Breakfast, they say is the most important meal of the day. I agree. As healthy as I try to keep it, granola, does not feature high on my list of options. However, while in Singapore recently, I came across this Asian brand Eastern Granola, which mixes fruit with cereal. I decided to give this healthy cereal another try.
Eastern Granola was kind enough to send me a few sampler packs to taste. I tried a different one every morning. So, here are the flavour infusions that go into the cereal mix. They have the original (mango, pineapple, cashews and nutmeg), Milo (chocolate malt), Thai mango salad (dried mango, dried cherry tomatoes, basil, chilli, lime, peanuts), 5Cs (curry, coconut, cashew, chocolate and chilli), and the Eastern muesli (dried mango, pineapple, cashews and peanuts).
The verdict is as under. Being a chocolate lover, the Milo infused one was a sure shot winner. My taste buds also took well to the original and Eastern muesli. To be honest, I did not enjoy the chili infused flavours, which made me slightly queasy, when I mixed the muesli with milk.
So, over a quick chat with the founder Chin Hui Wen, I learn a little bit about this company, which is just a few months old. Hui’s love for food is evident in her previous job, and education. Hui previously worked as the dining editor of Asia City Media (Singapore), which exposed her to critically evaluate food options across the city. She also has a degree in Food Culture from New York University.
To keep her passion for food alive, Hui is also working on a biannual food journal called Crust Catalog, which will be published soon.
Like many in the food business claim, perfection requires a lot of experimentation. Hui applies the same to her business. She tries multiple flavour combinations, many of which fail. One time, Hui made rum coconut granola, which did not appeal to tastebuds.
Eastern Granola is still local, and retails at several stores in Singapore. Will it leave its shores? Maybe, if the opportunity presents itself. “If Whole Foods decides to distribute my products in the US, I would be delighted,” says an optimistic Hui.
Her focus on Asian ingredients is what makes her granola special. In the pipeline are some new options like boozy granola (think rum coconut and Singapore sling) and Chicken rice granola. Sounds rather adventurous, but then with diverse taste palettes you never know what clicks?
To know about Eastern Granola, check out their website: http://www.easterngranola.com
{Photos by Eastern Granola}
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