Sidratul Seaweed Cordial

Here at The Halal Food Blog, we are all about spreading the word and trying to help people along the way if we can. All the more if the makan or the product is good! So here's something interesting that we were not quite sure of when we first heard of it but now we're completely sold on it!

There have been plenty of 'food health fads' over the years. There was Acai berries and then Pomegranate and then Wheatgrass and then who else can remember lah (We are still waiting for the Fried Chicken phase to arrive). Well, we don't consider this product here a craze because it's been around for years and it's good enough that people don't need to glorify it to extoll its benefits.

Sidratul Seaweed Cordial not only has loads of health benefits but it tastes great too!

It's really true when they say that nature gives us the best things to consume and this is a good example. We're talking about positive effects all bottled up and ready to consume with water!

So what exactly does Seaweed Cordial help?

We read the benefits include improving skin health and elasticity probably because seaweed contains Magnesium, Vitamin A,C and E!

One thing everyone agrees on is that seaweed actually helps to purify the blood. Besides that, it's an excellent anti-oxidant, helps you to detox, treats ailments like gastritis, high cholesterol, gout, anemia and also helps to alkalize our blood. Especially helpful if we eat a lot of junk food!

And speaking of eating a lot, seaweed also supposedly helps with weight loss!!

Well besides health benefits, this cordial tastes great!!

This cordial contains minimal sugar but you can see from the picture that it's actually really concentrated! Just one tablespoon into a glass of water and ice is more than enough to get a great tasting and refreshing drink. It does not taste overly sweet compared to other cordial which add A LOT OF SUGAR to make it tasty. This Seaweed Cordial goes the natural route for prefect results.

I'm someone who LOVES to have sweet drinks especially when having a meal and even I know that too much sweet drinks is no good for you. But if you're gonna insist on having something like cordial to drink, you might as well choose this - a healthier choice!

Not only is this product certified Halal but it has also been given the stamp of IMP (Islamic Manufacturing Practice) in Malaysia. That's gotta be a big plus!

Well whatever the case is, this cordial tastes really good and we really enjoy it.
We just thought you might like it to! Give it a try and you could end up being hooked just like us!

You might see this being sold at certain roadshows or at certain mosques but if you want to place and order, we have the details right here for you.

Each bottle is priced at $10 a bottle and you can place your order by contacting;
Khairul (9474 2523), Haliza (9144 4702) or Jofrie (9272 5611). You can even clarify any questions you might have and I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige.

Thanks everyone and Seaweed Cordial FTW!!

Sunshine Bakeries - Sprouted Wholemeal Series

Sunshine is a household name when it comes to bread and all kinds of tasty goodies.
I mean, who has not heard of Sunshine bread am I right??

We ate it while we were growing up. Mum made sandwiches for the picnic and for school lunches.
Even while serving National Service and even Reservist, Sunshine Bread was there as a night snack in the form of their Cream Rolls. And by the way - Top One bread is from Sunshine too!

Another thing that the Sunshine brand is synonymous with is healthy eating.
Their range of White, Wholemeal and even their Flavoured Bread (e.g. California Raisin High Fibre, Muesli, Milk Toast etc) ranges are enriched to give us a healthy edge.

And now, Sunshine is taking it to the next level -

I know you have all heard about Wholemeal and all the benefits that Wholemeal breads provide.
Sunshine Bakeries now introduces - Sprouted Wholemeal which takes the benefits of Wholemeal breads to a whole new level.

Let me tell you a little bit more about it.

The 'Sprouting' Process

I don't want to go into all the scientific terms and all that so I'm going to break it down for you the way I understand it (which is hopefully the simplest way!)

In the picture above, you can see the Sprouting process.
Whole grains are healthy but Sprouting is what unlocks the grains' nutrients and extra health benefits including a lower glycemic index (GI) and an increase in soluble fibre . This means that we will be able to digest it more easily and not put so much strain on our digestive system.

On top of that, studies by the US Whole Grains Council have shown that Sprouting increases folate, Vitamins B and C as well as iron and amino acids. Bottom line is that this is a breakthrough that will ultimately benefit us all!

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal bread has 80% wholemeal flour.
Normally this might mean a slightly more 'chewy' bread but this bread is super soft!!
In fact, my household has gone through 3 loaves since I brought home the first loaf!

You can see that the bread is actually sliced quite thick but is still super soft!
Not only is it healthy but also tasty too! Eat it on its own or simply spread on some butter, margerine, jam, kaya, cheese or whatever tickles your fancy!

Sunshine also gave us the chance to sample some special creations made with Sunshine's Extra Fine Sprouted Wholemeal bread and they were actually quite delicious!!

Queen's Coronation Egg with Cranberries

Refreshing Cucumber Tea Sandwiches

Smoked Salmon Alfalfa Triangles

Peanut Butter Banana Marshmallow Toasties

Come on. Tell me you don't wanna try those mouth-watering creations...
From savoury and even a sweet treat!! And all so easy to make too!!
(Let me know if you need the recipes! Sunshine was kind enough to pass them to me!)

And if ready and on-the-go snacks is what you're looking for, then Sunshine has you covered!

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

Image courtesy of Sunshine Bakeries

The Choc Wholemeal Cream Roll range is here!
And the word Choc in front means that the bread is a Chocolate Roll!!

We have 3 cream flavours to choose from - Caramel Cream, Cocoa Cream and Coconut.
Caramel and Cocoa are pretty self-explanatory. The Coconut Cream is NOT KAYA (which I'll bet some of you might have been thinking) but it's actually a cream that has some coconut flavour and even some coconut bits in it. Creative!!

And in case you were wondering...

They are NOT stingy with the cream! Plenty to enjoy!

During my visit to the launch of Sunshine's  Sprouted Wholemeal Series, I heard from experts such as Cynthia Harriman, Director of Food & Nutrition Strategies at The Whole Grains Council and Ketki Vinayachandra who is a registered Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist and Iridologist .

The one message that got through to me what that we really need to pat more attention to what we eat and this means that even a small difference like the bread we eat can go a long way in better health for us and our families.

About a week has gone past since I brought back our first loaf of Sunshine Sprouted Extra Fine Wholemeal bread and we've bought another 2 loaves since then! Not only is it healthy but it's really tasty too. A little bit extra goes a long way!

Just try it and you'll see what I mean :)

You can scan the QR code above with your smartphone and get more information on this great new range from Sunshine!

Special thanks to Sunshine Bakeries for having me down!

Sunshine Bakeries

Tel: 6257 8455
www.sunshine.com.sg
www.facebook.com/SunshineBakeries

Frozilicious

Okay so most of you may already know this term - FROYO.
Say it with me kiddies! FRO-YO!

But what exactly is Froyo? It's FROzen YOgurt!
The Froyo scene in Singapore has really really picked up over the past few years. It used to be just Yami Yogurt in the past but there are at least 4 other Froyo brands I can think of.
Well, make it 5 now!

2 of our beloved readers PM-ed us via our FB page and told us we really had to visit this place.
Something new and exciting just opened and really accessible to us!
A Froyo shop that is certified Halal and located in Tampines!

So when you get there, you have to follow a system okay.

First you choose your size. (They only have 2 sizes by the way)
Then you choose your yoghurt. (Choose from 4 flavours or even mix!)
Next is the toppings. (ZOMG good luck with that)
And last but not least - Weigh and Pay.

That's right. No typo there.
One of the interesting things about Frozilicious is that you don't pay based on the size of the cup you choose and then top-up based on your toppings. At Frozilicious, you pay based on the weight of your final selection.

And speaking of selection, there's always a couple of interesting flavours for you to choose from.
When we went, it was either Original, Strawberry, Mango or Bubble Gum but we've seen them put up posts on their Instagram mentioning other flavours like Caramel and Passionfruit!

And in case you were wondering, the 'Twist' selection means you get a combination of both of the flavours!
And that's exactly what we chose!

Original & Strawberry 'Twist'

And just remember, you can take as much or as little yogurt as you'd like.
Because you're paying based on the weight remember!

And then next comes the toppings...

I gave them names. The Scoop Section and The Bottle Section.
For obvious reasons of course.

You tell me lah how to resist.
You've got The Scoop Section with things like fresh fruit (Banana, Strawberries, Kiwi, Mango etc) and sweet goodies like Nata De Coco, Marshmallows, Kit Kat and Oreos etc.
And then comes the rest of the gang like cornflakes, rainbow sprinkles, nuts and gummies etc in The Bottle Section. There's so many toppings to choose from!

And again, take as much or as little as you like!
So this is what we ended up with.

$8.20

The price applied is $0.33 per 10gms by the way.
And what did we get for it?

Original & Strawberry Twist frozen yogurt with fresh strawberries, marshmallow bits, cashew nuts and a chocolate mint cookie for $8.20. Seems pricey I know but you must remember that this was a big cup and it's to share between 2 people. Still worth your money trust me. It'd cost you much more elsewhere for the stuff we put on there.

And since it's by weight, the good thing is you can choose whatever you'd like and as much of it as you'd like. Pile on all toppings if you feel like or just go for all yogurt. The choice is yours!
There is no minimum and the only maximum is as much as the cup can hold.

And you can see from that view how big the cup is compared to my hand holding it.
Definitely enough to share between 2 people and check out how much toppings we piled on!

And I'm quite interested to try all the flavours of yogurt.
Bubblegum is next on my list!

Adam's Verdict:
Original & Strawberry Twist Frozen Yogurt 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Original & Strawberry Twist Frozen Yogurt 4/5

A cool treat on a hot day perhaps? Or just a little guilt-free dessert after dinner?
Whatever the case, you'll be hard-pressed to find another Halal Froyo shop around I'll tell you that much.

Plus - you know how much we like to support young local entrepreneurship :)

Frozilicious

Block 201E Tampines Street 23
#01-120

Tel: 9450 6750
www.frozilicious.com

Operating Hours:
11.30am til 9.30pm (Tuesdays til Sundays)
Closed on Mondays

Yumen Hut

Tucked away in a little corner of EHub Downtown East, there sits a little eatery called Yumen Hut.
My darling wife and I visit EHub quite often to watch movies and go makan and what nots and we passed by Yumen Hut so many times.

One day, we suddenly noticed that it was actually certified Halal!
The place serves mostly Chinese cuisine so we didn't really take notice whenever we passed by but it definitely seems like it was worth a trip now that we know!

Veggie Crackers (Complimentary)

After we placed our orders, we were served this small dish.
I really had no idea whether it was a snack or if we were supposed to use it as a garnish for our food later.
Turns out it's actually Fish Crackers in strip form!

Anyways, when we sat down an took a look at the menu, we noticed that all the noodle dishes had different and special noodles to go along...

They also had  dishes that used Paprika Noodles, Carrot Noodles, Spinach Noodles, Mushroom Noodles and even something called Two Ply Noodles.
Interesting right? Special noodles to compliment the specific dish!

We later found out that the owner of Yumen Hut was also a noodle manufacturer! No wonder he had such a wide variety of noodles to offer... You can even buy the noodles to cook at home!

Laksa with Paprika Noodles ($4.50)

Anyways, my darling wife has the Laksa which was paired with Paprika noodles.
Look at that colour!

The Laksa gravy is lighter than usual which probably means it's less sinful. It's light but still very tasty.
The Paprika noodles actually do have a but of taste but it's not as spicy as you'd expect. I actually though it was a very good healthy alternative for those that want Laksa flavour without having to indulge too much.

Overall a very enjoyable dish!

Fried Chicken with Carrot Noodle ($3.80)

Truth be told, this wasn't my first choice.
The Cold Sauce Two Ply Noodles were sold out. And so were the Fried Mushroom and Stewed Chicken Noodles. So I decided to settle on something that seemed like I might enjoy it.

Well, not too bad actually!
Maybe it's just me but I felt super healthy just eating the Carrot noodles! Hahaha!
They really have a nice and springy texture and I can actually get the veggie taste.
The fried chicken was just an add-on to me because the star of the dish was definitely the noodles.

And it's quite a big serving of noodles mind you!

Fried Dumplings ($3.00)

Well no meal is complete without some side dishes am I right or am I right?
(Or maybe that's just something I say!)

Quite a selection to choose from including Calamari (Which they call Blur Rings), Ngoh Hiang, Otah Otah, Fried Crab Claws, Fried Mushrooms and even Durian Rolls.

We decided to have something that would go well with the noodles.
And that means dumplings!!

The Fried Dumplings were actually really nice.
A nice whole prawn with veggies wrapped up in wanton skin and fried to a crispy goodness.
The chilli given is the normal chicken rice chilli which wasn't really that good though.

But are you wondering why the dumplings are coloured green and orange?
That's right! Spinach and Carrot incorporated into the skin! Genius!

Adam's Verdict:
Fried Chicken with Carrot Noodle 3.5/5 -- Fried Dumplings 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Laksa with Paprika Noodles 4/5 -- Fried Dumplings 2.5/5

This is truly one of those hidden gems that you would not even notice without looking twice.
Nice and quiet place with some good food! And a healthy choice! Definitely worth another visit!

Yumen Hut

Downtown East 1 Pasir Ris Close #02-113
Tel: 6581 5191

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 10.00pm Daily
Closed on Chinese New Year

Hara Tim Sum Kitchen

So it's another walk down memory lane in this post...

When we were kids, my Dad used to buy these paus from Haig Road.
It used to come from this one stall at a coffeeshop where the current Banquet now stands and it was just this one guy selling Halal tim sum and nothing else.

It was always the same thing for us - BBQ Chicken Paus and Siew Mai.
And it was so delicious to use that we could finish up like a dozen of each with no problems.
Dad would buy a lot especially during Ramadhan where we'd eat some for buka and the rest for sahur.

But sadly, that stall closed and we couldn't seem to find it anywhere.
The only way we could find the paus were at some coffeeshops or petrol kiosks which carried the Hara Hong Kong Tim Sum product in the steamers. And there were not many around.

More common names were Nury Pau or KG Foods but... Hara Hong Kong was still top of the list for us.

Lo and behold, one day I happened to spot a sign from afar which bore the Hara name.
Could it really be the return of our favourite tim sum???

So my brother and I make our way one afternoon to check it out.

We spoke to a lady there who seemed to run the show and explained that Hara had been bought over and was now a major manufaturer of tim sum products. However, most of it was for export and for distribution which meant that Hara seldom sold its products for immediate makan on their own.

In fact, their current outlet was their one and only and they had only been there for about 2 years.

She was also quick to point out that Hara had adopted a 'Healthir Choice' attitude and incorporated a special wheat flour into their paus which gave them the appearance as above while giving you a healthier option when it comes to tim sum.

So on with the food!

Big Chicken Pau ($2.00)

Dad's favourite was always the Big Chicken Pau.
I think it was the egg that he liked.

Well it's definitely got more vegetables in it than I remember but it is a generous mouthful nonetheless.
Undoubtedly, the price has gone up as well but it's a pretty decent chicken pau.

BBQ Chicken Pau ($2.50 for 3)

Aha our favourite of all time.
In fact I still order a BBQ Chicken Pau at any place that sells Halal tim sum nowdays.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem the same as before.
It used to be a lot more tasty to be honest and the filling now is pretty dry.
I mean, it's still tasty but I guess times have changed...

Siew Mai ($3.00 for 4)

My brother is the supreme eater of Siew Mai.
If there is Siew Mai, he will eat it and it started because of Hara's siew mai.

And yes, it tastes as good as it looks in the picture.
Juicy and meaty and just simply delicious.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that these were from the traditional bamboo steamers they had there.
The paus on the other hand were from the modern electric steamer you'll find at the petrol stations.
I mean, when you think of tim sum, the traditional way is the bamboo steamers am I right??

Chicken Feet ($3.00)

Here's something I picked up from my Dad and my brother only recently caught on.
There's just something so comforting about a chicken's foot that has been seasoned, spiced and cooked till it's going to slide off the bones when you put it in your mouth. Sluurrrppppp.

But here's a fair warning - that's one spicy serving of chicken's feet.
It's probably the spiciest version I've ever tried anywhere. But still delicious.

Bamboo Steamers 2-1 Modern Steamers

And this next part coming up actually needs some explanation.
But I MUST point out from the start that this was probably a one-off incident. I mean, this could have happened to anyone at any makan place. So I'm just going to let you know what happened but it is not, in any way, intended to reflect a bad light on this fine eating establishment.

My brother and I enjoy the rice dishes when it comes to tim sum.
I'm talking about the all-time classics - Fan Choy & Lor Mai Kai.

Fan Choy ($2.20)

Lo Mai Kai ($2.20)

So it's basically rice (glutinous or otherwise) with some chicken or char siew chicken.
And we love it.

But this time, we had an unfortunate incident....

My brother started whacking the Fan Choy before my Lo Mai Kai had even arrived so it was half gone by the time I was ready to have mine. But something wasn't right... At first I was so insistent that it was just the glutinous rice and that maybe theirs was a special type which made it extra sticky. I even ate a mouthful to make sure.

But then my brother had a very strong case and was very confident that his Fan Choy and my Lo Mai Kai had gone bad. Bad meaning spoilt aka basi.

"No way lah!" I said. I mean, we're at the manufacturer's stall! This is like as close to the source as you can get! There's no way that this food has gone bad right?

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....................

That is not glutinous rice sticky...
That is unfortunately glutinous rice SLIMY...

A quick check with the server confirmed our suspicions.
In fact, a faulty steamer was to blame and all the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai from the steamer had gone south for the winter and had to be thrown out.

This was the modern steamer. The same modern steamer where our paus had come from.


Well they didn't charge us for the spoilt food (rightfully) and it's obviously impossible for me to give a rating for those 2 items.

And to be honest, the food wasn't all bad. Some of it was pretty delicious.
I guess it was just bad luck that 2 items had spoiled I guess. And I know it does not reflect on the taste of their food or quality of their ingredients but I'm afraid it does reflect on their quality control and management of their food products.

Maybe that's why it was empty during lunch time.

Adam's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 2.5/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Big Chicken Pau 2/5 -- BBQ Chicken Pau 3/5 -- Chicken Feet 4/5 -- Siew Mai 5/5

Oh and one more thing.
The chilli sauce used to be the bomb but the new version is slightly on the sour side.
Which is actually really disappointing.

Hopefully next time we have better luck with the Fan Choy and Lo Mai Kai.
Or maybe we'll just stick with the Siew Mai.

Hara Kitchen

742 North Bridge Road (Opposite Nasi Pariaman)
Tel: 9068 0258
www.facebook.com/haratimsum

Operating Hours:10am til 10pm Daily
=====================================================================

Update! (1st September 2013)

One of our readers, Sri Yusnita, informed us that it looked like Hara Dim Sum had packed it up.

Well, Hara Kitchen has down-scaled their operations but is still operating out of the same place.
Most of the shop is now operated by Nasi Pariaman who operates mainly just across the street but you can still get your dim sum fix at North Bridge Road!

Thanks to our anonymous reader for the tip-off! Keep them coming in! :)

PS you will see mainly the Nasi Pariaman sign when you go but if you look closely on the left, you will still see the Hara sign too...

See it there? :)

The Quest For Briyani Part 3: Mami Midah Briyani

So the Quest for Briyani continues on this food blog.
So many recommendations came in for where people think should be the next place I try.
But I decided to go somewhere recommended by my dear ol' Dad.

Mami Midah Briyani is a stall located in my old neighbourhood - Eunos Crescent.
It wasn't around when the market and food centre were at its old location before the fire a few years ago but despite that it seems this stall has made quite a reputation for itself in just a few years.

When you think of a good briyani, 'healthy' is not really the first word that comes to your mind I reckon. I mean, how many times have you heard your elders tell you not to eat too much too often right?

Well I saw this article displayed at the stall.
It was featured in the 'Mind Your Body' quite awhile back and was toute as a 'healthy' version of Nasi Briyani but apparently still didn't lose any of the flavour or deliciousness that you'd expect from a serving of Briyani.

Evaporated Milk? Vegetable Oil? Low Sodium Salt?
This doesn't seem like it's going to go well... But you'll see a lot of this at a lot of the stall here under the Healthy Eating campaign.

Okay so my Dad tells me we have o go really early because this place seems to sell out really fast (especially the Mutton Briyani) especially on Fridays. Well, we were not going on a Friday so you'd think it'd be safe to arrive there at around noon right?

Well we arrived at 12.15pm and guess what? The Mutton was sold out!!
Apparently someone had a funeral wake and pre-ordered like this whole order of the Mutton Briyani. And since we couldn't call ahead to pre-order 2 plates of it, I guess we were out of luck.
And the worst thing was that my Dad had let me taste some the last time he brought some back and it was quite good so I was pretty bummed I didn't get a chance to try it out properly.

Oh well.

Chicken Briyani ($4.50)

So we decided to have the Chicken Briyani (purely out of lack of choice).

The chicken itself was not bad. The masala which literally swamps the chicken was actually really good!
It's not really on the spicy side though. If it was, my Dad wouldn't be able to handle it very well. But the rempah briyani taste was very strong but very tasty. Not overpowering like I expected.

The acar is actually worth a mention. It really complimented the briyani well.
I'm saying this because I've had Briyani where the acar is just absolutely doing nothing for the overall dish but they really put some effort here to make sure it makes a difference.

As always, the rice itself is going to play a big part in Briyani and the rice here is pretty steady.
It was fluffy and I guess it was pretty tasty. But I doubt I enjoyed it as much as my Dad does.
My Dad says that the rice is the reason he loves this Briyani so much. And trust me, it's not often you find something that he will say is nice.

As for me? It was actually the Dalcha believe it or not.
It was damn tasty and really packed a tasty punch to the rice. In fact, the Dalcha seems to be quite a favourite with a lot of people. How do I know? I've seen people come to the stall and order just the Dalcha on its own. Like $2 a packet. They probably eat it with bread or something. And I don't blame them cos it's damn nice lah actually.

And if you stir the bowl, you'll find out why. The secret - lamb fat (tetelan).
It's an old school way of ensuring your Dalcha is the bomb and they sure as hell do it well here.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Briyani 3/5

Zain's Verdict:
Chicken Briyani 4/5

So remember, if you wanna try the Mutton Briyani - go early.
Hopefully I'll be able to add in a Mutton Briyani review here soon okay!

Mami Midah Briyani

Eunos Crescent Food Market & Food Centre
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent #01-14

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 8.00pm Daily
(or until they sell out)