♂ Raw Nuts (Cashew Almond Walnut Peanut Brazil) - Where To Buy?

Many readers wrote to me and asked where I usually get raw cashews, almonds, walnuts and other types of nuts in Singapore, here is what you ask for. I got most of my non-organic nuts from Mustafa Center, I realised it is much cheaper compared to those from provisional shop and even Pasir Panjang Wholesale Center. Uncle Cook's is the in-house brands of Mustafa and the nuts are mainly from USA and Brazil.

Nuts are great whole food that provide numerous beneficial health qualities, it is high in protein, fibre and good fats for lowering bad cholesterol, reducing inflammation and good for the heart.

I always stock up 1kg of each type of nuts in my store. I used these nuts substantially in my vegan baking and cooking, or simply roast it to make a prefect healthy movie snack, simply endless use of these nuts! Refer below where I elaborate more about my usage for each type of nuts.

Storage tips: Everyone knows this theory that the bigger the quantity you buy, the more the value for money, but make sure you know the proper way to store these goodies. Nuts have a high oil content and this leads to a quick break down when left at room temperature, and they spoil more quickly in warmer climates like Singapore. Nuts are good at room temperature for about one week when opened but they need to be sealed airtight and refrigerated to maintain freshness.  It is difficult to detect if the nuts are gone bad, however some tell-tale signs are they are soft when chewed or the taste may change altogether. To refresh them again, just toast them for a few minutes in Airfryer or oven, click here for the steps.




Uncle Cook's: California Almonds

I usually substitute macadamia, hazelnuts with almond in baking because it is more affordable in Asia, and because it has a really awesome nutty fragrance.

Where to buy?
☼ Almond Nuts
Product of USA
SGD18.80 for 1kg.
Also available in size of 250g and 500g.

Available at Mustafa Center, Singapore.



Uncle Cook's: King of Cashew

I never know cashew nuts can used in so many ways in vegan cooking and baking until I started to have my own kitchen. Cashew are the most widely used nuts in my pantry. I used it for making vegan cream cheese, non-bake cheesecakes and some other vegan baking, and making Vegan Tuna that tastes better than real tuna. I also use it in soup recipes to replace diary milk.

Where to buy?
☼ Cashew Nuts
Product of Brazil
SGD11.90 for 1kg.
Also available in size of 250g and 500g. 

Available at Mustafa Center, Singapore.
 







Uncle Cook's: California Walnuts

Apart from pine nuts, walnut is one of those that are more expensive especially in Asia. Usually I only use in baking recipes that call specifically for walnuts e.g. vegan carrot walnut cake which cannot be replaced with almond.

Where to buy?

☼ Walnuts

Product of USA
SGD12.40 for 500g.
SGD23.90 for 1kg.

Also available in size of 250g.

Available at Mustafa Center, Singapore.

 

There are also many other types of nuts available at Mustafa Center:

• Peanut - SGD2.20 for 500g
• Hazelnut- SGD13.50 for 500g
• Brazil nut - SGD10.90 for 500g
• Pine nut
• Pecan - SGD17.90 for 500g
• Pistachios - SGD19.90 for 1kg
• .. and you name it, they have it!

* Information and prices stated are correct as of August 2014.

☆ Click here to see what other products I regularly get from Mustafa Center.


♥ Learning a new cuisine is actually not that challenging, it is the process of understanding & finding the ingredients in your area which is tedious and time-consuming. Thus, I am most willing to share with readers (Singapore, Malaysia and international) where I get the most value-for-money ingredients that are slightly uncommon. See more of the great, affordable & healthy stuff I am always get.
 

Vegetarian Fresh Spring Roll Popiah (薄餅) - With Vegan 'Egg'

 

 

 

Popiah aka 薄餅 is non-fried fresh spring roll that is common in Asia countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The Popiah skin is soft, thin paper-like crepe made from wheat flour, and wrapped with a wet savoury dough, and accompanied with condiments like sweet bean sauce, soy sauce or hoisin sauce and hot chilli sauce before fillings are being laid.

 

The filling comprises of mainly finely grated steamed or stir-fried turnip, jicama or bangkuang with a combination of other ingredients such as bean sprouts, lettuce leaves, carrots, chopped fried tofu, Chinese sausage peanuts powder, fried shallots and scrambled eggs. The list is simply endless! Here, this is the vegan/vegetarian variation. To mimic the scrambled eggs, I used fried tofu, it tastes so real especially with the natural yellow colour from turmeric and the black salt which gives a sulphuric taste and smell of eggs. We vegetarians can have an awesome Popiah party too! Click here for vegan scrambled egg.

All these shredding of veggies sound tedious, isn't it? I can totally understand and it puts me off on making this dish. Thus, I got myself a food processor (I'm using this) to ease my jobs in the kitchen. Where to buy fresh Popiah skins? Refer below.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Make about 12 rolls

 

Ingredients

 12-16 pcs fresh popiah skins
 

Filling

 4 cloves garlic, chopped  

 800g turnip/jicama/bangkuang or daikon radish, shredded

 120g carrot (about 1 medium carrot), shredded

 100g green cabbage, shredded  
 3 stalks fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced 
 150ml water

 1 Tbsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos

 1 Tbsp vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce
 1 tsp sugar
 1 tsp sesame oil
 White pepper, to taste

 Canola oil, for stir-frying

Paste
 4 Tbsp sweet soy sauce

 2 garlic, finely minced

 Vegetarian sambal chilli (optional)

Garnish

 16 small lettuce leaves

 80g beansprouts, blanched

 100g cucumber, shredded  

 

Optional Garnish

 100g grounded peanut
 Fresh coriander sprig

 Fried shallot
 Vegan tofu scrambled ‘egg’ (click for recipe)

 

Method

To prepare filling

1. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok. Sauté the garlic until aromatic.

2. Add turnip, carrot, cabbage and mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Then season with soy sauce, mushroom sauce and sugar. Add water.

 

3. Stir occasionally and simmer for 15 minutes or until the veggies are tender and sauce is slightly dry. Season with sesame oil and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.

To wrap popiah

1. With the back of a teaspoon, brush Pophiah skin with soy sauce, minced garlic and chilli paste. Place a lettuce leaf over it.

 

2. Place a little filling mixture lengthways over the lettuce, then beansprouts and cucumber. Sprinkle the optional garnish.

 

3. Roll the bottom up, then fold the left and right sides in, creating an envelope. Now keep rolling up, into a firm tight roll. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. With a sharp knife, slice each roll into 3-4 pieces and serve.

Before wrapping



Popiah filling

How to make vegan tofu scrambled 'egg'?

 

☆ Where to buy fresh Popiah skins?

☼ Singapore

To the best of my knowledge, there are no fresh Popiah skins available at the supermarkets in Singapore. All of which are meant for frying, not for wrapping fresh Popiah. Do not attempt to use those for wrapping this filling, it will tear when wrapped and it will not taste good because it is doughy and meant to be fried.

 

I got my Popiah skins from a Popiah stall near my place, about 10 cents per piece, so cheap! Many stalls do not sell the skins especially small quantity, thus it takes some time and techniques to make them sell you the skins. For me, I patronise them often, smile to them every time I walk past, and when the rapport is built, I ask them if you can buy the skin from them, viola, LOL! 

 

 

☼ In Malaysia

RM4.99 for 20 pcs popiah skin
(Equivalent to SGD2.00)

Available at Tesco.











☼ Do it yourself
If it is not possible to get at your local stores, why not do it yourself? Check out this video.

Make about 25 pcs (8 inch)
Ingredients
 400 g all-purpose flour, sifted
 1/2 tsp sea salt
 400 ml Water

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Stir the batter with a wooden spatula, wrap with a cling film and let it rest for at least 3 hours. Beat the batter for about 15 minutes, or until the batter is smooth and elastic. Place the griddle or a flat cast-iron pan on a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat slightly. Using one hand, coat the batter and rub onto the pan. Then use the other hand to peel off the wrapper when it is cooked.

 

Vegan Roasted Spiced Mixed Nuts (Oven & Air Fryer)

 

After experimenting the awesome Roasted Salted Mixed Nuts with my Philip Airfryer, I am not going to stop right there, I decided to try out these spiced nuts and it turned out great and crunchy to the max! If you like more kick, you can increase the amount of chilli/cayenne powder, likewise if it is for the little kids, you can skip the chilli. Basically there are no rules!

 

 

Nowadays, these spiced nuts happened to be the best snack for the men in my home to go along their beer and wine, they just couldn't stop munching! Find out here on where to buy good and cheap raw nuts in Singapore.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Make 2.5 cups

Ingredients

 1 cup raw almond *

 1 cup raw peanuts *

 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts *

 

Seasoning

 1 tsp chilli/cayenne powder
 2 tsp curry powder

 1/4 tsp cumin powder/seeds

 1 tsp paprika

 1/2 tsp sea salt

 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

 1 Tbsp agave nectar or any natural sweetener you prefer ^

 1 Tbsp olive oil

 

Method

☼ Using Oven:
1. Preheat the oven to 160℃.

2. Evenly spread all nuts on a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a oven thermometer, ensure it is at the right temperature 160℃.  Pop the nuts into the oven for about 9-10 minutes until golden brown. 

3. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices (chili powder through black pepper) until well combined. In another big mixing bowl, mix agave nectar and olive oil until well combined. Set aside. 

4. Remove nuts from oven, pour the roasted nuts into a big mixing bowl of oil mixture, stir. Add spice mixture, stir until evenly coated.

5. Pour nuts back onto baking sheet, baking for another 5-6 minutes or until brown. Turn off the power for the oven, let it sit inside for another 3-5 minutes. The nuts are soft when hot, it will be crunchy when cooled, have faith ;)

6. Cool on tray, and store in air tight container or serve.

☼ Using Airfryer:
1. Preheat the Airfryer to 160℃ for 3 minutes.

2. Pour the nuts and spread evenly in the fryer basket and slide the basket into the Airfryer. Set the timer to 9 minutes. Toss the nuts about 2 times in between frying.

3. In a small bowl, mix all of the spices (chili powder through black pepper) until well combined. In another big mixing bowl, mix agave nectar and olive oil until well combined. Set aside.

4. Pull out the fryer basket, pour the roasted nuts into a big mixing bowl of oil mixture, stir. Add spice mixture, stir until evenly coated.

5. Pour nuts back into fryer basket and slide into Airfryer. Set the timer to 5 minutes and let the cycle finish. Let it sit in Airfryer for another 3-5 minutes. The nuts are soft when hot, it will be crunchy when cooled, have faith ;)

 

6. Cool on fryer basket, and store in air tight container or serve



After 9 minutes from Airfryer

Notes

* You can use any nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, brazil nuts etc) as long as total mixed nuts add up to 2.5 cup.

^ For non-vegan, you may use honey. You may also use molasses or fine brown sugar.

 

♥ You may also like: 

Vegan Roasted Salted Mixed Nuts
(Oven & Air Fryer)



Vegan Roasted Salted Mixed Nuts (Oven & Air Fryer)

 

Recently I got myself Philip Airfryer, I'm so excited, and my first experiment with it is this salted mixed nuts. Toasting nuts release their essential oils and cause the nuts to become more flavorful and crunchier than in their raw state. Nuts which are high in Omega 3 and fibre are a great way to boost your health. Instead of store-bought potato chips, these roasted nuts is a perfect healthy snack for the family for movies, special occasions and parties. It is also wallet-friendly, now say good bye to the highly processed and salted nuts at supermarkets! Find out here on where to buy good and cheap raw nuts in Singapore.

Do check out my recipe for Roasted Spiced Nuts.

 

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.

Make 2.5 cups

Ingredients
 1 cup raw almond *

 1 cup raw peanuts *

 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts *

 1/2 tsp sea salt

 1 Tbsp olive oil

 

Method
☼ Using Oven:
1. Preheat the oven to 160℃.

 

2. Evenly spread all nuts on a baking tray with parchment paper. Using a oven thermometer, ensure it is at the right temperature 160℃.  Pop the nuts into the oven for about 9-10 minutes until golden brown. 

3. Remove nuts from oven, pour the roasted nuts into a big mixing bowl. Add salt and oil, stir until evenly coated.

4. Pour nuts back onto baking sheet, baking for another 5-6 minutes or until brown. Turn off the power for the oven, let it sit inside for another 3-5 minutes. The nuts are soft when hot, it will be crunchy when cooled, have faith ;)

5. Cool on tray, and store in air tight container or serve.

☼ Using Airfryer:
1. Preheat the Airfryer to 160℃ for 3 minutes.

2. Pour the nuts and spread evenly in the fryer basket and slide the basket into the Airfryer. Set the timer to 9 minutes. Toss the nuts about 2 times in between frying.

3. Pull out the fryer basket, pour the roasted nuts into a big mixing bowl. Add salt and oil, stir until evenly coated.

4. Pour nuts back into fryer basket and slide into Airfryer. Set the timer to 5 minutes and let the cycle finish. Let it sit in Airfryer for another 3-5 minutes. The nuts are soft when hot, it will be crunchy when cooled, have faith ;)

5. Cool on fryer basket, and store in air tight container or serve.
 

After mixing in the oil, going for the second round of roasting.

Notes

* You can use any nuts (walnuts, brazil nuts etc) as long as total mixed nuts add up to 2.5 cup.

 

♥ You may also like: 

Vegan Roasted Spiced Mixed Nuts
(Oven & Air Fryer)



 

 

 

Eggless Peanut-Butter & Oatmeal Cookies (Whole Wheat)

I was seriously thinking how to utilise the bottle of peanut butter (other than spreading it on bread) that has been sitting at my pantry for some time, so I thought why not incorporate it into the cookies! These cookies have a delightful crunchy texture, and the oatmeal gives a full-bodies flavour, I even added some almond for additional bite. They are on the small side because when made large, they are extremely delicate.

Dietary: Vegetarian, Vegan.
Make About 2 Dozens

Ingredients

Dry
 3/4 cup or 100g whole wheat pastry flour

 1 tsp baking soda

 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

 ------

 1/2 cup white sugar 
 1/2 cup brown sugar
 1/2 cup or 90g peanut butter
 1 cup or 110g unsalted butter, cut into small piece, room temperature
 1/2 tsp salt 
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 1 Tbsp non-diary milk
 3 Tbsp almond, chopped (or any nuts)
 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
 

Method

1. In a food processor, pulse the oats until well ground but not powdered.

 

2. Sift or mix well all dry ingredients.
 

3. Preheat the oven to 175℃. 
 

4. In another mixing bowl, cream together sugar, peanut butter, butter and salt until smooth. Add in vanilla essence, milk and water, and continue to beat until well-combined. Add almond.

 

5. Fold in the mixed flour and beat until well-combined. Using a spatula, stir in the oats. Mix until it becomes cookie dough. The dough might be a bit wet, but no worries about it.

 

6. Shape cookie dough into balls using hands or a small ice cream scope, simply drop dough onto prepared baking tray. Flatten the dough and ensure enough space in between cookies.

 

7. Using a oven thermometer, ensure it is at the right temperature 175℃.  Pop the dough into the oven for about 10-13 minutes or until dark golden brown and feel relatively firm to the touch. 
 

8. Cool on wire rack, and store in air tight container.