♥ Veggie Temptation: Where To Buy?

Showing posts with label Where To Buy?. Show all posts

♥ Pure Vegetarian Eateries in Singapore

Since I am a vegetarian for more than 10 years and have visited numerous vegetarian outlets in Singapore. I decided to keep a record of the pure vegetarian eateries I have visited in Singapore and Johor Bahru to share with my readers.

My intentions of starting this blog is to share my vegetarian and vegan recipes and where to buy the most value-for-money ingredients that are slightly uncommon with readers, hence I do not wish to clutter my recipe blog with too many posts about the various vegetarian outlets to visit. Therefore, I have compiled some of the pure vegetarian outlets I have visited in Singapore on my Facebook, in this one single album, it is arranged accordance to locations in Singapore for easy reference when you are at or going to a particular estate.

Do add me on Facebook and click "follow" so you could see the new updates of the Singapore vegetarian outlets that I will add often. See you there!

https://www.facebook.com/veggietemptation.blogspot

♥ Pure Vegetarian Outlets in Singapore

Sharing some of the vegetarian eateries I visited with my readers, hope it is useful for you. It is arranged accordance to locations in Singapore for your easy reference, refer to thumbnails. Click here.

♥ Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants in Singapore

Do you sometimes wish to go meatless and yet do not want to feel outcast in the social and business context? Fret not! Check out the list of local (Singapore) vegetarian-friendly eateries below which guarantee your load of vegetarian choices even with all the carnivores around! Click here.

♥ Pure Vegetarian Restaurants in Johor Bahru
Singapore and Johor Bahru is just one small custom away by road. Hope these sharing of vegetarian outlets give you some ideas of where to go for your next trip to JB! Click here.

♥ Pure Vegetarian Restaurants in Malaysia

Some vegetarian restaurants I have been in Malaysia but does not include Johor Bahru (in another album). Click here.

♥ Where to buy?

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. Click here.

♂ Indian Black Salt (Kala Namak) - Where To Buy?

What is black salt?
Kala Namak or Himalayan black Indian salt is a type of rock salt, salty and pungent-smelling condiment used in South Asia. The condiment is composed largely of sodium chloride with several impurities lending the salt its colour and smell, the smell is mainly due to its sulphur content. When in whole, it forms brownish pink to dark violet translucent crystals and, and when ground into a powder, it is light purple to pink in colour. The raw material for producing Kala Namak was originally obtained from natural halite from mines in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

How to use black salt?
It is used extensively in South Asian cuisines and appreciated by vegans in dishes that mimic the taste of eggs. To me, this is the best natural egg replacer for cooking, not baking of course. After you tried this black salt on the following dishes below, you will be surely think like most vegans... "seriously who still need eggs with an amazing natural wholefood like this?" To read more about Kala Namak, click here.

I used black salt on these recipes:
Fresh Spring Roll Popiah (薄餅) With Vegan 'Egg'
Vegan 'Egg' Fried Brown Rice
Vegan Tofu Scrambled 'Egg'

Where to Buy?

In Singapore
☼ SGD0.90 for 100g.

Available at Mustafa Center, Singapore.
Exact location: Level 2, Row 1A which displays salt, tamarind, tortillas etc.

They stock up different brands from time to time, so any brands doesn't really matter, not much price and quality differences.

☼ Available at most Indian grocery stores.

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

Online
☼ SGD12.92 for 453g at iHerb.

☼ Available at Amazon

♥ 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.

♂ Nutritional Yeast - Where To Buy?

Most people who are not vegans have no idea what nutritional yeast is, I was one of them before I am into vegan cooking. Some people thought it is the same kind of yeasts but with additional nutrients and same as the active dry yeast or baking yeast that are used in bread making and brewing, but they are totally different and cannot be used to substitute one another.

What is Nutritional Yeast?

Nutritional yeast is grown on enriched purified cane and beet molasses under carefully controlled conditions and has a cheesy flavour. Where else brewer yeast are from by-products of beer hop and has a bitter taste.

How is it manufactured?

Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing a yeast in a nutrient medium for several days. The primary ingredient in the growth medium is glucose, often from either sugarcane or beet molasses. When the yeast is ready, it is killed (i.e. deactivated) with heat and then harvested, washed, dried and packaged. The species of yeast used is often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Because it is deactivated yeast, it does not grow like baking yeast. No animals are harmed in this process because yeasts are members of the fungi family. Thus, it is suitable for vegan and vegetarian. It is sold commercially as a food product in the form of yellow flakes or powder and can be found at most organic and health stores. I used the flakes, and if you are using the powder, you will need only about half as much as the flakes.

Why is it so good?

Most people are not getting enough vitamin B12 and that deficiency can cause serious health problems e.g. anaemia, nervous system damage, heart disease or pregnancy complications, because vitamin B12 helps make your DNA and your red blood. Vitamin B12 are usually found in meat, milk, cheese, and eggs which vegans do not eat. Thus, nutritional yeast with the addition of vitamin B12, is an ideal vegetarian and vegan support formula.

Nutritional yeast products do not have any added monosodium glutamate and is an excellent source of protein, containing 18 essential amino acid and 15 minerals. It is rich in B-complex vitamins including B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), phosphorus, B9 (folic acid) and naturally occurring B12, not fortified. The rich source of vitamin B complex and particularly chromium is important to regulate blood sugar-beneficial for diabetics. Nutritional yeast helps in managing stress levels, reproduction of red blood cells maintaining a good metabolic rate, prevents cancer of the pancreas and ensures a healthy skin.

How to use?

It is popular with vegans and vegetarians as ingredient in recipes or as a condiment. Nutritional yeast has an appealing cheese flavour that make a great cheese replacement in pasta, pizza, popcorn and bread. Sprinkle on cereal, salad, tofu, rice and popcorn. Add to juice, sauce, soup and casserole or use it to make sandwich spreads. I used this to make vegan cheese too. Click here for the recipes that I use nutritional yeast to replace diary cheese, will update more recipes soon, stay tuned! Recently I tried putting 1 tablespoon of this into my Hearty Brown Rice Porridge recipe, I'm totally blown off that this makes it taste like 'chicken' porridge. Try it out and let me how it goes for you! *GRIN*

How to store?

Some packaging indicate to store in cool dry place. I prefer to keep it in fridge to maintain freshness. If the nutritional yeast package is stored in fridge at the retail store, then ensure that you keep it in your fridge when you are home.

Where to buy (In Singapore, Malaysia and Internationally)?

For international readers, simply click here for the list of some brands of Nutritional Yeast available at Amazon or iHerb.

TOP's brand in Singapore and Meet Natural brand in Malaysia are my preferred choices, it is organic compared to Bob’s Red Mill Brand which is non-organic, and both are also the cheapest of all.

TOP'S Brand - Organic Nutritional Yeast

Product from USA

100gm
Organic

Where to buy?

In Singapore

SGD3.80 ☆Best Buy!
☼ Yes Natural Organic
Location: Clementi, Tiong Bahru & Geylang, Singapore.

☼ Organic Paradise

Location: Cuppage Plaza #01-25 Singapore 228796

☼ Can also be found at various organic & health stores.

Radiant Brand - Nutritional Yeast

Product from USA

100gm

Organic

Where to buy?

In Singapore

☼ SGD9.50

Available at Zenxin Agri-Organic Food

Location: Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, Singapore

In Malaysia

☼ RM13.90 (Equivalent to SGD5.60)
Available various major supermarkets and organic stores in Malaysia, click here for the list.

☼ RM13.90
Available at Zenxin Agri-Organic Food

Location: Various in Malaysia.

In Malaysia & International

☼ RM13.90

Buy this online at Radiant Whole Food

Delivery Location: Malaysia and International, read more.

Meet Natural Brand - Nutritional Yeast

Product from: Not specified on packaging
Imported by: Matahari Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

100gm

Organic

In Malaysia

☼ RM9.40 (Equivalent to SGD3.80) ☆Best Buy!

Available at Zenxin Agri-Organic Food

Location: Various in Malaysia.

Bob’s Red Mill Brand - Nutritional Yeast

Product from: Not specified on packaging
At 226g
Non-organic

♂ 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.

♂ Vegetarian Sambal Balacan Chilli - Where to buy?

Shrimp paste or belachan (in Malays) is a common ingredient used in Asian cuisine and made from fermented ground shrimp mixed with salt. Belacan is used as part of the ingredients for sambal belacan, made by mixing toasted belacan with chilli peppers, minced garlic, shallot paste and sugar and then fried. Sometime it is toasted to bring out the flavour, but that creates a strong odour.

The advantage of having vegetarian sambal and balacan is we can have the same great taste yet do not need to endure that foul fermented shrimp odour and most importantly no animals were harm during the process. If you do not have time and patience to make your own vegetarian sambal balacan chilli, you may be interested in this brand. I have tried many brands of vegetarian chilli but this brand Tien Hee 天喜 is by far the BEST that I swear by for many years and I truly hope that this company will go on forever! I think this is a small scale, traditional company thus they do not have website for reference, no problem, let me do the job!

Tien Hee Vegetarian Supply produces various vegetarian chilli paste as followed:

1) Sambal Ikan Bilis

2) Sambal Balacan

3) Sambal Chilli Sauce

4) Sambal Udang Kering (Shrimp Bites) 虾米

5) Nasi Lemak Chilli

Sambal Ikan Bilis - Tien Hee

I have tried all their pastes, above item 1, 2 and 3 are all sambal paste. My all-time favourite and all-purpose is their Sambal Ikan Bilis (1), because there are some soya bites in the chilli paste and tastes so good. I love heat so I used it in cooking or as garnish for almost all my Chinese dishes, like rice and noodles, fresh spring roll popiah, steamed glutinous rice (Lo Mai Kai), oh my, the list is endless!

I used this Nasi Lemak Chilli (5) with vegetarian nasi lemak. Perfect! The different ingredient in this paste is the mushroom stem. One reader highlighted to me the soy bean oil is used as one of the ingredient for this product, so take note that the oil might be genetically modified since this is not an organic product.

Sambal Udang Kering (Shrimp Bites) 虾米 - Tien Hee

I like their Sambal Udang Kering (4) 虾米 too, it is like shrimp bites. I used as a condiment for my porridge.

I do not like very oily food including chilli paste, so I have this peculiar habit of draining out as much oil as possible from a new bottle and then refrigerate it. Take it out from the fridge 5-10 minutes earlier to let it soften before scooping it from the container. Do remember to use a clean and dry spoon when doing this to ensure freshness and prevent contamination or else the whole container will go bad. I use the drained chilli oil as part of the ingredient for cooking laksa paste and curry.

These are products of Malaysia but ironically the packaging is different for Singapore and Malaysia. Those sold In Malaysia are in plastic container, while Singapore's are in glass. I have tried both, they taste exactly the same. Only difference is the price!

Where to buy?

In Singapore

☼ SGD2.80 for 250gm. Available at Vege-Country Enterprise.

Location: Tampines & Sungei Tengah in Singapore.

You can purchase from them online too.

☼ Also available at some vegetarian grocery stores.

In Malaysia

☼ RM3.80 for 250gm (Equivalent to about SGD1.50) ☆Best Buy!
Available at Restoran Johor Vegetarian 柔佛素食馆

Address: 71 Jalan Keris 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, 80050 Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: Till about 7pm

Contact: +60-7331-6330

☼ RM4.00 for 250gm (Equivalent to about SGD1.60)

Available at Restoran Sayur-Sayuran Xiang Ji 香積素食

Address: 48 Jalan Sutera, Taman Sentosa, 810150 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.

Opening Hours: Till 10pm

Contact: +6012-728-6262

- You can have your meal (mostly local delights) here too while doing your vegetarian grocery shopping.

♂ Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce (Wan Ja Sha 万家香) - Where To Buy?

Vegetarian oyster sauce are prepared from mushrooms, mostly oyster mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms. This is because mushrooms, especially oyster mushrooms, have a high level of umami flavour similar to that of real oysters. Most often, oyster mushrooms sauce may contain more taste enhancers if less mushroom extract is used to reduce production costs. Some brands of vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce contain MSG which is unhealthy, but this Wan Ja Sha 万家香 brand does not. Its ingredients look quite/less harmless to me.

I have tried many brands like Lee Kum Kee, Woh Hup, Sin Tai Hing etc, but Wan Ja Sha 万家香 is my favourite brand. Read more about this product at their official website. It has a deep, earthy flavour and aroma that is similar to that of real oysters, but minus that fishy smell. For some brands, it is flat and salty, all I taste is flavourless caramel.

Many companies chemically produced soy sauce which only takes 2-3 days to produce which has a much harsher taste/chemical aroma and can be harmful to health. Some companies use a blend of naturally produced soy sauce with chemically produced soy sauce mixed in, this is also inferior to the 100% naturally brewed method. But for soy sauce, I use this Braggs Liquid Aminos brand.

Wan Ja Sha is an established brand and is one the top manufacturers of 100% naturally brewed soy sauce at Taiwan for more than 60 years. When I was in Taiwan, I also see their mushroom oyster sauce almost everywhere including 7-Eleven stores. It also exports to many countries like Asia, United States, Canada, Australia. Surprisingly, they have a production plant in United States for 30 years and produces organic series like Organic Gluten-Free Vegetarian Worcestershire, Tamari, Teriyaki sauce, click to read more. Too bad, we do not get these in Singapore.

This mushroom oyster sauce comes in smaller bottle too, but getting the one litre bottle is more value for money and can last a long time in the fridge. I usually pour into smaller squeezable sauce dispenser for everyday use and store both the bottles in the fridge, it should stay good up to nine months.

What do I used it for?

You can see in my Chinese recipes that I used for a great variety of applications; as dressing for noodles, vegetables, and stir fries, or as a base for other sauces and marinades. It is also the main ingredient in the popular Chinese dish like seitan (mock-meat) and broccoli. Basically any recipes that called for oyster sauce, you can use mushroom oyster sauce. I do not believe in store-bought vegetable broth as most of them are highly processed, high in sodium and over priced, thus I usually do my own homemade vegetable broth in big quantity, freeze it in small packets and use one packet whenever I need. However, when I do not have that on hand or do not have time and patience to do a good stock for soup etc, I will use this as the broth. Healthy broth within seconds, how amazing!

Where to buy?

In Singapore

☼ SGD5.30 for 1 litre. ☆Best Buy!
☼ SGD2.35 for 300ml (Equivalent to $7.80 for 1 litre)
Available at Ang Mo Supermarket.

Location: Various in Singapore.

☼ SGD5.50 for 1 litre

SGD2.50 for 300ml

at Friendly Vegetarian Food Supplier
Location: Pasir Panjang & Ang Mo Kio, Singapore.

☼ Also commonly available at vegetarian grocery stores.

Online

USD6.99 for 1 litre

For US locations

Available at Ming Tsai

- They carry other organic vegan gluten-free products of this brand too e.g. Worcestershire Sauce, Ponzu Vinaigrette, Tamari Soy Sauce etc. Wow, impressed, wish I could get these in Singapore.

- FYI, this is brand of mushroom sauce is not available at Amazon.

☆ You may also like to view:

Soy Sauce (Braggs Liquid Aminos)

My favourite brand of soy sauce