Bollywood Veggies

If you are one of those who keeps complaining that Singapore is boring, then you may have not made your visit to the all-too-rare sight in this country – Bollywood Veggies.

Set in a lush 10-acre site in Kranji, Bollywood Veggies was set up by Lim Ho Seng and Ivy Singh-Lim who specialises in growing healthy local produce without using chemical fertilisers, pesticides and growth hormones.

The Poison Ivy Bistro in the farm serves up healthy meals with farm fresh produce. Processed ingredients are kept to a minimum, and the restaurant uses what can be readily grown or obtained locally as much as possible.

We ordered a set lunch ($10 per pax) which consists of a fish, a meat, a vegetables and an appetizer. Just like the Japanese Omakase concept, the chef will prepare the dishes for you and you will only know what you are eating when the surprise arrives at your table. You can choose to go with white rice or brown rice. Our refreshing appetizer is a salted egg salad with tomatoes, onion and coriander.

I eat achar and fish separately, but it is my first time eating such combination – Achar Fish. The fried fish is well soaked with achar but I find the texture too soggy for my liking.

Next comes the colorful Braised Tofu with mushrooms, carrots and celery. Celery contributes an intriguing earthiness to tofu, a very healthy dish that goes well with rice.

Warrior’s Chicken Curry is probably the star of the meal. It is rather spicy but the chicken is tender. The aromas and flavors are a delight to the senses!

We only ordered one set to share and had some special dishes from the ala carte menu. One of which is the Moringa Tempura ($6). You may wonder, can moringa be eaten? Of course!

The Moringa oleifera is also known to many local Singaporean as “pokok kelo” to the Malay, “malongai” to the philliphinos and “murungukai” to the Indian community. The nutritional value of a Moringa tree lies in its leaves and roots. They are an excellent source of calcium. Increase your calcium intake with Moringa Tempura, a very unique way to treat the moringa leaves!

Veggie Curry ($5/$8) offers an array of bright colors. You will love its healthy combination of vegetables, including cabbage, ladyfinger, long beans and carrots. It is available on Saturday & Sunday only.

To end off, we ordered the Bollywood 3 in 1 ($7.50) which had kueh kosui (palm sugar with grated coconut), banana bread and kueh binga (baked tapioca). If you want to order ala carte dessert, I highly recommend their kueh binga, their texture is soft and smooth.

Not forgetting the fragrant Homemade Lemongrass Drink ($2 each). Add some ice cubes and it’s perfect for cooling down on a hot summer’s day.

If you are here next time, do order their stir fry farm veggies ($6). You can choose from kang kong, sweet potato leaves and spinach, cooked with either garlic or chilli. Note that it only accepts cash payments, so make sure you carry enough if you intend to dine at the farm. For my previous post on Bollywood Veggies, click here.

It may be a small farm, but there’s a lot to see here. It’s entrance fee of $2 is paltry for what you’re going to learn here about the food that you eat. If you have enough to spare, you can pick up a couple of fresh organic fruit or vegetables to complete your journey.

How to get there: Take Kranji Express (yellow bus) from Kranji MRT Station from 9:00am to 5:00pm; $3.00 for adult and $1.00 for child. Website: www.kranjicountryside.com