I'd heard rumours, and so imagine my delight when I saw it with my own eyes...Asian Home Gourmet really does make Gluten-free sauces! It says so RIGHT ON THE PACKAGE! I can't say I jumped up and kicked my heels, but my whoop could probably be heard throughout the grocery store. I could choose from so many Asian kinds of sauces...from Korean Bulgogi to Hainian rice, Tom Yum Soup to a variety of curries. I've already tried the Indian butter chicken and loved it.
Making a recipe from scratch is one thing. Usually it tastes pretty good, and it's a thrill when someone has no clue that it's the gluten-free version and loves it. However, it's a real treat to get to open a package, add it to some cooked meat, and wah-lah, there you have your meal. Around here, that's hard to find (ummm, unless you have a maid who whips something up from scratch...that's something that is a real treat too!).
After standing in front of the sauce package shelf for a while, I began to really check out the ingredients. Butter chicken still passed. Hainian rice passed. Both said 'gluten-free' on the front...but so did the Korean bulgogi, and one of the ingredients listed on the back was "wheat flour." Same on the majority of the other AHG packages labeled 'gluten-free.' Unless I'm mistaken, gluten-free means no wheat, no gluten, no derivatives. Talk about disappointing. I was actually quite frustrated. Why take the time to label something gluten-free when it isn't? At least they have clearly labeled the ingredients on the back, and I didn't spend a bunch of time trying to figure out why I was hugging the toilet once again.
If you're reading this and you know something about AHG foods that I don't know, please enlighten me. Until then, it's back to scratch for me.
