Keechiu if you can tell the difference between a meat-free nugget and a normal nugget.
I guess everyone is raising his or her hand now.
Meat-free “meat”, or I should say meat-free food that tries to replicate meat taste, is one of the biggest failures in the history of mankind, because let’s face it: the vegetarian chicken rice you have usually tastes more like tau kee rice.
That is completely understandable, since replicating a meat with bean sticks seems like the closest option to create a meat-like texture.
But nothing comes close to the real thing.
The meat substitutes commonly used are gluten (the “fakest” one IMO), yam flour, pressed tofu or the popular tau kee, which your mind will shout “fake!” even before you put them into your mouth.
Well, you might change your mind after learning about this.
I’m no food blogger, but I can tell the difference between a meat-free nugget and a real nugget. In fact, even a five-year-old kid would be able to do so, but this latest product changed my mind.
Like, jinjja.
I was given a pack of this meat-free nuggets to try, and I was still convinced that it won’t taste like real chicken—I mean, vegetarian meals have been in existence since like forever, so how could they just magically replicate meat?
Unless they’ve got the replicator in Star Trek, that is. But that’s a few hundred years too early.
After air-frying it, I realized that Star Trek’s replicator could be a reality after all.
Known as the Quorn Meat Free Crispy Nuggets, the meat tastes so much like typical nuggets that if I hadn’t known better, I would think that it’s a normal nugget.
Everything actually boils down to the texture: to put it simply, meat-free foods are usually much softer, but the texture of the Quorn Crispy Nuggets have such similar replication of the texture that it can fool even the pickiest eater or your five-year-old kid.
The magical ingredient here is Mycoprotein. Now, before you go, “Wah, chim arh!”, here’s something easy for you to digest: it is a protein that is derived from a fungus. If “fungus” is still chim to you, then think of it as under the same kingdom as truffles and mushrooms.
In case you are wondering where is this fungus from, it is naturally found in soil and is GMO free! After undergoing the process of fermentation like in bread or soy sauce, TADA, you get the magical Mycoprotein which tastes so much like meat.
Okay, taste is real, so how is the nutrition?
Mycoprotein, as the name suggests, is obviously high in protein, just like any other meat. But can you believe that it’s high in fibre as well? This is like the best of both worlds for all carnivores out there who hates vegetables.
After all…isn’t tasty food supposed to be unhealthy? #justsaying
Unlike meat protein, mycoprotein is completely free from cholesterol. According to a study in 1990, the group who consumed mycoprotein as a meat substitute for three weeks had decreased their LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by 9% and increased their HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) by 12%. On the contrary, the group that just makan-ed normal meat of similar calorie level had their bad cholesterol increased by 12% and the good ones decreased by 11%!!!
Simply put, mycoprotein helps in controlling your cholesterol level.
Studies also showed that there’s a reduction of 18% to 24% in their food intake on the same day following a lunch with Mycoprotein as compared to a lunch with chicken of similar energy and protein content. In other words, Mycoprotein is likely to make you feel fuller for a longer period and you’ll consume much lesser calories per day.
To put thing into context, losing weight means taking in less calories than you burn. This effectively translates into weight loss…without exercising (though I highly suggest that you still exercise lah).
Powderful, indeed.
Singaporeans all know that when PM Lee highlights a problem in his National Day Rally speech, that means it must be very jialat liao, and he specially mentioned that the diabetes problem in Singapore is ‘very serious’ with 1 in 9 Singaporeans suffering from diabetes leh! We kiasi Singaporeans better start doing something about it. Luckily there is also evidence suggesting that mycoprotein might be useful to Singapore’s war against diabetes: it can help manage obesity and type 2 diabetes as it appears to show beneficial effects on blood glucose and insulin. Heng ah!
Good enough, isn’t it?
Singaporeans love everything tasty and healthy, but there’s one thing that we all love as well: convenience. That’s the main reason why food deliveries are as hot as private-hire cars now.
And the good news is that you won’t need to go into a forest to harvest mycoprotein yourself.
Remember this that I’ve mentioned earlier?
To get your fix of mycoprotein, you can simply buy a pack of these from Redmart or selected NTUC FairPrice outlets in Singapore and do whatever you want with it: be it air-frying, grilling, stir-frying or even just consuming it like it’s some army combat ration (though I won’t suggest you to do that even if you really miss those rations).
Think about this: with this in your freezer, burning the midnight oil no longer means you would be having a cup of unhealthy noodles again.
The UK No. 1 meat free brand Quorn that has been in the market for more than 35 years has just landed in Singapore, and it’s for a good reason: after all, we Singaporeans love everything tasty, healthy and convenient (I know I’ve said it once, but…Goodness Me!).
Currently, there are 11 available products in Singapore – Mince, Pieces, Crispy Nuggets, Southern Fried Bites, Swedish Style Balls, Sausage Patties, Burgers, Creamy Garlic & Mushroom Escalopes, Southern Fried Burgers, Vegan Breaded Fillets, Vegan Hot & Spicy Burgers.
Trust me, when you’re free, get a package of Quorn Crispy Nuggets, air-fry it and let your friends try. See their reactions when you tell them that it’s meatless. It’ll be #priceless.
This article was first published in goodyfeed.com and written in collaboration with Quorn Singapore.
