Alternative meats are gaining greater visibility as more brands start rolling out their versions of the products. Besides being environmentally friendly, they are claimed to be healthier and do not compromise on taste.
Being a true carnivore, I am a little apprehensive about these as I really prefer the real bite feel, juiciness and chewiness of my meats. When Ayam Brand’s public relations agency sent the yumeat plant-based luncheon meat and minced meat with bean paste for testing, I adopted a wait-and-see approach.
Packaging wise, the two canned products look like regular items on the shelf. What stood out were the words “plant-based”.
It is understandable that these two items have been chosen as among the first to be released. Luncheon meat is popular for eating any time of the day and goes well with a variety of staples. Minced meat with bean paste is something which I have brought along on my travels, especially to Western countries where eating out can be expensive and spicy food hard to find.
The truth is in the pudding, or in this instance, eating the plant-based meats. I had them cooked for dinner, paired with white rice.
Plant-based luncheon meat: The air-fried luncheon meat looks like the real thing, except perhaps for the colour. It looked more brownish than pinkish. Smell-wise, it has the same aroma of luncheon meat. In terms of taste, the texture was softer compared to meat-based version, sort of more jelly feel.
Plant-based minced meat with bean paste: This is probably more authentic in terms of looks and taste. After all, bean paste is bean paste. This is a mite saltish so eating it with rice made it more edible. I won’t recommend having this on its own — complement with rice, bread or noodles.
While it’s hard for me to give up the original version, especially the luncheon meat because of bite feel, yumeat does have its merits.
- They are cholesterol free. Say “Hello” to guilt-free eating!
- They are healthier. Works great for the health-conscious who want the taste but not the cholesterol, MSG, GMO, antibiotics, sodium nitrite, and other preservatives.
- They are affordable. S$2.95 each for the 190g version.
- They are easily available. Get from more than 30 FairPrice Finest and Xtra supermarkets.
If you’ve not tried a plant-based meat product, these are great to start with. I’m thinking of getting the plant-based minced meat with bean paste for my next trip to Europe. Don’t want to risk bringing it into the US, in case it gets confiscated by customs for having the word “meat”.
Verdict
Taste: 👍👍👍
Bite feel: 👍👍👍
Look: 👍👍👍
Value: 👍👍👍
Overall: 👍👍👍
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