Jungle Kitchen – a Singaporean start-up that uses heritage ingredients and cooking techniques to create tropical vegan food products – has debuted its range of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook food products.
Jungle Kitchen said in a statement that it is dedicated to the exploration of tropical ingredients and flavours, championing the quality and diversity of Southeast and South Asia “which have been long overlooked in favour of Western produce”. The inaugural range will be showcased at FHA Food & Beverage 2023, taking place at Singapore Expo from 25-28 April.
Jungle Kitchen’s inaugural range of six items includes JUNGLE JACK, a premium superfood vegan mince, made of 10 vegetables, roots and herbs, JUNGLE FIRE, a fiery hot sauce made from the distinctly tropical cobra chili and two Sri Lankan classics, COCONUT SAMBOL, a Sri Lankan styled zesty and spicy coconut relish, POLOS CURRY, a creamy spiced jackfruit curry, JACK IN BRINE, fresh young jackfruit in a light brine, and BANANA BLOSSOM IN BRINE, fresh chunks of banana blossom chunks in a light brine.
“Jackfruit is a good example of an ingredient that has recently gained popularity in the West, but has been a staple in Asian diets for a long time. Jungle Kitchen’s mission is to blend the trendy with the traditional, spotlighting versatile, tasty superfoods, such as Moringa and Kohila, to global palettes, said Mukeeta Manukulasuriya, Co-Founder, Jungle Kitchen.
Jungle Kitchen’s mission is to locate the very best ingredients, recipes and preparation techniques from small producers, individual farms, and regions across South and Southeast Asia and bring these to consumers in easy to eat, sustainable forms.
Part of the brand’s wider efforts will be building a crowdsourced compendium of Asian flora, with a specific focus on rating and ranking the quality and sustainability of that particular area or farm.
“Most of us can tell you where the best beef in Japan or the best pork in Spain can be found, but we have yet to do this as thoroughly with Asian produce. Where in Malaysia can I find the best gula Melaka? Where do the spiciest chilies in Asia grow?” Surekha Yadav, co-founder, Jungle Kitchen, asked.
Along with product flavour development, the brand is also investing in its supply chain by developing personal relationships with their partner farms by offering them the best prices for their produce and working with them to build more sustainable practices.
The team is already working on their next range, which will include more ready-to-eat products such as Asam Pedas Pisang Flower (a vegan take on the regional favourite of sour and spicy fish curry) and Butter Jack Masala (Jack fruit cooked in a buttery gravy reminiscent of the decadent butter chicken dish found in Northern Indian restaurants).
