Gluten-Free Soy Sauce

チビキ 小麦を
使わない丸大豆醤油
photo courtesy of
Amazon Japan

Soy sauce is such an important part of Japanese cooking (and dining) that one of the first things I searched for when I made "the switch" was gluten-free soy sauce.  Fortunately, it didn't take long to find it.  It's called チビキ 小麦を使わない丸大豆醤油, or Ichibiki (brand) no-wheat-used soy sauce.  Notice that this product is wheat-free, not gluten-free.  I bought it on Amazon, and it's not terribly expensive.  The taste is a little different from standard soy sauce, and seems a little saltier (if that's even possible), but it does the job.

I keep one or two of these 33ml sauce bottles in my car, and bring them to Hamazushi when I take my daughter there.  By the way, you can request an allergen printout at the register, and it will tell you which of their products contain wheat (or other allergens) and which are possible cross-contamination risks.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find that list online.  Also, the copy that I have is 4-5 pages long, and it's a chart with the most common allergens.  Next time I go, I may ask if they can print out a chart that only shows the products containing wheat.

Kirin Nodogoshi Nama: Gluten-Free!

After reading the ingredients label on pretty much every brand and variety of beer (and beer-type beverages like happoshu and dai-san beer), I found three drinks that listed no barley or malt in the ingredients: Kirin Nodogoshi Nama (のどごし生), Sapporo Draft One, and Suntory Jokki Nama (ジョッキ生).  It's interesting that Asahi doesn't offer anything in this category (Asahi Clear contains barley).  Of the three, Nodogoshi is by far the most popular.  In fact, it's apparently the top-selling third-genre beer in Japan.  Rather than barley malt, Kirin uses soybeans to make Nodogoshi.

Looking at the ingredients (hops, sugar, soybean protein, yeast extract), I assumed that Nodogoshi would test negative for gluten (i.e. would be gluten-free), but I wanted to be as sure as I could.  "Yeast extract" sounds a little iffy, doesn't it?  I had a few Gluten-in-Food testing kits left (see my earlier posts), so I decided to give it a shot.  Each test costs me about US$18, so I have to choose wisely.  Considering Nodogoshi's availability and popularity, it made sense to choose it over the other two.

As you can see, the test did not detect any gluten!  It would seem that Nodogoshi is a safe beer alternative.  Unfortunately, you won't find it in any bars or restaurants, so if you're a beer-only drinker like me, you'll have to find a way to BYOB.  I've asked at a few local places, explaining that I have an "allergy", and they've all been cooperative about it.  I always ask first, and I always insist on paying a corkage fee (a BYOB charge).  Of course, your mileage may vary.

Costco Hot Dogs

My previous two trips to Costco, I used a knife and fork to eat my food court hot dog, but last time, I brought some disposable chopsticks (waribashi), and when I ordered my so-se-ji dake hot dog, I also asked for a paper plate (kamizara).  They were very cooperative.

For ketchup and mustard, I also brought along some little paper bento cups that look like muffin pan liners.

Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

Late last year (2016), my girlfriend Tomoko brought me a surprise from Costco: pão de queijo, or Brazilian cheese rolls.  They're little golf-ball-sized rolls that you heat up in your oven.  Very cheesy, and gluten-free, too.  Pretty tasty, I might add.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the ingredients on the package, and the Baker John website doesn't provide them, but apparently, they're made with tapioca flour/starch rather than wheat flour.

Recently, I found a different brand of Pif Paf brand pão de queijo at my local Gyomu Super (one of my favorite stores in Japan).  I believe these were ¥298 per package.  They're a little different from the Baker John ones, in that they don't appear to be fully baked, and they take at least 30 minutes in the oven (I have a combination microwave-toaster oven).

They're both nice snacks when you're in the mood for something bready.  Here's a photo of the fully-baked Pif Paf rolls.  I cooked these for 35 minutes, then put them under the boiler for 5 minutes.  You can also pan-fry them (after they've been baked) for a crispier crust.

They're a bit soft (mochi-mochi) inside, so unfortunately, slicing them for mini-sandwiches isn't an option.  They do, however, go well with a fried egg and breakfast sausage.