Mongolian Barbeque

[colormist]

I can't remember if this one has been mentioned before. This place is 90% safe for HFIers. I say 90% because they mix the food together on a big grill and it is possible that some sweet-lover would be positioned right next to your HFI-safe food and that some of their gross food might touch your not-gross food.

If you haven't been there before, you go around a few different buffets, pick your ingredients, sauces, spices and then they grill it up for you while you watch.

I went around picking everything I could eat without too much adverse effects: bean sprouts, black beans, lima beans, bamboo shoots, potatoes, pasta, chicken, mushrooms, black pepper, garlic, cumin, soy sauce.

I was certain it would be quite disgusting, but it wasn't. It wouldn't win any taste awards, but it wasn't bad. Next time, of course, I would try to be a tad bit more picky about what I was putting into my meal. Merely going around the buffet and picking out things that you think are yummy aren't going to make the end result the yummiest thing ever.

[flutterby]

Is soy sauce ok??? The ingredients say corn syrup on our brand, and I know we have looked in the store at other brands and something or other made us think it wasn't ok.

[colormist]

Oh, you have to read the label on soy sauce. Sometimes it's fine, other times it's not. If you can get the kind without fructose, it appears to be fine. I haven't had an issue and I usually eat it on beef. I'm not sure what brand I have at home. Japanese restaurants all seem to have the sweetened variety as well.

[flutterby]

Oh I am soooooo excited at the possibility that he may be able to have soy sauce!!! I can't wait to go find the soy sauce that is ok and make fried rice with non-sickening ingredients. Goody!

[CK]

I use Bragg Liquid Aminos and love it as a replacement to soy sauce. It is sugar free, gluten free, etc. and it tastes just like soy sauce. It is also very low in sodium if people have to watch for that too. I find it in the health section of the grocery store, Whole Foods, Health stores, etc. Here is the link: bragg.com/products/la.html

[millan]

I eat Mongoilian Barbeque a couple of times a year and like it a lot.
As stated, it won't win any taste awards, but when I'm in the mood for it, it's really nice.

I usually take one plate with different beef products and one or two vegetables that is fairly ok and some noodles. After that I take a similar plate but with pork, and then one with shrimps.
I take a very small amount of soy sauce 'cause I'm well aware it's probably not HFI-safe and it's been working out for me, but I'm not extremely sensitive (I think).

But at home I do use soy sause quite often. In Sweden we have a brand called Mrs Cheng. They have several kinds of Asian products, among them three different soy sauces. The Chinese Mushroom Soy and the Sushi Soy does contain sugar (though I've eaten the mushroom soy in small amounts without trouble), but their Japanese Soy only contains water, soybeans, wheat (without gluten) and seasalt.
www.mrschengs.com/produkter/soya/japanese-soy/

I'm happy about it, 'cause I really like the taste of soy sauce for some dishes (i.e. most meat dishes). ;D

[colormist]

Kikoman is the brand I have at home. I think it's available world-wide.
www.kikkoman.com/soysauce/index.shtml
The ingredients might vary from nation to nation, so it's always best to check the label.

[meaniejean]

We are staying away from all soy right now. Calvin loves plain tofu straight from the package, but it doesn't like him so much. In addition, Calvin and I are both on thyroid replacement and soy interferes with the absorption of the medicine.

We used to use a wheat-free soy sauce by SAN-J. It contains water, soybeans, salt and alcohol.

[Kelly Grace]

We have taken Lily to Mongolian BBQ several times and she loves it.

We have them prepare her food in the back away from the general grill.

www.gomongo.com/menuPDFs/NutritionInfo.pdf

YOu can look up everything prior to your visit.

We asked them to read the ingredients on their tortilla shells and ours here have sugar so she couldn't have them. But was able to eat the meats and safe veggies with no problem. We skipped the sauces and sprinkled a little garlic over her food, and like I said they prepared her food in the back away from the general grill. We let them know that she can not have a lot of things, so they did hers separate and brought it to our table.

[mazian]

Hi Guys I find that soy is out for us. I will try the mongolian BBQ but I think that the restaurants which make it in front of you are the best. We have tried a place which roasts a pig on the spit and then just carves it for you there and then. It is great as Sarisa only has the meat and the rest of the family can eat well as well, (we get pototoes veges, etc). She doesn't seem to mind as she can keep going back for more.

[sherri]

What about soybean oils? Is that also something to be staying away from in the soy family?

[lukesmom]

Just took Luke to Mongolian BBQ for the first time and he was ELATED! Couldn't stop eating- the noodles, meat, mushrooms and then some white rice. He loved them cooking it right there (they cleaned the grill for us- the place was empty). They also served it woth a chicken broth with mushrooms and green onions that was totally safe, and these little biscuits that were made from flour and water, with some sesame seeds. The biscuits were a bit iffy in my mind, but it's been a couple days and he keeps begging to go back. Which we will, soon!

[ukbill]

My take on Soy bean products.

As Colormist has said genuine Soy sauce such as Kikoman is fine for me in the UK, and I presume fine for Colormist in the USA.

I take Fred's comment that Soy flour is high in sugar but on the bottle of genuine Soy it usually states "Brewed".

I have never had a reaction to genuine "brewed" Soy Sauce, so perhaps the "Brewing " as in beer takes out the sugars???

Soy oil in particular and anything containing Soy-protein for example will give me really bad gas cramps and worse for days.

In the UK I find Soy protein products incorporated into shop bought meat pies.

I made the mistake, last week, of eating 1/2 a meat pie while in a hurry and did not have time to cook my own.

I felt bad for 24 to 36 hours after which I was then was unable to leave the proximity of a toilet for a further 12 hours!

Before I discovered my "problem " with Soy oil I could not understand why some tinned fish made me ill?

There was no tomato sauce or anything added that we could identify, in those days the tins were simple labelled Fish, Vegetable oil and salt, which covers a multitude of possibilities.

Will look out for Mongolian Barbecue for when they move the franchise over to the UK.

[charlie]

Hmm, thanks Bill, you may have cleared up a problem there. Meg loves tinned mackerel as I have said before and I tend to get them in sunflower oil, maybe there is an issue then with the oil. something is still slipping through as things arent great at the moment so maybe that is an answer.

[ukbill]

Vegetable Oils are tricky because as it is very nearly impossible to detect chemically any adulteration of one type of Veg oil with another Veg Oil so it frequently goes on.

Apparently Extra Virgin Olive Oil can have in excess of 20% Hazelnut oil because it cannot be detected and tastes close to the original oil, and is far cheaper.

Identifying one food type from another is very very difficult analytically, look at it this way most foods are made up from Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen with a little Nitrogen thrown in (Protein) and water.

So how do you identify 2 or many more molecules which have very nearly or have identical molecular weight but in some cases only differ in the position on the chain of one or two atoms?

This is why I do not always believe labels that say 100% PURE because if they are not lying then have no way to prove it, its just their equipment is not able to identify any contaminants!

If in doubt go for tinned fish in Brine or these days I can find most varieties of Tinned fish come in spring water as well.

I usually go for the brine as the oil varieties are too oily for me these days.. (possible gall stone problem on the way) and I rarely use much salt in my cooking.

I eat a lot of Fat / Oil anyway and need to watch the weight..

Loosing weight for an HFI is not pleasant at all! Been there done that wish I hadn't.. etc..

Hope this is of help?

[kim55]

Our local Mongolian BBQ place is called Genghis Grill. I think it is part of a chain.

ALL their sauces contain sugar but you can have your food prepared without sauce. Also, they put a numbered sign on each order for cooking and they have a "special" category of numbers (blue signs instead of green, I think) where they will prepare your order separately.

I have eaten there twice with no problem.