Plant-based meat alternatives have truly come a long way. No longer an afterthought, many of these meat analogues have taken centre stage at restaurants since impressing locals with its similarity to its original counterparts.
Below, we list five of the best meat analogue brands and products currently available in Singapore—from the much-lauded Impossible Foods to the new Tindle Thy, a Health Promotion Board-certified chicken thigh alternative.
Beyond Meat
This LA-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes has been distributing delicious vegetarian-friendly products for over 10 years now. Available at various local and online grocery stores, its wide selection of options includes the classic Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef, as well as the popular Beyond Sausage and Beyond Meatballs.
Don’t want to cook them yourself? Try heading to restaurants such as Mezza9 at Grand Hyatt Singapore as well as Hard Rock Cafe to try the Beyond meat patties featured in hearty burgers.
Impossible Burger
Arguably the best meat analogue out there on the market, Impossible Foods has truly changed locals’ perception of plant-based meat substitutes. The company found popularity with its Impossible Burger patties that taste just as good as the real deal, as well as its ability to “bleed”.
Cook ‘em right and you probably won’t be able to identify the difference between an Impossible meat burger and a regular burger. Impossible Foods products are now available at most major supermarkets; otherwise, check them out at restaurants all across Singapore.
Karana
The vegan community has long enjoyed jackfruit as a meat substitute in curry and chilli recipes. Now, more will have access to this plant-based pulled pork alternative thanks to Karana. As Asia’s first whole-plant meat brand, Karana offers its namesake jackfruit meat analogue which has been stuffed into dumplings, curry puffs and even sandwiches at restaurants such as Butcher Boy and Open Farm Community. Plans to launch Karana products in supermarkets and retail outlets are also in the works, so expect to be able to cook them for yourself in the near future.
OmniMeat
Created by food-tech company OmniFoods, OmniMeat is an all-purpose, plant-based meat that comprises a proprietary blend of plant-based protein derived from peas, non-GMO soy, shiitake mushroom and rice. With no added antibiotics and no added hormones, this nutritious meat analogue boasts 4.6g of dietary fibre and 0mg cholesterol per 100g.
Locals have also taken a huge liking to the newer OmniMeat Luncheon, a plant-based luncheon meat that’s nowhere as unhealthy as its original processed meat counterpart. Purchase OmniMeat online or at local grocery chains including Little Farms, FairPrice and Sheng Shiong.
Tindle Thy
A new player in the now dynamic meat analogue scene, Tindle is launched by Singapore-based start-up Next Gen Foods which first made waves when it announced it raised US$10 million in seed funding from investors such as Temasek and K3 Ventures. The first product now available at 11 restaurants islandwide (Three Buns, The Prive Group, Ebb & Flow Group and more) is the Tindle Thy, a chicken thigh substitute made with just nine ingredients including soy, water, sunflower oil and coconut fat.
Sure to delight, simply savour the HPB-certified meat alternative in dishes such as Prive’s Tindle Katsu Curry, Adda’s Butter Tindle Pot Pie, Empress’ Sesame-crusted Lemon Tindle, and The Market Grill’s Tindle Chicken Strudel.
