip to Damnoen Saduak, which is the biggest and most popular of the floating markets. If you can cope with being pestered/ harassed by all of the vendors, there are some great little treats in between the stalls selling tourist tat. Kanoom Krock are a traditional Thai dessert. They look like mini pancakes but have a mousse like texture in the centre. I tried the 3 flavours on offer: sweet corn, spring onion and sweet red bean. Once again, the mixture of sweet and savoury was confusing to my palette, but all in all it provided a very satisfying breakfast. They can be found all over Thailand, in a variety of different flavours and are well worth a try.

Don't get them confused with the banana pancake though; a must try for anyone following the Banana Pancake Trail. These oil laden 'Roti's' are delicious when smothered in Nutella and stuffed with banana and the salty tang coming from the butter makes them incredibly moreish.(see full image)

If you're a fan of floating markets and you find yourself in Bangkok on a Sunday, I'd highly recommend a trip on the local bus to Taling Chan. The market here is more of a riverside than floating market, as most things are prepared and sold from longboats whilst you walk along floating platforms.
 However, it's full of locals and the food here, all be it slightly more expensive, is fresh and delicious. We started our visit here with morning coffee on the riverside. We watched on, whilst feeding the giant catfish in the river, as ladies effortlessly prepared candied coconut in a molten orange syrup, before parcelling it up into bags and carting it over to their nearby stall.It filled the air with a sickly sweet smell.(see full image)

Over the bridge, longboats stuffed with fresh fruit and veggies cruise downstream looking for custom and small kitchen boats donning BBQ's and sizzling pans are anchored to the banks. The frantic river catfish splashed competitively for the fish pellets, splashing murky river water onto the chef's work space. It wasn't enough to put us off and we ordered scallops stuffed with both crispy and spring onions and a tilapia cooked in banana leaf, flavoured with lemon grass. It was stunning. (see full image)

Finally, it's hard to avoid a Chang, Leo, Tiger, Singha or any other Thai beer that tickles your fancy in the backpacker hub of Kho San Road. Ladies wearing flamboyant hats are everywhere, with a display of bracelets (donning some rather graphic messages) in one hand and a beer cooler in the other. A word of warning; Chang is unregulated, meaning it’s a lottery as to the percentage alcohol content that you’ll get. It’s the cheapest beer available but is likely to leave you with a nasty changover.

Southern Thailand

Second stop: Southern Thailand

Koh Samui, Koh Pha-Ngan, Koh Tao

After enjoying the culinary surprises that Indonesia provided, we made the journey from Bali to the South Eastern Thai Islands. It is at this point that I confess: for the majority of our time here, we were more focused on the local beers and spirits than the food. It was New Year and we met a group of our friends here to celebrate at the full moon party in Koh Pha-Ngan, so the meals mainly functioned as hangover cures. That being said, Thai food is the perfect way to blow away the cobwebs, and there were 3 stand out dishes well worth a mention

Panang Curry

If you're talking about Thai curry, red and green are the first words that come to mind. However, this dry dish, medium in spice, really packs a flavour punch. Kafir lime leaf is the prominent flavour and although coriander root is ground into the paste, it's one of the few Thai dishes that coriander haters like me are safe with. Veggies don't make much of an appearance in a Panang and the sauce is thickened with fried coconut cream. If you're looking for the healthy choice, this probably isn't the dish for you but if it's comforting hangover food you're after then look no further.

Massaman Curry

As a carb lover, this has to be my favourite of all the Thai curries. The combination of spices such a cardamom, cinnamon and clove make for a mild and aromatic sauce, which the cubed potatoes in the dish absorb beautifully. Rice probably isn't necessary as an accompaniment but if you're nursing a New Year's Day hangover and need some energy, then a bowl of this starch filled stodge with steamed rice will set you up for the day. It certainly sorted me out. (see full image)

Coconut Soup (Tom Kha Gai)

You've probably grasped by now that mild dishes are more up my street. Tom Kha Gai is the mildest of them all and traditionally is served as a chicken dish. This gentle fare is crammed with oyster or shiitake mushrooms and brought back fond memories of my childhood, when my mum would give me chicken and mushroom soup from a can on the days that I felt unwell. This 5* version of the Heinz classic is perfect for settling the stomach of a tired, fragile backpacker.

Krabi,Koh Phi Phi, Phuket

I apologise in advance that some of our South Western Thailand food highlights came in the form of international or fusion food. But, when it's this good, it deserves a mention and I have future blog posts in the pipeline dedicated to spicy Thai food...

Krabi

Looking out over the banks of Krabi River doesn't exactly get the taste buds tingling. The sludgy mounds were cluttered with alien looking mud skippers and thousands of tiny crabs, so when we saw some local fisherman casting lines, we weren't confident that their catch would appeal to us. Catfish is available in abundance from this river and it's ugly looks are probably the reason it isn't found on the fish counter in Morrisons.

As the sun came down over the river, the town came to life. Chao Fah riverside market is a foodies dream and it was a personal highlight from my time in Southern Thailand. Every night the locals set up shop, selling fresh produce and delicious street food. Having seen the catfish being reeled in, we had to try it so we tucked into a garlic marinated catfish skewer for a mere 60 Thai Baht (approx £1.20).
It was seriously tasty and gave us the feel good factor to know we were supporting local trade and sustainable fishing.
(see full image)

The market spoiled us with other delicious treats; sticky BBQ pork, chicken satay skewers and grilled red snapper. After the meat and fish mains, it was time to look for pudding. I fell in love with an elderly Thai man who was busying himself over a griddle, flipping mini pancakes. We came to discover that the dish he made was Khanom Buang: a savoury pancake batter stuffed with orange zest, coconut and marshmallow. I've found that many Thai desserts have a savoury element, making it impossible to guess what a dish may taste like and therefore giving me a valid excuse to try them all! (see full image)

Koh Phi Phi

We made our way to Koh Phi Phi from Krabi. We were expecting to discover miles of idyllic beach and a relaxing atmosphere and so were initially surprised when we landed on this party island! Having spent a long day traveling we had worked up quite an appetite and so 'Matt's Grill' was exactly the type of place we were looking for. Our friends had recommended it from their time in Phi Phi and we weren't disappointed.

Ladies and lady-boys eat for a discounted price at this all you can eat BBQ. I must admit, buffets aren't usually my thing but at Matt's there is something for everyone as the salad bar is delicious and the griddled meats are endless in variety. The mini burgers went like hot cakes and it made for entertaining people watching as diners sprung from their seats to grab a plate full before they disappeared!
(see full image) 

Phuket

We only had a couple of nights in Phuket town and the majority of our meals here were much the same as the aforementioned. However, there was one standout restaurant which took fusion food to a new level and satisfied four hungry backpackers who were looking for a filling, reasonably priced meal. 

"The Cook" is run by a Thai Chef who gained much of his experience in an Italian resort. This man takes his food seriously; for the forty minutes that we dined in his cafe he popped his head out of the kitchen at least 5 times to check that his customers were happy. For me, happy is an understatement as I tucked in to a coconut curry pizza with glee. My dining companions were smiling too, with their seafood Tom Yan, Massaman curry and Thai green curry pizza's. It's hard to describe how and why it worked so well, so if you find yourself in Phuket town, make sure you try it for yourself.
(see full image)

Indonesia

First stop: Bali

Before we left the UK I really only had Thai food on my mind, so Balinese cuisine came as a delicious surprise. Even on a backpacker budget, you can eat like a King.


The national dish is Nasi Goreng and it's a great example of how to eat hearty grub on a budget. This substantial meal is good any time of day and, as it never meant more than a 5 minute wait, must be seriously simple to make.

(see full image)


As good as Nasi Goreng is, I was taught a powerful lesson by the humble Balinese beef stew...

This photo shows a delicious looking version of the dish that I enjoyed in a rather pricey Seminyak restaurant. Don't get me wrong, it was good, and the decor of the restaurant was stunning (glass jars stuffed with herbs and spices from Indonesia adorned the walls), but as I said, beef stew taught me an important lesson. Restaurant dining is great, but for hungry backpackers, nothing beats street food. This same dish was a 10th of the price from a warung on Mataram Street. If you can get over the appearance of fly infested cabinets storing day old looking food, you will be rewarded with a basket of perfectly spiced delight!
(see full image)

 

Don't be drawn in by the restaurants on Kuta or Legian high street. For an authentic dining experience, with local people get to Mataram street. (see full image)

 

Stop 2: The Gili Islands 

Any good meal needs to be washed down with a refreshing beverage and Indonesia's signature beer, Bintang, is fit for purpose. Gili Trawangan provided the perfect setting to enjoy a bottle or 3. (see full image)
Okay, maybe I lost count but it was Christmas Eve after all!
I'd love to mention the fresh fish platter we had as our Christmas Day meal but our Bint'angover saw us craving turkey with all of the trimmings. We settled for sharing a chicken leg and an Indonesian twist on the traditional vegetable accompaniments.
                                                                                                 

Gili night market is the place to be for the freshest BBQ'd fish. BBQ is the theme of Gili and the swanky beach front restaurants fill the promenade with a smokey smell. Unfortunately, they were a little pricey for a backpacker budget but the night market was kinder to the purse strings and looked just as good. Although it meant dining on the floor, the infectious hustle and bustle kept us coming back for more. (see full image)