Cooking for the Healthier Me 21-Day Challenge (North zone)
Tzu Chi Singapore held its second season of the Healthier Me 21-Day Challenge in October 2021. The cooperation from vegetarian food vendors is vital to ensure the smooth running of the programme. Mr Soon, the owner of the SSL Vegetarian stall and his team had worked hard to design and prepare two meals daily for the entire 21 days, striving to provide nutritionally balanced meals without compromising the taste and appearance of the food.
SSL Vegetarian stall owner, Soon Peng Cheh: We had cooked this eight years ago, but it was difficult to sell.
What was difficult to promote at that time? The answer is, this healthy vegetarian meal.
SSL Vegetarian stall owner, Soon Peng Cheh: It is not easy to eat food in its original taste. Everyone said that only very ill patients eat these.
A few months ago, when volunteers invited Mr Soon to participate in the "Healthier Me 21-Day Challenge", he decided to give it another try despite his failed attempts many years back. He also rented this empty booth to prepare about 80 lunch boxes and took the opportunity to promote plant-based diet to the patrons at the food court.
SSL Vegetarian stall owner, Soon Peng Cheh: There are a lot of people during lunchtime. They were curious and asked about these dishes. Some people were curious about the taste, so I let them taste the food, and they said it was not bad. These are excellent and healthy vegetarian food. These are the healthy vegetarian food to eat if you want to go vegetarian. This is the right way to cook.
SSL Vegetarian stall cook, Law Tuan Kee: It is about how we nourish our internal organs by balancing the five elements. We can use spinach and green leafy vegetables to get enough green food. We use red beans and tomatoes to get enough red food.
Close the lid for a minute before stirring.
Mr Soon and his team gave their best to design the menu using the concept of five elements while ensuring that the dishes look palatable and taste good.
SSL Vegetarian cook, Law Tuan Kee: I’ve worked in the F&B industry for 20 years. This is the first time I’m cooking without using cooking oil. Frying is a way to preserve the original taste of the food, but not for this 21-day challenge. I couldn’t bring out the taste of the food. So, we need to understand the original taste of the food, we need to stew the food to bring out the taste.
SSL Vegetarian stall owner, Soon Peng Cheh: We are all the same. The participants have challenges eating. We have challenges cooking, because we keep thinking about what to cook tomorrow and the day after. We had several sleepless nights in the first few days because we kept studying about how to cook the meals. We give our best because it is our goal to promote vegetarianism by running a vegetarian stall. To be able to serve is a blessing.
In today’s society, more people are placing importance on having a balanced diet. During these 21 days, Mr Soon and his team may have faced with different challenges, but it has also reignited his confidence in promoting healthy vegetarian food.
