[Puckster]

Thank you all so much, this is very helpful!

[Kasey'sMom]

I enjoy eating sushi to. I was thinking about taking a class so I can learn more. I tried to make it at home one time and the rolls were anything but tight.

We have a great local sushi rest. and we took our dd with us. (I wasn't gluten-free at the time but my dd was.) We asked about the children's sushi which were "Rice Balls." I started asking the usually questions about seasonings etc. And she responded by saying "It's JUST rice!" We tasted it and realized it wasn't just rice. Actually it's was seasoned with a "SECRET" sauce. I tried asking the server about the seasonings and she said that the chef won't even tell the wait staff the ingredients. I begged her to just ask him if it had gluten. Her fippant resonse of course was "yes." The saddest part of the situation is English is the primary language spoken at that resturant.

On that note I think I'll expierment with making it again!!!

[elonwy]

Here is the secret: http://www.surftilyo...p.com/sushi.htm
Worth every penny
Elonwy

[otnemem]

elonwy, on Oct 27 2005, 02:47 PM, said:

Where are you finding that Wasabi is made with wheat?

Most sushi places I've been to have warned me be about their wasabi. I go to Sushi Yasuda in New York every once in a while, and at a place like that I never worry about wasabi. But there are so many small sushi places, and a lot of them use wasabi with additives (like wheat starch). I just think it's important to ask.

[elonwy]

I wonder if they are using powdered wasabi and Reconstituting it, because i still have yet to find a supplier of Wasabi paste that adds anything that could be considered a risk. Even the food coloring in the fake stuff is artifical and lists the dye numbers.
I'm not arguing against that everyone should always ask, I just haven't come across this yet. I ask every time, even at the places people know me now.
I just ate a kikka sushi ( its a place here in cali that makes bento-box like sushi that they deliver fresh every day, not sure how widespread they are) and the "wasabi" was horseradish and mustard and artifical dyes ( Blue #1 and Yellow #2). I don't like the fake stuff as much, but the real stuff is expensive.
Elonwy

[knvb78]

cornbread, on Oct 25 2005, 12:38 AM, said:

The safest bet is sashimi - just straight fish.  It's expensive though.  Any rolls that just have fish, rice and seaweed are fine.  Just make sure there are no sauces.  Most of the Japanese sauces contain some soy sauce.  I usually just get sashimi but if I'm in the mood for rice, I'll get any plain fish/veggie rolls or nigiri (slice of fish on top of rice).

Word of caution though - tea!  I was ordering green tea at my local sushi bar and eventually (having got sick) thought to ask what was in the tea.  Turned out it contained barley.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

sashimi is the fish with the white rice on top, correct? now thats ok, isn;t it

[tarnalberry]

Kasey'sMom, on Oct 27 2005, 12:09 PM, said:

I enjoy eating sushi to. I was thinking about taking a class so I can learn more. I tried to make it at home one time and the rolls were anything but tight.
...
We tasted it and realized it wasn't just rice. Actually it's was seasoned with a "SECRET" sauce. I tried asking the server about the seasonings and she said that the chef won't even tell the wait staff the ingredients. I begged her to just ask him if it had gluten. Her fippant resonse of course was "yes."
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Unless it was something really wacky, the "secret sauce", isn't a sauce, and isn't a secret. It's a combination of salt, sugar, rice vinegar, and rice wine in some recipes. That's it. (Tezu, rice vinegar and water, is also used to help keep things from sticking.)

As for making the rolls tight, you were using a bamboo mat, right? You definitely need a bamboo mat for rolling. I'd encourage getting a cheap(ish) sushi set that includes an instruction book, and then practicing! (The end pieces always come out a little funky. :-) )

knvb78, on Oct 27 2005, 12:51 PM, said:

sashimi is the fish with the white rice on top, correct?  now thats ok, isn;t it
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some places will add wasabi under the fish. While I still haven't come across a wasabi with wheat, if you consider it a risk, then it's important to know that about some sashimi.

[skbird]

I haven't seen wasabi with wheat, but I have found it with citric acid, which I can't have. I buy the powdered kind which is not true wasabi (true wasabi isn't the most common - there is only one place in the U.S. that actually grows true wasabi, all the rest comes from Japan) but doesn't have citric acid either, which is something I can't have. THe powdered stuff has horseradish, mustard, cornstach, and DF&C yellow No. 5.

I didn't know about the sesame seeds - the places I go use them sometimes liberally and I often request them because I love them, but have never been glutened by them.

Interesting conversation!

Stephanie

[cornbread]

knvb78, on Oct 27 2005, 12:51 PM, said:

sashimi is the fish with the white rice on top, correct?  now thats ok, isn;t it
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, sashimi is just sliced fish, no rice or anything. Nigiri is fish on top of rice. A lot of places nigiri is just called 'sushi'.

[missy'smom]

Please be aware that miso can contain barley. In addition, the starter culture or Koji is sometimes grown on barley. It's really safer to call the company.

I have some miso at home that is made by Shirakiku, a commonly sold brand, and I can't have it because it has sake lees in it. This is the by product of sake making and can contain barley.

Triumph dining cards for Japanese quisine list miso in the I Cannot Have category.

[alamaz]

a few sushi places by me have been known to "flavor" the rice with soy sauce to make it taste better. Not sure if that is a standard practice or not.

Amy

[cynicaltomorrow]

I have yet to have a problem with sushi. I get various kinds of rolls and make sure there is no soy sauce or tempura in it. Everything has been a-okay... and I'm lovin it! haha..

[besttoro]

Hi everyone, a new celiac here... as I happen to be Japanese and have worked at a rather fancy sushi restaurant in L.A., I thought I'd put in my two cents.

Yes, I'd say ordering sashimi and a la carte temaki (hand rolls) would be the safest option. While what I call ghetto sushi (i.e. super market sushi) often contain food additives such as MSG and corn syrup in the sushi rice, the traditional sushi rice should only contain: rice, rice vinegar (water, rice), sugar, and salt. Sometimes, chefs may add konbu (a type of seaweed) when cooking rice to add additional umami (savory taste). This is true for Japanese restaurants with Japanese chefs with traditional training.

That said, each restaurant has its own "formula". While purists of course would adhere to the general formula above, there are sushi restaurants that may decide to shake things up or have chefs that may not be traditionally trained. So it's always good to ask. Mirin (sweet rice sake), if included in the mix, usually is a non-issue if it's a good mirin. But there are "mirin-like" flavor mixes out there, so it could be a suspect. I highly doubt a reputable place would put mirin in sushi rice, however.

Most sushi restaurants in Japan as well as good ones in the bigger cities in the U.S. (e.g. L.A., N.Y., etc.) cure their own ginger with rice vinegar, sugar and salt (the one where I worked cured theirs with a bit of garlic to add some kick, but that is unusual), but most sushi restaurants in the U.S. buy their ginger in bulk, pre-cured, from wholesale dealers. Japanese manufacturers are not shy about using corn syrup and MSG (chemically derived) in pre-cured foods. So while that does not contain gluten per se, if you are sensitive to MSG or corn, it's something to keep in mind. Wasabi should be OK as well, unless the restaurant itself used wheat in re-constituting powder, which would be rare. A pre-mixed paste, as mentioned by others, may contain lactose but not gluten. Always good to ask, though.

Also in addition to things folks mentioned (tempura, sauces, broiled eel etc.), you should also avoid ikura (salmon roe) and masago (smelt roe - the little red dots sometimes added to rolls). These are also either purchased in cured form or they may cure it themselves, but either way the marinade solution would almost always contain soy sauce. Most places buy these frozen and cured from their wholesale dealers and the labeling on these may be sketchy (i.e. in Japanese and ambiguous, translated to simplified English), so even if you ask the chefs, they wouldn't REALLY know what's in them. (That could be the confusion about wasabi... they buy it pre-made but don't or can't really read the labels, which is usually thrown out with the packaging anyway.) Better safe than sorry, so ask to omit masago in your rolls (many places add masago to add texture to rolls).

Also tamago (egg omelet) would contain dashi (soup stock made from bonito flakes and konbu, but could be pre-made) and soy sauce (wheat).

In regard to miso: some varieties of red (summer) miso contain barley, whereas most white miso's don't. This really depends. You could ask about theirs or skip. You can't necessarily assume they'd be using the same miso all the time - in Japan usually summer (stronger flavor) vegetables are made into miso soup with red miso, whereas winter (gentle flavor) vegetables are cooked with white. Depending on the desired effect and material, chefs at good restaurants would blend both miso's. If the chef is from western Japan, they may prefer white miso most of the time as they prefer subtle flavors. Usually in the U.S. restaurants tend to use the same miso all the time, though. As with any restaurant, however, good chefs tend to be always on the lookout for the best purveyors/suppliers, and they switch if they find a better one. So it's best to befriend the chef so he/she would be a part of your team... I understand that's not always possible with every single place, so when in doubt, I'd order sashimi or chirashi (basically sashimi on top of sushi rice... omit ikura/tamago/masago/unagi) to go and eat it at home, so I don't offend the stuck-up sushi chef.

The eel I mention is unagi (fresh water eel), which is the more widely available in the U.S., as restaurants usually buy it frozen, pre-cooked in sauce (containing soy sauce). If you are lucky enough to live in a place where restaurants have anago (sea eel), this has a chance of not being pre-soaked in soy sauce containing marinade, so you could ask to have it without the sauce - only if they bought it plain.

Happy sushi eating! Hope this is helpful. Sorry about the long post.

Aya

[elonwy]

This topic keeps popping up I also want to add, that I live on the west coast, and grew up in the Pacific. I am a total sushi snob. I do not eat "cheap" sushi, so all of my assumptions are made based on higher-end restaurants that are on a coast or an island. I totally agree with the above posts about the pre-made or cheaper stuff being much more risky.
I also avoid miso while out, because most of the time it is made with dashi, which is a no-no. If I really want miso, I just make it at home.
I plan on experimenting with making spider rolls at home as well, which will be my most ambitious home-sushi project ever. I just miss them so much.

[Rosewynde]

I'm going to add my own two cents from my experience.

Not all imitation crab is a problem. Some brands contain fish with no dangerous gluten containing products. WHEN in doubt ask the chefs or server to look at an ingredient list. I've had rolls with good imitation crab that didn't make me sick. Also, in California bay area at least, you can get REAL crab instead of the imitation stuff.

Wasabi can contain wheat but usually doesn't. Again, ask at the particular restaurant you happen to be eating at.

Soups, even Miso, can contain a broth with barley in the form of malt in it. Again, ask!

Salad dressings occasionally contain thickeners or colors that can be a problem, Ask!

So far I've never had problems with white rice or the soy beans (Edame sp?). I've had good luck with all the raw fish rolls provided they had no sauce. Just realize, as with anything you don't make from scratch yourself, there are dangers of exposure to gluten, even when you think it's safe ; D

Good Luck!