Mr. Bean of Singapore

Soyabeans - the presence of this product makes singapore totally "unique." A range of meals can be dedicated to this single bean! It's a total delight for vegetarians and has loads of health benefits attached to it.

*Soyabean oil - Rich in omega-6 fatty acids, helps to lower cholesterol

*Soyamilk made out of soyabeans is a very popular beverage here and is a hot favourite with the locals.

* Soya Sauce - Available in dark and light versions, this bottle of black beauty is a treasure in all our kitchens and makes its presence felt when we all crave for that tasty, tangy, sumptuous chinese meal

*"Tofu" made by coagulating soyamilk and then pressing the curds into blocks is quite an item here. Enter any foodcourt and you will find a wide variety of dishes using "tofu" (looks like the indian paneer). The best part of "tofu" is that it is extremely low in calories and high in its protein content. It's a totally power packed product. How does it taste?Lets say if you have NEVER tasted it - then you could either go northwards - go all ga ga over it or southwards - may just not like it. It is one of those products which illicit an extreme point of view. One either hates it or one loves it. The locals of course love it just like how indians love their paneer cubes. It took me sometime to develop a taste for "tofu" And I am totally bonkers over it now! I love simple fried tofu(fritters). I can gobble up dozens of these just like that ;-) It's hard to describe how it tastes - it's neither sweet, nor salty, nor bitter, nor sour - it's basically tasteless! It has no taste/smell/flavour of its own and hence needs to be marinated or needs an additional company to suit one's palate. I use it as a substitute for my palak paneer, especially when I run out of paneer and well........ even when I don't. I also use the silken tofu as a substitute for egg for chocolate eggless cake! I make veggies out of it, tofu - mattar pulao, tofu burgers, tofu sandwiches, bhurji, etc. In short, tofu's made a place in my kitchen slowly, firmly and steadily :-) There are two main kinds of tofu -
A) Fresh . The fresh version includes the soft/silken tofu (jelly like consistency), firm tofu and dried tofu.
B) Processed tofu.

Selegie Soya Bean and Mr Bean stores - Enter the world of soya. Currently there are two main brands which sell numerous soya-related products/beverages island-wide. Selegie Soya Bean was set up in 1998 and sells products like - soya bean curd, soya bean curd with ginko nuts/lotus seeds/pearls/grass jelly/almond syrup/gula melaka. They also serve soyamilk in a variety of flavours - with grass jelly/redbeans/peppermint and pearls/bandung and pearls (just like the indian faloodas ). For more about them read their site http://selegiesoyabean.com.sg/ they also give home delivery and provide catering services.
Mr Bean - was founded in 1995 and has 50 over stores in island. they go a step further by selling fruity and veggie versions of soya milk . For eg - celery soyamilk, carrot soyamilk, ginger soyamilk, fruits like watermelon, papaya and honeydew are used for a more frutier version. For a more desserty feel - almond soya milk and ice mocha versions are also available. They also serve roasted soyabeans which is my personal favourite. But the dish that deserves all the oomph is the one with "rice balls in soyamilk."It comes only for $ 2.20 and tastes like heaven. Soft rice balls with two stuffings - peanut and black sesame and tastes gorgeous. It sooooo delicious, the rice balls just melts in your mouth. The stuffing is out of the world. It's an absolute MUST taste if you ever visit singapore.

For all these reasons, soyabean deserves the crown of "Mr. Bean of Singapore."