Sunny's Vegetarian Fantasy

Vegetarian Nasi Lemak Chilli

2012-01-05T23:50:00.000+08:00

My new favourite - Vegetarian Nasi Lemak Chilli. Available in most Vegetarian supplies stores.
Sweet & spicy, quite a replicate of the non-vegetarian version that goes well with rice & noodles.
Made in Malaysia with ingredients:
Chilli, Oil, Sugar, Salt, Bakkarat, Tomato Sauce, Vegetarian Spices

Beetroot Oat Milk

2011-08-25T23:30:00.005+08:00

We ran out of Biogreen Five Grain Oatmilk Energy and the shop patronised is out of stock too and S was recommended this other product from Taiwan: Beetroot Oat Milk.
Similarly,it could be easily prepared by just adding 2 table-spoon of it into 250cc of hot water and stir briskly until dissolved completely for drinking.

It is stated on label to be of no preservatives; no coloring and flavoring, no sugar and Dairy-free! It is a pinkish-red drink which then if no coloring is because of its beetroot ingredient and is sweeter in comparison to the Biogreen Five Grain Oatmilk Energy drink. Quite a nice drink too at cost of ard $10 more per tin in comparison.

Ingredients on label: Oat, Beetroot, Lactobacillus, Water-soluble Dietary Fiber, Calcium Gluconate, Grapeseed extract, Red Clover, Flaxseed, Vitamin A,C,E, B2,B6, & B12, Soy Isoflavones, Yam extract and Ginkgo Nut extract.

Snacks

2011-07-13T23:19:00.007+08:00

Ever since I met up with my health conscious friend who kept nagging that I was having unhealthy fried food, I am more conscious when I visit the supermarts to shop for snacks. There is more self-restraint to reach out for my favourite chips....
Today, noticed something new under the snack section on nuts....
NATURE'S WONDERS~the healthier snack~Fruits & Nuts Fusion
(pdt of Malaysia from Tai Sun)

Compared to other brands, it is a good pack of 130g at $2.50 which has a good mixture of Cashew Nuts, Almonds, Pistachio Kernels, Roasted Grams, Golden Raisins & Sun Dried Figs.
It sure taste healthier without added salt and peanuts that other more expensive brands usually came with. Ok, C, I am very obedient, right?

Jack fruit

2011-07-02T21:21:00.005+08:00

Another fruit in season around Jun/July. Saw the hugh pieces of Jack fruit bulbs being removed and arranged nicely by the fruit vendors for sale. It sure looked attractive and recalling a recent sampling of the fruit cooked in Sri Lankan Curry, I couldn't resist to purchase a packet though mum had expressed concern about the heatiness of the fruit which the vendor kindly advised that by washing the bulbs with lightly salted water before consumption, it can help reduce the heaty effect of the fruit. Another wonder of salt.:-)

And guess what? Was told the seed of the Jack fruit is edible too if boiled or roasted. I tried boiling it and it softened to taste much like the chestnuts.

Searching the internet for its nutritional value, was impressed that it is not only rich in dietary fiber which is good for the colon, its combination of Vitamin A & flavonoid pigment aids in antioxidant and vision functions but it is also rich in Vitamin B & C and good source of minerals such as potassium and iron. Wow...will eat more while it is in season...:P

BBQ for Vegetarians

2011-06-06T00:26:00.005+08:00

Had a family gathering BBQ and what thoughtful mum & host had got me: Fried vegetarian meehoon, sweet potato & sweet corn (must have in BBQ for non-vegetarians too, sweet & juicy!), fresh tempeh fom market. On top of that, mum also purchased this : Vegetarian Roasted Mutton Bunch. It is supposed to be vegetarian satay that its look certainly need improvement but taste wise is still quite acceptable.

Its ingredients on label: Water, Dried Mushroom Top, Soybean Oil, Soybean Protein, Sugar, Salt, Vegetarian Natural Flavour and Flavouring, Flavour Enhancer (E627, E631).

However, the sweet corn is still the best natural and healthy food to have in BBQ though :-)

Baby corns

2011-04-24T11:04:00.004+08:00

New vege introduced by the vendor : Baby corns with corn Silks still covering it.
Unlike the usual baby corns with exterior removed, the immature maizes were harvested early and sold to us just like the mature maize with external leaves covering it.
Was told that these baby corns made a good ingredient to cook with barley water and has good detoxing effects.
Just cleanse the covered baby corn with some water to remove any soil or dust and throw a few stalks with its cover unremoved to brew with barley water.
Unlike the exterior removed baby corns, the protected corn is much softer in texture and much sweeter and fresher that after brewing in barley water, one can remove the exterior and munch on it which has a natural sweetness and soft to chew.
A great difference in comparison to the usual baby corns with exterior protection case removed and has harder texture in comparison especially after cooking.
Try it! :-)

Vegetarian Snack Time!

2011-04-22T21:49:00.005+08:00

D visited a fair and bought this Brown Rice Biscuits (a product from Taiwan).
Tasted like those cone biscuits for ice-cream and it states "Lacto-Vegetarian" (allows dairy pdts) on the packaging and yes, it goes well with ice-cream.:-)

Ingredients:
Flour, Pearl Barley, Brown Rice, Peanuts, Sugar, Butter, Whey protein, Salt, Vitamin E.

Alternative to Dairy Milk

2011-01-16T23:59:00.005+08:00

S had a minor surgery recently and in the surgery arose some complications that she had to be given transfusion of 2 bags of blood. Her incident made me realise the importance of regular blood donors and am really grateful to them.

However, as she was later prescribed with iron tablets to increase her red blood cells, she experienced some side effects of unsmooth bowels.

Understanding her problem, a vegetarian friend introduced her to Biogreen Five Grain Oatmilk Energy from an Organic shop. Oat is believed to be helpful in smoothing bowels.

This is suitable for Vegans as this Oatmilk energy claimed to be an alternative to Dairy Milk with the benefits of Oat, Omega 3, Soy Lecithin.

One just needs to take 2 table-spoons of it and mix with 250ml of water, just like preparing a milo drink.
The oat had been very finely-grinded with no coarse texture of oat tasted at all and the drink tasted like milk-water with strong fragance of vanilla.
It is now been used as an alternative to coffee for S's coffee-break.

Ingredients on label: Oats (non-GMO), Buckwheat, Soy Lecithin (non-GMO), brown rice, black rice, red rice, Pearl Barley, Amaranth, Wheat, Black bean, Flax seed.

Sounds like a nutritious drink on normal days too.:-)

Vegetarian Snack Time

2010-12-05T15:21:00.005+08:00

What a cute attractive packaging!

B bought me this packet of seaweed from local supermart, a product of Thailand -
Roasted Seaweed Giant Sheet.
Extremely crispy maybe bec of its Ziploc package and individually wrapped.
1st time tasted Seaweed so crispy/crunchy and Sweet!
It is stated as 100% Vegetarian.

Ingredients on label: Seaweed 98%, Salt 0.5%, Sugar 1%, Pepper 0.5%

Quick Cold Remedy

2010-11-27T15:21:00.003+08:00

I prefer Chinese to Western Medicine (even if it is much bitter:P).
My 1st choice of cold remedy is to take Ge Gen Tang and my favourite brand is this Red Sun Cold Remedy manufactured in Japan.
It disappeared from the Chinese Medicine market for a period & returned recently with this packaging (somehow I preferred previous packaging which looked more Japanese & professional:P).

The medicine effect can be immediately felt and after a good sleep, one usually recovers.
It is also a must bring item for my tour. :-)

The label states that the herb extracts include:
Radix Pueraiae Lobatae (Ge Gen), Herba Ephedrae (Ma Huang), Fructus Jujubae (Da Zao), Radix Glycyrrhizae (Gan Cao), Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens (Raw Ginger), Cinnamon Cortex (Gui pi), Radix Paeoniae Rubra (Shao Yao)

Quite a number of Chinese herbs and quite a number of brands of Ge Geng Tang on market which I tried during its absence, but I still prefers this brand and glad it returned. ;-)

Vegetarian Snacktime!

2010-10-23T22:57:00.005+08:00

Another snack from Taiwan, and just found besides at Vegetarian supply shop, it is also now easily available at Supermart too: Blueberry Yogurt Flavor Wafer. Maybe beceause of the yogurt ingredients? It has a refreshing peppermint taste and is mild sweet compared to similar products.

Ingredients stated: Wheat flour, corn starch, milk powder, sugar, glucose, corn oil, blueberry powder, flavoring (blueberry flavor, yoghurt flavor), raising agent (E503(ii), E500(ii)).

Burdock Fibrous Shredded

2010-10-17T19:56:00.009+08:00

This had been prepared in resemblence to the meat floss in vegetarian version (no Fried food, no Preservatives, no MSG) which tasted great with porridge.:-)
A product from Taiwan with main ingredients: Burdock, Non-GMO soy protein, Olive Grape-Seed Oil, Sunflower Oil, Cane Sugar, sesame, Pea Powder, Wheat Protein, Salt & Vegetarian seasoning.

Had been looking for it for a long time since last tried it in India/Sri Lanka last Dec and I happen to discover this vegetarian shop : Ko's Vegetarian Pte Ltd while exploring the Xin Ming/Shunfu estate. In there, I found my other favourite snacks such as the Vegetarian Buckwheat Seaweed Cookies . :-)

It's a comparative neat air-conditioned shop which is a great contrast to other shops in an old HDB estate (Blk23, Sin Ming Rd, #01-33) that caught my attention. Half of it is an area selling instant vegetarian supplies & snacks while the other half is a Buddhist bookshop promoting mainly Dharma books of Venerable Master Yin Shun & Venerable Master Tai Xu as well as a small section of Dharma book free distribution section. I was told the shop may be only one of the 2 in Singapore that you could find works of the 2 Great Masters. Opening hours generally 10am-6pm daily , rest alternate Sunday, manned by Venerable De Zhen from PKFT who is ever friendly to introduce one to good books.

Great to discover another interesting shop amidst my foodhunt mission. :-)

Vegetarian Snack Time!

2010-08-12T23:28:00.003+08:00

Visited Tian Yuan at #02-23 Fortune Centre to top up my stock & the lady boss recommended this new snack: Vegetarian Buckwheat Seaweed Cookies.
Inside has many individual packs, much like crispy rice crackers & each with crispy seaweed sheet.
Quite Good snack as it gives you a filling sensation easily.:-) And price is quite reasonable.

It's another product of Taiwan with ingredients stated as follows:
Millet, brown rice, malt, bitter buckwheat, peas, black seasame, seaweed tablets, natural non-hydrogenated vegetable oils (no trans-fat)

Sugar Apricot

2010-07-04T22:51:00.007+08:00

Wow, another fruit in season! This mini peach like fruit recommended by the fruit vendor is actually Sugar Apricot. It's actually a 2 in 1 fruit as you just need to wash & eat the fruit without peeling of skin & the unappealing seed inside which is inedible contains Almond that you need to smash the seed with the help of an hammer to get it. It's real interesting & fun for the 1st timers deriving their own almonds instead of off-shelf purchase. :-)

Apricot is known to be rich in natural sugar, calcium and vitamins, beneficial in treatment of constipation & aid digestion process if consumed before a meal.

Soup, Cream of Tomato; Cream of Mushroom

2010-06-10T23:28:00.012+08:00

Finally found 1 brand of Instant Soup to my liking. It did not label itself as vegetarian, I checked its label on ingredients:
No msg, no onion & garlic mentioned (& I couldn't sense the taste), the sourness & non-diluteness of the tomato soup is just nice for me! :-)
This Cream of Tomato by "Dancing Chef" is a product of Switzerland and I found it 1st on the shelf of OG's food/tibits section. However, it does contain milk protein which is not suitable for Vegans and it comes with croutons which I would had preferred without.

Having greater confidence after trying their tomato soup, I went in search for its other pro-vegetarian version, I found their Cream of Mushroom at the local Supermarket's Instant Soup section. The soup is thick too & taste good as well but abit salty to my taste though.:-)

Well, for vegetarians, you may have to exercise caution if to consume as according to a comment by a kind anonymous, whey/whey powder (stated as one of its ingredients) may be derived from animal rennet.

Ingredients indicated on label of Cream of Tomato:
Tomato powder, potato starch, sugar, modified corn starch, croutons (wheat flour, vegetable oil, salt, yeast, anti-oxidant: propyl gallate), salt, dried glucose syrup, vegetable fat, wheat flour, yeast extract, dehydrated beetroot juice, milk protein, dehydrated basil, citric acid, flavours.

Ingredients indicated on label of Cream of Mushroom:
Potato starch, vegetable fat, dried glucose syrup, salt, whey powder, modified corn starch, maltodextrin, champignon extract, sugar, dehydrated mushrooms (champignons, boletus), yeast extract, dehydrated parsley, flavours, citric acid, spice.

Yang Mei, Arbutus!

2010-06-10T23:02:00.009+08:00

This is mum's favorite fruit & is in season now or ending soon, she had finished boxes of it by now. (Saw Lychee also same time in season now with similar packaging too so be careful not to mistaken the two ...)

I only know it as "Yang Mei" in Chinese and only from the label do I know its English name as "Arbutus". What we had here were from China but a search in the internet showed few replies.

It is supposed to taste refreshingly sour plus some sweetness & well known to have a good cooling effect for a bad sore throat.

A simple way taught by lovers is to wash them & then sprinkle some salt over them (was just recommended on adding both salt & sugar together tasted good too by the vendor but hadn't tried adding both yet). This way will enhance their flavor and tasted fantastic especially taken out cool from the fridge.

:-)

Vegetarian Snack Time!

2010-05-15T16:50:00.008+08:00

Vegetarian Supplies just at the small shop beside left of Toa Payoh MRT entrance!

I was amazed when I pass by the little shop on left side of Toa Payoh MRT station, before the escalator to HDB Hub. I had noticed it started selling a small variety of Vegetarian pastries months ago and now even Vegetarian Supplies! Though it is not a full pledged vegetarian shop, impressive enough. It now has bread & pastries from Yes Natural & Su Ya (the vegetarian bakeries), vegetarian tidbits, dry supplies like instant noodles, chilli sauce, etc. & frozen products (though not well arranged in the freezer) as well!

Must support it & hopefully it can survive well.
Ya, ya, that's the glutton me having a soft spot for tidbits:P,
I bought the HAW YUANG Seaweed cracker which is a product of Taiwan that boasts of using Japan Sea salt & technology to process the crackers.
Well, worth the price, as it is crispy without the fishy seaweed smell that some other brands had.:-)

Ingredients; Flour, Starch, Veg oil, Rice, Soy Sauce, Salt, seaweed, Sesame
Imported by Friendly Vegetarian Food Supplier

Vegetarian Snack Time!!

2010-04-25T13:25:00.004+08:00

New tidbits produced in Indonesia discovered at a Vegetarian outlet visited.
Mini Conz - Mini Corn Sticks that came in 3 flavours: Roasted Corn, Chocolate & Cheese. On one munch, one may thought it does contain MSG but its Package had specifically indicated as no MSG added. Personally I prefer the Roasted Corn flavour.
On its package, it had indicated as Suitable for Vegetarians with ingredients of :
Corn, Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Corn Powder, Milk Powder, Salt, Roasted Corn Flavour, Permitted Food Colouring, Tartrazine CI 19140 (E102).

Instant Funori Jelly

2010-01-31T15:43:00.008+08:00

It's quite a tedious process to make Funori dessert the traditional way but with the popularity of Funori as a good supplement for Collagen & being inexpensive, it had caught the attention of merchants to come up with different brands & ways to let people enjoy it. The most popular form is the jelly style which is often being served in those organic cafe. I would thought it difficult to home-made to the softness & smoothness of cafe standard (tasted like the ice jelly found at dessert stalls) but no longer a trouble after the invention of such rock sugar cube type of instant funori dessert.

(dissolving the cube in hot water)

This was bought outside the promotion stall set up for CNY goodies outside the Fortune Centre Vegetarian supply shop near the escalator. (However, I found out that there is another new vegetarian supply shop: "Tian Yuan Healthy Vegetarian Food Paradise" which just opened at #02-23 Fortune Centre & is retailing this product)

The product from Taiwan has 2 version. This brown version that I bought was pre-added with brown sugar, red-dates and dried longan, there's also the plain version which you could add lime or passion fruit syrup or any creation yourself.

Method:
Add 500ml (5 cups) of hot water to cube & stir til dissolved.
If you find it still too sweet, which I do, simply add more water till to your taste.
Cool it & put in fridge (non-chiller section), within hrs, you could enjoy one whole big bowl of Funori jelly with a family of 6 at the price of 1.5 cup at cafe. Really refreshing on a hot day!

Crystal had a good post on her blog on the after-product of the jelly. Pls click here:
http://crystalbyblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/funori-jelly-aka-algae-essence-jelly.html

For convenience, these instant products are great, however, to really feel the collagen presence, I would prefer the conventional way of processing it, as maybe psychologically, you know through the process that there is really rich collagen content in the funori you are having. :-)

Lazy Way of Enjoying Avocado

2010-01-13T21:42:00.010+08:00

Yes, it's me on instant food series again.

So simple,

choose a ripen, soft avocado,

just cut the fruit into half without hurting the seed,

and use the half with the hollow space (without the seed) as a saucer for chilli,

use a small spoon and scoop the fruit like ice-cream & dip with the chilli sauce.

Heinz chilli sauce is currently my favourite dip as it is sweet & a good complement to the avocado which is quite bland in taste. :-)

Or for those who likes some thrill, use wasabi as the complement dip. :-)

What do you do with the seed?

Wash it with running water, dry it, then plant it with 1/3 of the tip popping out of the soil.

Water it daily, and in a few weeks, if you are one with green fingers, a stalky green plant would grow.

Yes, it grows in Spore weather... But it may take long before you can enjoy the fruit. :-)

Burdock Mock Meat Floss

2009-12-14T23:14:00.009+08:00

In the recent tour to India and Sri Lanka, in order to avoid possibilities of being unused to the local Indian food, we usually enjoyed some additional side-dishes shared by our tour-mates. Amongst the list are the Pickled Cai-Xin, Olive vegetables, Belajan chilli and quite a number of own-made vegetarian delicacies such as above, a delicacy of mushroom stalk fried with ginger (must recall the recipe given by the vegetarian auntie:P) which finished within one round of sharing.

Another recommendable instant product is this Burdock Fragrant Fibrous Shredded brought by our Malaysian tour-mates. It is also a product of Taiwan and I believe should be available in Spore too. How good is it? It received quite a good comment from those non-vegetarians too.

Along the journey, on the coach, we also shared our own favourite tibits like the ginger slices, Ba Xian Guo, lemon slices, of different varieties from different countries (now I know what's good other than my HK Plum Ginger or HouBao which they also like:-) ) and it is great to exchange pointers where we could get them. It is also like a cultural exchange on food for the trip. :-)

Korean Noodles plus Korean HoT Pepper Paste

2009-11-03T23:57:00.007+08:00

Having watched too much Korean drama which featured their delicious-looking instant noodles in their drama, I was in a Korean mood to cook Korean instant noodles for lunch.

Using the Korean instant noodles bought from supermart, discarding their not so healthy seasoning packages which also contained onion & garlic powder, I added my own favourite mock ingredients, vegetables, beancurb and the vegetarian-friendly no onion & no garlic Korean Hot Pepper Paste (bought from the Korean shop at Bencoolen St, which was kept too long in my fridge), with some light soy sauce, I dished up a pot of delicious Korean Soup noodles. :-)

Organic Sunflower Mayonnaise

2009-10-15T20:47:00.006+08:00

It's hard to find a nice pure vegetarian version of salad cream (without onion, garlic & egg) off the shelves of normal supermarts.
The version sold at vegetarian supermart is generally small packet of white cream with a bland taste & I have to add lemon or apple cider vinegar to make it taste better but no longer the hassle ever since I found this melrose brand of vegetarian mayonnaise with the perfect blend of sourness to my taste that makes wonder with salad and sandwiches.
It was found on the shelves opposite the cashier of New Green Pasture Cafe.:-)
You could also use some of it to mix with plain white rice and it becomes an appetising specialty rice.

Made in Australia, ingredients on label:

Organic Sunflower Oil, Purified water, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Sugar, Organic Mustard, Lemon oil, Salt, Soy Protein, Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Rosemary extract, Vitamin E,

Egg & Cholesterol Free

Gluten Free Vegan :-)

Instant Veggie Buns

2009-08-30T15:09:00.007+08:00

Wow, went to supermart recently & a peep at the frozen instant food section saw many variety of buns. Was surprised to find this famous Abalone brand selling other products and included vegetarian mini-buns & mantous!

The yellowish squarish buns are their Wholemeal Pumpkin Mini Mantous and shown in the lower picture are their Mushrooom Mini buns. Their texture are quite nice, as good as those bought from stalls. And it is easy to prepare, just have to steam them, a good alternate consideration for breakfast. :-)

Organically Grown Raisins - Jumbo Size

2009-08-16T20:06:00.010+08:00

Not much of a raisin lover, however, I fell in love with it when my colleague gave me a box of the Sunview "Organically Grown Raisins " (Jumbo size!) . It is much juicer & tastier & not too sweet as compared to the traditional raisins.

It can be found under the Organic section of most supermarts.

They have the minibox pack version that made it easier for you to travel with & share with friends. For most who really love it, they even have the hugh tin versions! And they have 3 versions: Red, Black and Green grapes. Try them and find out which version you like better!!!

A quick search on benefits of raisins showed that raisins help with eyesight, oral hygiene and they act as antioxidants. A healthy snack...

Tips: try get them (tin) at wet Market fruit stalls (cheapest I get is $7per tin but costed at least $2 more at supermarts)

Vegetable Dumpling

2009-08-14T00:00:00.007+08:00

Another vegetarian product from Taiwan. This is currently my favourite brand of instant dumplings, and mum always stock this with the Super Veg. Ball to fix up a quick soup for me. You may steam, boil or fry it.

Also a good complement with instant noodles or vermicelli.:-)

Ingredients on label: Wheat Flour, Cabbage, water, Spring Rain?? (Dong Fen/Rice vermicelli:P), Soybean oil, Soybean protein, Jews-ear??/ (Mu er/Black Fungus:P), Carrot, Celery, Soy Sauce, Sesame oil, Salt.

Easily available in most Vegetarian Food Supply outlets.

Pickled Cucumber

2009-07-05T12:22:00.007+08:00

A more healthier snack is fresh vegetables.

I found this at Daiso, the $2 supermart:

Japanese Seasoning for pickled cucumber in mustard :

It comes in 3 small packets in the bigger package on topmost picture.

Ingredients: mustard, glucose, salt, soy sauce, (soybean, wheat, salt, water), vinegar, kelp, turmeric, seasoning, Vit C, alnm, xtanthan, gum, enzyme

According to the drawings on the label, just pour the small packet into a bag of sliced cucumber (The Japanese type of cucumber is more recommended as it is more crunchy), tie it up and let it marinate by itself.

To better marinate it, I mixed it with some water , just about 2 tablespoon (Not too much water is to be mixed as the cucumber itself will release its own water content after sometime) and sealed it in those lunchboxes and put it into the fridge. After 2-3 hrs later, I have my lightly pickled cucumber.

It is quite a success as my mum loves it. It kind of tasted like wasabi sauce but much lighter than wasabi. A refreshing taste. :-)

Vege Kim-chi Roll

2009-05-24T15:49:00.005+08:00

Another similar product like Fried Pumpkin Patty. Tasted very similar except that the fillings is now kimchi & not pumpkin. (somehow, the fillings is not very equal in portion, I would think stricter quality control shd be enforced)

I would think a more healthy way will be to steam it or quick boil though recommended is frying on its label.

Ingredients: Glucomannan, Canola oil, Starch, Salt, Sugar, Kimchi, Vegetarian seasoning.

However, Milk products had been mentioned as allergens on its label & ingredients described not as comprehensive as the Fried Pumpkin Patty's. There is a Lacto vegetarian label so likely the whey protein which contains milk protein had been omitted in the label...

Vegetarian Snack Time!!!!

2009-05-16T15:52:00.006+08:00

Was recommended this German organic chocolate brand and love it!

Organic Dark Mint from VIVANI~ The Art of Chocolate

Its mint is really refreshing and dark chocolate smooth but not too bitter...

Ingredients:

Dark chocolate: cocoa mass, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, butterfat.
Peppermint filling: raw cane sugar, wheat glucose syrup, peppermint oil.

Cocoa solids: 68% minimum.
And note *May contain traces of almonds & hazelnuts. (not peanuts as some other brands :-))

Organic milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts, see the nuts in the picture? The hazelnuts are Really fresh & crunchy though the milk chocolate tastes normal in comparison.

Ingredients: raw cane sugar, hazelnuts(26%), cocoa butter, whole milk poweder, cocoa mass, cream powder, skimmed milk powder, bourbon vanilla.

Cocoa solids: 32% min

Milk siolids: 18%
*May contain traces of almonds & wheat.

You can get them in most organic shops, price wise, slightly more expensive than general brands in supermarket (organic mah...) but well, pamper yourself once in a while....:P

Vegetarian Snack Time!!!!

2009-05-16T09:58:00.010+08:00

Must try!!!!

I got this Crispy Cereal Cracker from Kg Senang's stall during Vesak @ kmspks.

The actual cracker looks per picture, it comes in 7 mini packs with thin piece of crispy cracker and be careful, it is fragile....

In good form of 1 whole piece, while eating it, you really feel being pampered and blessed with such a delicacy.

On top of the wheat cracker, one can find:

Sesame seeds, Soybean, Pumpkin seeds, Cashew nuts, Mung bean seeds, Pearl barley, Brown rice.

Nutritious & delightfully tasty, a touching sensation arouse when you put it in your mouth...too sentimental???:PP

Nutri Mate is a product from Thailand, imported by The Sukha House Pte Ltd.

Vegetarian Snack Time!!!

2009-05-07T13:51:00.007+08:00

Hmm, these moon shaped biscuits which I also got from Yes Natural's stall at Vesak@Orchard may not look appetising but its taste is superb, very fragrant, filling & rich that when I offered to non-vegetarian colleagues, they all asked where they could get them.:-)
Each box comes in 2 small packets but if you eat a packet by yourself (which you couldn't stop after 1 piece :P), you could easily have overfilling sensation after finishing alone...so do try to stop yourself or share with friends...

Biscuits - Red Yeast (Vegan) flavour
Yes Natural's Yue Liang Biscuits (Happy Moon) in shapes of moon crest
Ingredients stated on label: unbleached flour, butter, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower seeds, non-GMO Soy Beans, sugar, Sesame , rice (No pesticides, no chemical, fertilisers), wheat gems, oats bran, red yeast, salt, sodium-bicabonate

Taiwan mfgr: Tsan Yu Yen Food, Ltd.
Agt: Yes Natural Trading PL

Perhaps the Taiwanese needs to improve in their English translation as the word, "butter" referred in Chinese version is not what we literally known as butter in English which is not considered as vegetarian...

Vegetarian Snack Time!!

2009-04-30T22:13:00.004+08:00

I think Yes Natural is a new participant to this year's food fair at Vesak@Orchard. Glad to find it promoting what's been proclaimed as healthy snacks there.

The Organic Brown Rice Rings, come in both cheese & chocolate flavour. The rings tasted very much those cheesy corn snacks/morning cereal. I chose its chocolate flavour which is actually covered with a layer of cocoa coating.

Do keep it in air-tight containers if you couldn't finish to preserve its crispiness.

Instant Cup Noodles

2009-04-24T20:09:00.008+08:00

Another instant product!!!

Sigh, using up my stock of cup noodles before I intended to:-(

Su Piao Xiang (Mushroom & wild vege) is a Taiwanese brand that I got from YiXin, which seems to be increasing its stock of off-shelve products. Taiwan is getting more & more famous with its quality instant cup noodles that more people had started requesting friends visiting it to bring back as souvenir.
Certainly glad that quality of cup noodles improved which at least reduce the miserably of those who have to take it for ot purpose. This brand is certainly a much improvement from what we used to have, so worth trying maybe for supper too at only $1.50. ;-)

Vegetarian Snack Time!

2009-04-20T23:19:00.003+08:00

Another healthy snack that you could often see in vegetarian shops.

Oven baked Brown Rice crackers

Ingredients: Brown Rice, Sesame, Cane Sugar

Pdt of Malaysia
180gms at $3.50

Vegetarian Snack Time!

2009-04-19T23:43:00.007+08:00

SNACK TIME!
Into my new job with lots of overtime expected, I decided to stock up some snacks. While exploring the area around my new workplace, I found this shop: The Organic Paradise Pte Ltd, well hidden from the busy human traffic and according to the owner, they had been there for more than 10 years.

I decided to try the Organic Sunflower Seed Biscuits 90gm at $2.80.
It comes in small pieces, similar to those Pumpkin seed cookies with maltose found in small packets. This pack tasted quite crunchy, and its maltose has a slight sesame & ginger-like fragrance that I found myself addicted and finishing the pack fast.:P
Sigh, i can forsee myself putting on weight in just a week's time. :-(

According to the label, it is Certified organic (raw material) by : BSC Oko-Garamite of Germany.
Ingredients:Organic Sunflower Seed, sesame seed, organic apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, maltose, Himalaya crystal rock sugar

Sounds quite healthy? :-)

It also comes in several flavour, including black sesame, pumpkin and brown rice...
Personally, I prefer the brown rice version...:-)

Water Dispenser

2009-03-04T00:00:00.007+08:00

What is this that I would like to introduce? The vertical Rectangular water dispenser in picture that with a press of the buttons is able to dispense cold, warm (around 30 degree Celsius) and hot water!!! Applause to this invention and I sure hope it could be introduced to Singapore soon.

If you had been to Singapore, the water dispensers are still very traditional, usually the type that you need a strong man to change heavy big bucket/bottle when it is empty. And it only has the choice of hot & cool water and not so user-friendly tap for hot water too. :P

I strongly believe there is a potential market in Singapore as well for this type of user-friendly water dispenser commonly found in Taipei. :-)

Taiwan Delights

2009-02-26T15:40:00.006+08:00

We didn't had time to do shopping so we bought the popular local pastries from the airport. My family liked the Sun Cake and I was delighted to find our favourite brand having the vegetarian version. In fact, there are quite a few vegetarian pastries/brand if you ask the salesgirls for assistance.
Ingredients labelled: Flour, Sugar, Embryo (rice?米芽) bud , Honey, Vegetable Oil-etc. I think the vegetarian version tasted as nice as the non-vegetarian version from my faded memory:-)

My friend recommended another product called Butter Pastry which has a similar taste, more like a bigger version of Sun Cake in my opinion. Ingredients labelled: Flour, Granulated sugar, Butter, Vegetable oil. Under the English label, it stated "Pure Vegetarian". :P

Another favourite product from Jiu Fen, the plum in a small jelly wasn't available at the airport outlet:-( I sure miss that as well...

Fried Pumpkin Patty

2009-01-24T19:25:00.006+08:00

It is good to know that instead of imitation mock chicken nuggets, there are new pro-vegetarian inventions. An easy snack to prepare and I did it the more healthy way: I steamed it. :-) It tasted like sotong balls with bread crumb coating and pumpkin fillings.

This is product of Vegefarm but no information on country of origin. Ingredients on label:

Glucomannan, Whey protein (milk protein), Canola oil, Starch, Butter, Pumpkin, Salt, Sugar, Pepper, Bread crumb (contains wheat), Vegetarian seasoning.

Vegetarian Instant Pasta

2009-01-20T18:35:00.008+08:00

I got this Vegetarian Instant Tomato & Vegetable Pasta from Nature Vegetarian. (They do sell some tibits, frozen vegetarian products, dry stocks and New Year cookies! near the drink stall)
The manufacturer is Honsei Pte Ltd at Singapore. They have Pasta of other flavours like cream of Mushroom, but personally I prefer tomato-sauced pasta so I decided to start with it.
It comes in a small cup with instant pasta in packet as shown and a hugh packet of powder which as per label says, contains non-dairy creamer (despite the name, it contains milk protein derivatives !), yeast extract, tomato extract, corn starch, salt, vegetable gum, soya protein, dried herbs, spices, calcium and vitamin C. (Not a scientific person, I always wonder how these extra minerals and vitamins are inputed!)
Per instructions, I poured hot water into cup , stir well and close the lids for 3 minutes and I got a lovely cup of pasta.
The sauce tasted surprisingly better than expected, though the pasta was not as well-cooked which could be the water I used wasn't hot enough but generally overall, it tasted reasonably.:-) It would be better if the portion of the pasta could be bigger though. :-)

Vegetarian Assam Fish

2008-12-15T18:50:00.004+08:00

Another new product tried! Vegetarian Assam Fish! Claims to be 100% Vegetarian, product of Singapore from Tian Xin Su Shi Bao Dian. Ingredients: Fresh bean curb, Seaweed, Assam, Chilli , Salt, Sugar & seasoning.

It comes in a plastic container and the Otak-like product in middle picture was the frozen state it was in. After steaming, the frozen Assam sauce melted and became a great gravy to go with the Ladyfingers that Mum added in. The Ladyfingers would have tasted better if they were sliced into slimer pieces to better absorb the gravy. I would think the selling point is the appetising Assam sauce more than the beancurb skin vegetarian fish.

One can finish bowls of rice with it. :-) Quite reasonable priced around $3.50 for a big piece. You should be able to get it from most Vegetarian supply shops.

Golden Pumpkin Meat Floss

2008-08-17T22:21:00.007+08:00

I can't exactly remember the taste of the actual meat floss (which I don't fancy in the past:P). However, I think this vegetarian product that I just discovered, may taste better than the meat version recalled from my fading memory of its taste.

The taste of this mock meat floss is mild, not too saltish and tastes abit creamy? It melts in your mouth. I tried it with noodles today & it tasted well.
Its ingredients as found on its label include: Pumpkin, TSP, Starch, Vegetable Oil, Seaweed, Vegetarian Seasoning.
Hence, you can also find slices of seaweed and pumpkin seeds in it.

It is an Malaysian product (found "Halal" logo on its packaging) by Yi Dah Xing Food Factory (M) Sdn. Bhd., imported by Friendly Vegetarian Food Supplier at Blk421, Ang Mo Kio Ave. 10, #01-1165.

I got it from the Vegetarian stall at S'pore Buddhist Lodge's trolley cart that sells buns. At $5, for a 230g in air-tight packaging, I think it's worth to try...

(The Trolley cart is a new concept that they have for their stalls which I feel sorry for the stall vendors who have to endure the sun & rain in the open space. Personally, I consider trolley carts to be more suitable in sheltered environment especially since Spore is a country that experiences hot & rainy weather :P)

Vegetarian Mock Meat

2008-06-09T16:07:00.008+08:00

Generally, I do not really like mock meat but the 2 frozen mock meat products that I am going to introduce are quite nice in my opinion & changed my views about mock meat.

The Vegetarian Cold Smoky Meat is a Taiwanese product by Chaste Je Way Industrial Co., Ltd with essential ingredients indicated on its packaging: soybean protein fiber, glucomannian, lactalbumin, starch, sugar, salt, soybean oil, natural spices.

Just have to slice them into thin pieces & use them to stir-fry with vegetables or cook them with noodles. It is replicating as the fatty pork meat and the white jelly portion tastes like fats of meat.

Princess Gold Pieces is a Malaysia product from Tian Sing Cold Storage. Details of ingredients are not specified but it claimed all ingredients to be from plant sources.

It can also be stir-fried with vegetables and it tasted like tender pork pieces. I would think it tasted better than the real pork pieces which needs a lot of preparation to make it as tender. My favourite dish would be to use it to cook with sesame oil, dark soy sauce and ginger slices.

Another mock meat product that I like is the mock meat found in Classic Lao Di Fang's Spicy noodles . However, the frozen product found & tried does not taste as good so I believe some additional preparation work may have been done to make it taste good.

Hope that more nutritious and yet tasty products in place of meat could be introduced in future...

Cheers... :-)

Spicy Bean Curb

2008-06-06T13:12:00.009+08:00

I first tasted spicy bean curb at SiChuan, China & fell in love with it. Hence, decided to recreate my own version here.

Ingredients:
- get a bowl of hot plain soft bean curb (without syrup) from any Soy Drink stall (try to get from one that is famous for its smoothness)

- Belachan chilli (with chilli oil )
- Vegetarian Dried shrimp (optional, can be obtained from same source as Belachan chilli)
- light soy sauce
- Sesame oil

Steps:
1) Simply mix a tablespoon of Belachan chilli (with chilli oil) with some light soy sauce (1 teaspoon or to taste) & 2 drops of sesame oil in a saucer.

2) Scoop desired quantity of bean curb.

3) Pour desired amount of mixed sauce on top of bean curb & softly mix evenly.

4) Add Vegetarian Dried shrimp on top (optional).

There it is, my own version of simplified Spicy bean curb. :-) May not look as nice and taste as good as the Original one but good enough for time being...

Let me know if you find any nice smooth bean curb stalls...

Cheers :-)

Vegetarian Belachan Chilli

2008-05-31T12:00:00.006+08:00

This is my favourite Vegetarian Belachan chilli. I bought it from the "convenience" stall at Spore Buddhist Lodge. Real hot & spicy, did you see the chilli oil floating on top? that's the best part...sinful but shiok..

It just has a simple label pasted :
健裕斋料供应商 Kian Joo Vegetarian Food Supply Centre with an address:

Blk 134, Geylang East #01-221 (near Aljunied MRT)

Hmm, you can try finding it there..it cost $2.60. Could it be cheaper at original store?

Even the word "Belachan" is ink-written. No info on ingredients but does have a printed expiry date. Ha, try it at your own risk... :P

Seaweed

2008-04-24T21:42:00.002+08:00

Recently my friend gave me a packet of seasoned spicy seaweed (as shown above) from Taiwan.

It is labelled Vegetarian with soy sauce, mushroom powder, chilli sauce & salt as ingredients.

Crispy & taste great eating as snacks or using it for sushi roll.

I hope it is available in Spore too. You could try :-)

Almond Dessert

2008-03-01T00:27:00.007+08:00

One small bowl/cup of almond dessert with fruit cocktail or longan outside costs about $2 or more.
With this instant product which you can find easily at supermarkets, you could prepare a serving for six at <$1.50 (almond dessert alone) & in minutes.

So simple that you just need to know how to boil water to prepare it.

1) Just pour the packet ingredients into boiling water (2 cups or 500g or if you do not like it to be too sweet, 2.5-3 cups to your liking), continue to boil & stir constantly until Dessert dissolve.

2) Pour into mould/big bowl & allow to cool. Dessert will set in 30min or 15min with refrigeration.

3) May add some fruit cocktail on top of it or cut the dessert into bite size cubes to serve with fruit cocktail or longan Or even eat it plain.:-)

Even simpler than cooking instant noodles if you just eat it plain without fruits. No Hassle dessert that suits a lazy person like me.

Its ingredients: Sugar, Non-fat dry milk, Glucose, Natural vegetable gum, Almond.

This brand has other flavours like Mango & Durian but I like its Almond flavour Best. Personally, I prefer to use fresh fruits for Mango & Durian pudding:P.

Preserved Ginger with Plum Juice

2008-01-14T17:42:00.000+08:00

Another Life-saving product for me. I get to know it when I suffered from mild food-poisoning & stomach flu while travelling in China. A kind tour-mate auntie gave me a bottle to try & it works.

(驱寒)话梅姜, it really drives away the chill. With plum added to it, the "hotness" taste of the ginger is negated with the plum taste so even non-ginger lover is able to accept it. It really drives away the wind in the stomach & helps keep your body warm. A good companion for travel especially to cold countries.

I tried to find it in Spore but it is a product from HongKong and so far is not available in Spore. And it is not available in any shop in HK. Even the HongKongers may not be able to find it in their neighborhood when I told my friend who travelled to HK to search for me.

The mystery was resolved only when I managed to contact the tour-mate & ask where she got it.

It is only available in the Wing Wah 荣华 Shop at HK Airport.

Don't know why it is only available as export gift, but hopefully it will be available in Spore shops soon as I am running low in supply.

If any of you going HK, pls let me know. I need to "longbang" to get more bottles.

Or if you happen to know that it is now available in Spore, please let me know where:-)

Cheers:-)

济公喉宝JiGong Hou Bao

2008-01-14T17:01:00.000+08:00

Being a Glutton, I will sometimes overeat & suffer from indigestion, my immediate antidote will be to take this preserved product.

I remember when I was young & whenever I suffer from upset stomach, my mum will scoop a teaspoon of this preserved fruit 佛手果 (gift from my god-grandmother many years ago from China) with sugar & water & let me drink. It always work wonder.

The name 佛手果 (not sure its English name but the direct translation is "Fruit of Buddha's hand") may be derived bec its original fruit looks like a hand & its medical effects is great so people might have associated it with the great Buddha who cures? Guessing:P

In recent years, you can see it being marketed as one of the plants for the Chinese New Year festive.

Now, in the market, mixed with other ingredients such as LuoHanGuo, almond, honey, & peppermint etc, it comes in small bottles & is easy to carry & consume. It is marketed more as soothing for throat but I usually use it more for indigestion.:P

Easily available in most Chinese Medical shops, it usually comes in package of six & costs less than a $1 per bottle, a treasure that I always carry along when I travel nowadays.:-)

VEGETARIAN BBQ MEAT

2007-12-24T14:47:00.000+08:00

The Chinese New Year is coming soon & you will see long queues at BBQ meat stores again. With development of vegetarian population, more vegetarians brands of BBQ meat also emerge.

I had promised Crystal to recommend my favourite brand in my blog. It comes in long rectangular box & the BBQ meat is sealed air-tight.
I like its texture, very close to the real one to chew and in small pieces so that you can easily treat it as a snack.
The labels say that it is manufactured in Spore & the ingredients are Soy Bean Protein, Cane sugar, Spice & seasonings, Permitted food colouring & No Preservatives.
However, too much of snacks to yourself is no good, so share with your friends & eat moderately.:-)

I got it from the shop: Xin Yuan Vegn Food Trading, located at Fortune Centre #01-25 , Middle Rd (behind the escalator).
I believe it is the same shop that Crystal recommended.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wakame Seaweed Shoot & Udon noodles

2007-11-20T23:23:00.000+08:00

Introducing traditional Japanese Health Food - Wakame Seaweed Shoot. It is believed to be a perfect source of natural organic minerals, a must for miso soup. It is commonly found in instant noodles pack. In dried form, it just look something like dried tea leaves. For the pack that I bought from the organic store, I just quickly wash & drain a small portion in a bowl & it expanded to quite a fair portion.

Adding my favourite Super Veg. Ball, WuXiang Toufu & whatever vegetables I could find to my udon, I added my own seasoning : light soy sauce, veg. oyster sauce & sesame oil. Simply add the seaweed shoot just before you switch off the fire & cover the pot, let it simmer for a while & you have a nice bowl of nutritious soup udon. :-)

Super Veg. Ball & Noodles

2007-11-20T22:55:00.000+08:00

I had the opportunity to do some cooking when my cook-my mum was out of town. Knowing that I would settle my meals with instant noodles & I like to have ingredients to go with it, she made sure that she stocked up my favourite Super Veg. Balls & some vegetables before she left for her trip.

Introducing my favourite - Super Veg. Ball (Main ingredients are mushroom & yam powder) It is a must to add to my soup. It is crunchy & is a good substitute for meat ball. (Must recognise this brand/packaging, tried another brand of bigger size ball but is not as nice:P )

Next, is my favourite vegetables - Di Huang Cai. Usually stir-fry with vegetarian oyster sauce but taste as good when cooked with soup.
Yummy, just throw in whatever ingredients I could find, add in my own seasoning: light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce & sesame oil.
In 10 minutes, a nice bowl of noodles is ready :-)

Himalayan Rock Salt

2007-11-10T22:17:00.000+08:00

Before seeing this product, I knew only about 2 types of salt: table salt & sea salt. The label states that the Himalayan Rock Salt is mined from ancient salt deposits formed over millions of years :P , is naturally fortified with 84 trace minerals and compleletly chemical free. Wow! In comparison to sea salt, it is also lower in sodium content (less salty) and certainly a healthier choice for cooking . I was even recommended to use this to to brush my teeth & as a substitute to soap for bath/facial scrub.The price is rather reasonable, just slightly expensive than table salt in considering the various advantages so I bought a bottle to try. I had tried using it as facial & body scrub & it sure work as well as those expensive scrub bought. The only problem with scrub is your skin will feel dry so you will have to apply moisturiser after that to replenish your moisture. Hence, I would recommend using it on weekly rather than daily basis.
Had too much heaty food that you developed mouth ulcers? You may also use it to mix with water to rinse your mouth, I think it does help :-)
Wonders of salt... :-)

Fruit Mask

2007-11-09T23:35:00.000+08:00

Being a lazy person, I hardly spend time to take care of my skin. There is a saying that there is no ugly women but lazy women:P.

When my skin starts to give signal that it needs attention & moisture, and not in time to wait for my next facial appointment, I will do a quick DIY by getting a packet of the strawberry facial masque from Watson store (at <$2).

The product label has indicated that it contains vegetarian collagen (most other facial product collagen are mostly non-vegetarian unless specifically indicated) and is against animal testing.

The masque is able to let me apply twice even when I use it generously, so that makes it <$1 per use:-)

The product is so natural that you can actually see strawberry ingredients (the seedlike rough exterior of strawberry?).

And is easy to use for a lazy person like me, just cleanse your face & apply generously on your face & neck & leave it for 10-5minutes then rinse. Ater the rinse, I feel that my skin is revitalised & moisturised. Have a try :-)

Disclaimer: Natural extract can cause sensitivity too, it is always advisable to apply a small amt to inside of your upper arm to test for any reaction.

Natural Health Food - Funori (Bird's nest of the sea)

2007-10-20T14:11:00.005+08:00

In a visit to an organic health food shop, I was recommended "Bird's Nest of The Sea" - Funori or jelly seaweed which I was told has great nutritional value.

(It expanded after an hour)

(Boiled red dates with Funori)

According to the label, its mineral content includes: calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.

It is believed that the ample iron in funori is beneficial to metabolism such that fatigue does not occur so readily and its abundance in calcium can prevent steoporosis.

Its rich collagen also serves to replenish the cartilage between joints, strengthen bones, sinews and ligaments as well as lower back pains etc.

Sounds like really good stuff, so I bought a pkt to try...

I soaked half of it in water as instructed & it really expanded 5-8times :P

I tried the simplest recipe recommended:

1. Boil red dates/wolfberries with rock sugar (yellow sugar preferred and be generous with it so that the sweetness covers the funori's "fishy" smell) until fully cooked.

2. Leave to cool & add chopped funori.

3. For those who like the dessert cold, you may put it in fridge & its gelatin texture will cause it to be jelly like which I find it more tasty this way:-)

The final product looks like Bird's nest which is also likely how it gets its common name but texture is not as good. If anyone knows more ways of cooking it to make it tastier, do let me know as its original taste is rather bland & innovative ideas are required to make it tastier & popular.

Strongly encouraged to take for its nutritional value.