Grain is a name you may be familiar with. But first, I’m going to tell you a story…
I’m no stranger to meat alternatives. During my NS days, I used to keep some food in the bunk for nights when we couldn’t go out to get food. This means stuff like instant noodles or instant porridge most of the time. And to accompany them, I’d have these small tins of mock meat (which you can still buy at most supermarkets).
Fast forward a few years and meat alternatives have come a long way! Case in point – Quorn™.
Quorn™ actually specializes in meat-free products and they make these products using Mycoprotein™ which is actually a fungi-based protein (all mushroom lovers rejoice!). This healthy alternative is not only meat-free. It’s also low in saturated fat, high in protein, high in fibre and has essential amino acids It’s also zero cholesterol and is soy-free. Sounds really healthy to me 😛
You’ve all heard of Grain right? Grain is famed for churning out tasty, healthy food (plus they’re certified Halal!) and they have teamed up with Quorn™ to come up with 2 special selections that will be available for a limited time only. We had the chance to try both!
Grain and Quorn™ have managed to put together some pretty interesting dishes here. You’ve really gotta try for yourselves to know what we’re talking about here.
First up is the Chipotle Adobo Meatless Meatballs ($13.95) which actually tastes as good as it looks. This is also the one dish out of the two we tried where the Quorn™ product was shaped into something that resembles something meaty. Although there was no meat. Errrrr does that make any sense to you? LOL
So the meatballs are… meatless. When you bite in, the texture is just like a meatball! Flavour-wise you might be able to tell the difference (especially if you’ve eaten mock meats like me) but that’s not a bad thing at all. Think kinda like Swedish Meatballs but… not.
They’ve paired the meatless meatballs with some pretty awesome stuff actually. A bed of silky mashed potatoes plus some veggies like corn and mushrooms too. All in all, a really good dish!
While the idea is still along the same grain (see what I did there), the Tomato Masala Curry ($14.95) is quite different from the Chipotle Adobo Meatless Meatballs. Okay lah – to be fair, it’s same-same but different.
Here, you actually get to enjoy the Mycoprotein™ in what may be its purest form. It’s not shaped into anything to resemble anything but ironically, it ends up reminding me of kinda like a tempeh/tofu hybrid. Actually, now that I think about it, the texture reminds me a lot of goat cheese – specifically like the ones you enjoy in Palak Paneer. 😛
Well, there are no gripes with the texture and there’s actually not much flavour. You get most of that from the Masala Curry that coats the little Mycoprotein™ cubes. It’s not spicy but definitely has a bold flavour. You enjoy this with some caramelized Broccoli and a really tasty Jeera Rice (cumin Basmati rice). After awhile, you kinda forget you’re actually eating a meat substitute to be honest.
Healthy, nutritious food is definitely getting more popular in recent times. Vegetarian, Vegan and meat-free options are on the up and up and it’s really interesting to see innovations like the ones from Quorn™ being introduced.
I’m a meat-eater and while I may not give up being a carnivore… let’s just say that as far as meat substitutes go – this is one of the better ones 🙂 And don’t forget that you can only enjoy it for a limited time til the end of the year. Head down to Grain’s website for more information about their ti-up with Quorn™ and also see the other healthy, delicious makan options they have too.
GRAIN X QUORN
www.grain.com.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/graincomsg
Instagram: www.instagram.com/graincomsg
This makan sent to The Halal Food Blog on a no-obligations basis. We’re posting about it because we enjoyed it very much and good things must share lah right? All information (including prices, availability of item on menu and Halal status of establishment) are accurate at the time of posting. All photos used in this site are property of The Halal Food Blog unless stated otherwise.
