Kitchen wisdom
Garlic and onion are staples in most dishes – but there are alternatives
QI am struggling to find good, main meal recipes to make for my partner who is intolerant of FODMAP ingredients, and who doesn’t eat fish. The main cooking difficulty is that you can’t really use onion or garlic – so difficult! I can substitute the green part of spring onions for onions, but it’s not always simple given the different texture and colour. Garlicinfused oil can be used instead of garlic, but the flavour is reduced by cooking, so is best only for uncooked food. Please help!
– HW, Ascot
A
I feel for you. Cooking without alliums is a challenge with European food, when every savoury recipe seems to start with chopping an onion and smashing a clove of garlic. But it doesn’t have to be the end of the culinary world.
First, some background for those not familiar with the term FODMAP. It stands for “fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols”. A bit of a mouthful, but basically a list of the kinds of carbohydrates that are thought to cause bloating and stomach pain in some people. These carbohydrates turn up in a variety of foods, and people who have been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and who haven’t improved with other treatment are sometimes advised to try cutting out foods that contain a lot of FODMAPs. Then, after 3-8 weeks, if their symptoms improve, they can gradually reintroduce each kind to see if there is one to which they are particularly sensitive.
As with all exclusion diets, a low-FODMAP diet isn’t to be taken on lightly, as it cuts out lots of healthy foods and in particular ones that are good for promoting gut health. The NHS guidance is that, if possible, the diet should be done under the supervision of a FODMAPtrained dietician. There are helpful videos on nhs.uk.
Back to your question:
Send your culinary conundrums to Xanthe Clay Email: askxanthe@ telegraph.co.uk
Write to Ask Xanthe,
The Daily Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Rd, London, SW1W 0DT onions and garlic contain fructan, a kind of oligosaccharide. As someone who once spent two days eating onions back to back at the Spanish Calçotada Festival, I can confirm that, in excess, they do cause wind.
So, what’s the answer? The deep background savouriness of onions can be replaced by other herbs and spices. A friend in the same boat recommends substituting a teaspoon of fennel seeds (fried in a little butter or oil) for flavour, and some fried sliced red peppers (a low FODMAP food) if you need texture. Or you can take the route of age-old experts in the Indian subcontinent. Many groups, including Jains and some Hindus, avoid onions and garlic, using a pinch of asafoetida, aka hing (available from Indian grocers), cooked in a little butter or ghee instead. It’s said to have a terrible smell, but I’ve never noticed a particular stink, and it does give exactly the right base notes, especially in Indian dishes.