Vegetarian Assam Fish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.:-)