One of the challenges of eating gluten-free in China is finding the right ingredients — where to buy them and what they are called in Chinese. I’ll get around to updating the Where to Buy page soon, but here’s a few key gluten-free ingredients in Chinese:
- buckwheat = 荞麦 (qiao2 mai4)
- sorghum = 高梁米 (gao1 liang2 mi3)
- millet = 小米 (xiao2 mi3)
- brown rice = 糙米 (chao1 mi3)
- xanthan gum = 黄原胶 (huang2 yuan2 jiao1)
- tapioca starch = 木薯粉* (mu4 shu3 fen3)
- corn starch = 玉米粉* (yu4 mi3 fen3)
- potato starch = 土豆粉* (tu3 dou4 fen3)
*Note: Another name for starch is 太白粉 (tai4 bai2 fen3) or 淀粉 (dian4 fen3). You’ll have to check the label to find out what kind of starch it is. Generally, 淀粉 (dian4 fen3) is wheat-based in China unless otherwise noted that it is derived from other sources.
You can find most of the whole grains/kernels and starches at regular supermarkets (Carrefour, Metro) or organic shops in Shanghai. You can definitely find them on Taobao and have them delivered to your home. For me, I usually buy them in bulk at Metro, but if I run out and am too busy to go to Metro, I order them on Taobao.
After you buy the whole grains/kernels, you can grind them into flours with a high-powered blender like the Vitamix. I think a coffee grinder works too, but I haven’t tried it. A regular blender will not work as the grinding will burn the motor. If you are serious about making gluten-free food from scratch, I highly recommend that you invest in the Vitamix. The money you save from grinding your own flours instead of buying/shipping imported flours will cover the cost in just a few months.
