Indian restaurants with IBS, celiac disease or food allergies: what to order and ask

Yes, many people do, with some planning. The main things to ask about at an Indian restaurant are onion and shallots in curry bases, wheat flour used to thicken sauces or added to spice blends, shared fryers, and dairy and nuts in sauces and desserts. Monash University notes that Indian curry pastes are often made with shallots and other onion varieties, and the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) advises asking whether any wheat flour has been added to thicken the curry.

Indian food covers many regional cooking styles, and every kitchen does things its own way. So treat this guide as a set of good questions, not a list of guaranteed answers. If you are new to eating out with a condition, start with eating out with IBS or eating out with celiac disease.

For people following a low-FODMAP approach, the curry base is usually the sticking point. Garlic and onion are high in fructans, and Monash lists both among high-FODMAP vegetables. In a slow-cooked sauce, they are part of the dish rather than something that can be picked out.

Monash also explains that fructans in onion and garlic dissolve in water, so removing pieces from a sauce, stock or dal does not remove the fructans. They don't dissolve in oil, which is why garlic-infused oil is a common swap at home.

Monash’s suggestion for Indian restaurants is to look at vegetarian and seafood dishes, which generally need less marinating time than red meat or poultry and so may be cooked fresh for you. Calling ahead gives the kitchen a chance to suggest options or make something specially.

• Lentils and chickpeas. Dal, chana masala and other legume dishes are naturally high in oligosaccharides (GOS and fructans). Monash notes that legumes don’t need to be strictly avoided, and that canned or boiled-and-drained legumes tend to be lower in FODMAPs, but a restaurant portion may be larger than you tolerate.
• Asafoetida (hing). Monash mentions asafoetida powder, a pinch only, for onion flavor. Some kitchens use it, but it does not mean a dish is onion-free, so still ask. If you have celiac disease, see the gluten section below.
• Spring onion and garnishes. Monash lists spring onion (green part only) as a way to add flavor, so a green-onion garnish may be easier than a sauce built on white onion.

Our guide to hidden garlic and onion has more on where these turn up.

Many Indian dishes are based on rice, lentils, vegetables, meat and spices, but gluten can still find its way in. The BIDMC Celiac Center’s Indian dining handout flags these points:

Asafoetida (hing) is worth a specific question. Because BIDMC advises avoiding spices and seasonings that have wheat flour added, ask whether any spice blends or asafoetida powder the kitchen uses contain wheat. Only the kitchen, or the label on the product they use, can answer that.

BIDMC also advises that if a utensil, preparation area or cooking surface has been used for foods you need to avoid, you can ask for it to be washed before your meal is cooked, or ask for disposable foil. In a kitchen where naan is made all day, it is reasonable to ask how they keep a gluten-free order separate.

Remember that "gluten-free" on a menu is not the same as celiac-safe preparation. Our guide to gluten-free vs celiac-safe explains the difference, and hidden gluten sources lists more places wheat can hide.

Milk is one of the nine major allergens under US law, alongside egg, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and sesame. Several of these are common in Indian cooking. The BIDMC handout describes, for example:

• Palak paneer: homemade cheese cooked with spinach, butter and cream.
• Dal makhani: lentils sautéed in butter.
• Tikka and tandoori dishes: marinated in spices and yogurt.
• Raita: a yogurt side with cucumber and cilantro.
• Kheer and ras malai: milk-based desserts, often garnished with nuts.

Ghee is clarified butter, which is made from milk, so if you have a milk allergy, ask what the kitchen cooks with, not just what is in the sauce. Lactose intolerance is different from a milk allergy: the NIDDK describes milk allergy as an immune system disorder, while lactose intolerance is about digesting milk sugar. See lactose-free vs dairy-free for more.

For nut allergies, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) notes that peanuts and other nuts are used frequently in Asian cuisines, and lists restaurants known to use your allergen in many dishes among the riskier choices. Nuts can appear in sauces and garnishes as well as desserts, so name your allergy clearly rather than asking about a single dish.

FARE also advises avoiding fried foods unless you know for sure they are prepared safely, because shared frying oil is a common source of cross-contact, and being very careful with desserts, since staff may not have a full ingredient list. For more, see food allergies and the major allergens.

None of these is automatically suitable for you. They are simply starting points that many people find easier to ask about and adjust.

Plain rice with a simply cooked protein and a vegetable you tolerate is a pattern that works in most kitchens. If you need very specific changes, a quieter time of day helps. FARE suggests the first hour of a service period, when staff are more attentive.

1. Look at the menu online first and pick two or three dishes that might be adaptable.
2. Call ahead outside busy hours if your needs are complex. Monash and FARE both suggest this.
3. Tell your server, and ask them to tell the chef. FARE suggests carrying a chef card that lists your allergens.
4. Ask specific questions about the dishes you are considering.
5. Check the dish when it arrives, and send it back politely if something isn’t right.

Short, specific questions work best:

• "Is the curry base made with onion, shallots or garlic? Could this dish be made without them?"
• "Is any wheat flour used to thicken the sauce?"
• "Do your spice blends or asafoetida contain wheat flour?"
• "Is the pakora batter only chickpea flour? Is the oil also used for wheat-containing foods?"
• "Does this contain butter, cream, ghee, yogurt or paneer?"
• "Are there any nuts or nut pastes in this sauce or on the dessert?"
• "Could my food be cooked on a freshly washed surface, or on foil?"

FARE’s advice is to trust your instincts: if staff don’t seem to understand, ask for a manager, and sometimes the safest choice is to enjoy the company and eat elsewhere afterwards. Our guide to talking to restaurant staff about allergies has more scripts.

Even with careful choices, you can’t control everything in someone else’s kitchen. If you react to a meal, that is not a failure on your part.

• Note what you ate and how you felt in a food and symptom diary. Patterns over several meals tell you more than one evening.
• If you have celiac disease and think you were exposed to gluten, mention it to your doctor or dietitian, especially if symptoms continue.
• If you have IBS, share any dish that keeps causing trouble with your dietitian. It may point to a specific trigger.
• See a doctor promptly for new or changing symptoms. For signs of a severe allergic reaction, use your epinephrine if prescribed and call emergency services.