Haweli serves up a gluten free Indian buffet

We've written about many gluten free friendly restaurants in the past, and a few of those are Indian restaurants. As we have learned, Indian cooking often uses chickpea flour when breading ingredients. This often makes their dishes gluten free.

Haweli is located in Edmonton South common. We tried out the Haweli buffet with confidence a long time ago when they had a downtown location because we saw allergen signage at their buffet. That is a good indication that they take allergens seriously.

Haweli had their buffet clearly labelled for Vegan, Nut Free, Gluten Free, and low fat. I think all buffets should label for allergens. It would make life easier for those willing to venture to a buffet.

At the time, Haweli was making gluten free roti. Not sure if this was continued but you should ask during next visit. Haweli's dishes were spot on and we enjoyed the Butter Chicken, tandori chicken and other favourite dishes.

Tips for eating at a buffet:

Although Haweli has great labelling, there are still cross contamination risks when eating at a buffet. Here are a few tips:

• Remember to look for labelling of ingredients. Don't see a label? Ask restaurant staff to speak with the kitchen.
• People can be messy; be careful of gluten items beside gluten free items. Guests can mix up serving utensils or even spill into other food bins.
• Ask for new utensils! It can't hurt to ask for fresh utensils.
• Is a food item running low? Ask for a fresh batch, allowing you to be one of the first to grab an uncontaminated portion.
• Are there fried items in the buffet? Ask if they were pan-fried or made in a dedicated fryer? If they were made in a shared fryer, they may not be safe for someone with Celiac because of the high risk of cross contamination.
• Look for the general cleanliness of the restaurant. Are staff continually wiping down the counters? That is a good sign that they are trying to avoid cross contamination from food to food.