3 Ways To Eat Singapore’s Most Hated Veggies
August 31, 2017If we asked you, “Which vegetable do you hate the most?”, what would your answer be?
We polled our friends to find out which vegetables are most unpopular to the Singaporean palate. Some responses we received:
Coriander
“Tastes like dead cockroaches”
Cauliflower
“Smells like fart”
Eggplant/Aubergine/Brinjal
“Like eating a slimy, gooey alien baby”
Celery
“Avoid like the plague unless you have lots and lots of cream cheese”
In the end, three vegetables stood out more than the others. They were:
Singapore’s Most Hated Vegetable
No. 3: BEANSPROUTS
“That RAW taste … eeeyurh!”
No. 2: OKRA (LADY’S FINGERS)
“This isn’t for eating. It’s for art classes!”
No. 1: BITTERGOURD
“Something this bitter has got to be poisonous”
If, like many of our friends, you hate any of the above vegetables, we promise the recipes below will change your opinions about them.
This Vietnamese crepe will fill you up with lots of fibre and protein. Done right, you won’t be able to taste the beansprouts! A little bit of coconut milk is used here but you may substitute it with skimmed milk.
To make the crepes:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.
2. Lightly wipe a non-stick pan with some oil.
3. On medium heat, pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and move it around to create a thin crepe.
4. Cook one side for about 4 - 5 minutes, then, using an offset spatula, carefully lift it from the pan and flip it. Cook the other side for about 4 - 5 minutes.
5. Set the crepe skin aside on a plate.
To make the fillings:
1. Blanch the beansprouts in boiling water for about 10 seconds. Drain using a colander and dunk the sprouts in a bowl of ice cold water. Drain, pat dry with a paper towel, and set aside.
2. Sauté the garlic in a pan and add prawns and pork. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once cooked, remove from pan and set aside to cool.
Assembly:
1. Fill a crepe with some beansprouts, prawns and pork.
2. Top off with some mint leaves, spring onions and fresh chilli.
3. Squeeze some lime juice over the fillings and then fold crepe in half to form a packet.
4. Use a lettuce leaf to wrap the crepe and then eat the whole thing using your hand.
If your reason for not liking okra is the slimy insides, this recipe will change your mind about it. This is also a healthier alternative to regular fries.
Heat the oven to 220C and lay a baking sheet on a tray.
Combine ingredients from okras to salt in a large mixing bowl.
Pick up one okra, dip it into the egg solution, and then coat it in panko crust.
Repeat until you’ve done the same to all the okras.
Bake okras in the oven for 30 minutes or until okras turn golden brown.
A healthy, sugar-free treat for when the weather becomes unbearably hot!
Blend everything until you get a smoothie.
Pour smoothie into popsicle mould.
Freeze overnight and unmould before eating.