Singaporean food company Ha Li Fa – the maker of the city state’s famous BoBo fish balls and seafood products – has unveiled a plant-based brand, Eat, Plant, Love (EPL) and boasts it can create mee pok that is “indistinguishable” from the meat-based version.
EPL will serve up seven plant-based alt-seafood and alt-meat products, all halal-certified, free from cholesterol and trans-fats and packed with dietary fibre.
Aiming to demonstrate the versatility and taste of its Asian-style products, EPL collaborated with Bib Gourmand eatery LiXin Teochew Fishball Noodles to create with Singapore’s first plant-based mee pok.
“The taste of the plant-based mee pok will be indistinguishable from the real thing,” a company spokesman said.
Served in original and chilli flavours, the mee pok will feature EPL’s upcoming plant-based fishcake, minced meat, vegetable rolls (ngoh hiang), and fried tau pok.
“The lard oil, a key ingredient in mee pok, is replaced with in-house-made fragrant shallot oil. All the ingredients are arrayed atop LiXin’s signature springy noodles.”
The new range of plant-based alt seafood came about after the company realised that while many plant-based products are now coming onto the market, there remains a limited choice suited to making Asian-style meals.
EPL’s range is made from ingredients including potato, mushroom, spring onion and carrot.
There are plant-based fishballs and mushroom balls, vegetable rolls, alt-calamari made with pea protein and konjac. Each line sells for S$5.80 a pack at selected FairPrice Finest & Xtra stores.
EPL has more products in its pipeline, including Stuffed Tau Pok, fishcakes and minced ‘meat’, targeting restaurants.
Meanwhile, the mee pok can be tried out at LiXin Chinatown Point, B1-47 at S$6.90 a serving.
