New Healthy Ramen

Walked into an Organic shop at Great World City basement 2 and found new brand and flavours of Instant noodles.
I quite like the Chia Seed Ramen shown above which texture is quite nice and believed to be Healthy as it contains Chia Seeds. Other flavours available in the shop included Quinoa, Pumpkin and Wholemeal Wheat Ramen & Mee Sua. Will return to buy other flavours. :-)

As simple as Baked beans

Have a craving on Baked beans and when visited the super-mart, saw there are more than one version of it and different brands.
Only this Ayam and Heinz brand declared "Vegetarian" on their label.
Looked carefully and only this brand declared it contains No Garlic, No onion with Vegetarian spices.
Its non Vegetarian version openly declares it contain garlic and onion powder. 
Other brands didn't specify What is in the content of their spices.
Naturally this great open declaration won my purchase...
Be careful with products which one innocently Thought are Vegetarian.
Just like instant frozen French fries.at super -mart,  Look carefully at the label before purchase...

Brown Rice Handmade Noodles

Recently this brand of Brown Rice Handmade Noodles (ONE~Organic Natural Essential) had invaded local vegetarian super-marts. Easy to cook like instant noodles, just throw it into a pot of hot water and add your own seasoning and ingredients, it makes a more healthier choice. (Quantity equals about 2 packs of instant noodles and price)
They offer 3 choices: Mee Tarik (labelled Lamian but after expansion like fattened Yimian); Mee Suah & Mee Soya (Banmian) which represent different thickness. I prefer their Mee Suah which when expanded after cooking becomes like the smooth Handmade noodles (Lamian) that is of right smooth texture and thickness that I like.

Product of Malaysia with ingredients : Brown Rice Powder, Unbreached Four, Sea Salt, Distilled Water.

Instant Breakfast Pack

 

What I like about the Instant breakfast packs in Taiwan is they have more variety and  are Healthier. For example, this popular brand in Singapore, did not carry this Purple Rice with Purple Yam cereal pack which is believed to be more nutritious. 

Hope they could bring in more healthy choices to Singapore soon...

 

(A Taiwanese friend commented she don't understand why the Singaporeans like the liquid M pack which even their local children no longer take, a S'porean friend gave quite an interesting reply: because we are so lazy even to bite so the liquid form is preferred :P)

Gong Cai 贡菜

I had been looking for this pickled vegetables from Taiwan ever since I tasted it since my 1st visit to Taiwan 10 years ago. However latter trips to Taiwan & local supermart selling Taiwanese products to find it was fruitless. Finally, this round, I managed to find it again at a vegetarian supermart in Taiwan (GaoXiong 's WenShu Supermart by Ven Huili's centre).
The pickled vegetables is very well-marinated with sesame chilli oil & crunchy with bite.
Goes well with noodles, porridge, or rice. The vege is actually 帝皇苗.
Hopefully it will be available in Spore soon.

Its web : www.yuinbrand.com.tw

Sweet Noodles

In a recent puja attended, there was a small bowl of sweet noodles  (Tian Mee) served during lunch which brought back good old memories when we were young and our parents used to bring us to visit a temple at Punggol which served the sweet noodles on their Sunday lunch to the public. S enquired mum if she could remember and mum replied that the sweet noodles is a birthday celebration noodles for the Teochews and served monthly at the temple. Only then do we know this Teochew tradition and a request was made to cook this noodles on next birthday.

Hence, this bowl of simple but full of love and sweetness noodles shown above materialised.  

Simply drop a cube of coconut/brown sugar into a pot of water to boil and then put the fine eggless noodles (boiled & drained in advance) into the pot to cook. No other ingredients needed. Well, now I understand why in the lunch, only a small bowl about 2 mouthful is distributed for each to taste, because taking one normal portion bowl can be overwhelming! 2 mouthful is just nice...Good things need not be much, so just cook one small bowl for all to share the sweetness...  :-)

May All Be Well !!!

May All Be Happy !!!

Vegetarian Salmon

 Wow, what is this fishy dish doing at my vegetarian blog?
No worries, another brilliant mock product found ~ Vegetarian Salmon...

After trying the vegetarian salmon at Zen Japanese Restaurant, I had hunted for quite a while before I saw this real resemblance frozen product selling at a bean curb stall at Red hill Lane market (79 Redhill Lane, abt 1 bustop away from Redhill MRT station) located beside a pork stall. Not daring enough to try it raw & preferred cooked, Mum steamed it as if it was real with odour removers such as ginger, parsley , tomatoes and plum sauce and also added my favourite lady-fingers.
No, it doesn't have cooked salmon tough meat texture but more to soft sashimi bite which was also why recommended way on package is to defrost naturally & slice & dip with wasabi.  It's a hugh pack that one can cook several portions with and the price definitely cheaper than the price of a plate served in the restaurant. :P
The stall also carries a number of products from the Malaysian Everbest vegetarian brand which among them included the mock Dongpo meat (with no porky smell! ) and mock Braised Duck.

Beetroot Oat Milk

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

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

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

Baby corns

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! :-)

Alternative to Dairy Milk

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

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%

Vegetarian Snacktime!

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

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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