Simple and soupy

Sometimes, simple is good.

A piping hot bowl of beehoon soup, which takes just 15 minutes to prepare, can be enough to give you a filling yet healthy meal.

A twist, however, is that this recipe uses brown rice beehoon. This means you get more fibre in your bowl, compared with using white beehoon.

There is 4.6g per 100g of fibre in brown rice beehoon, compared with just 1.7g per 100g in white beehoon.

"In general, many people neglect the health benefits of fibre intake; some may eliminate it from their diets completely," said Ms Julie Tan of Tan Tock Seng Hospital's nutrition and dietetics department.

In addition, those who frequently eat out often do not meet the recommended two servings each of vegetable and fruit a day, she said.

"This is because most of our hawker dishes do not provide much vegetables, while people may not remember to consume enough fruit when eating out."

This recipe, which first appeared in a cookbook published by SingHealth in partnership with agencies in the intermediate and long-term care sector, is also suitable for elderly people who have problems chewing.

This is because the ingredients have been softened in the soup broth. For more fibre, add vegetables to the soup. Do chop them into small pieces to make it easier for an elderly to chew the food.

"It also speeds up the cooking process," added Ms Tan.

The dish delivers plenty of fluid which, surprisingly, can be lacking in an elderly person's diet.

"Many do not take sufficient fluids, which can lead to dehydration and constipation," she said.

TIPS

To cut down on sodium intake, use less soya sauce and avoid drinking all the soup. Each teaspoon of soya sauce adds another 400mg of sodium to the dish.

RECIPE

Beehoon soup with egg

(Serves one)

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs, lightly beaten with 1 tsp light soya sauce

½ tbs canola oil

150ml of water

30g of lean chicken or beef

3 or 4 prawns, heads removed

Light soya sauce, to taste

1 bundle of brown rice beehoon

½ tsp sesame oil

Spring onions and coriander leaves, chopped, for garnishing

1 red chilli, chopped

METHOD

Heat the oil in a pan. Pour the lightly beaten eggs and scramble them into large chunks, taking care not to overcook it. Set the cooked eggs aside.

To make the soup base, add the chicken (or beef) and prawns to boiling water and simmer until the ingredients are cooked.

Add the beehoon and cook for half a minute.

Season with soya sauce and sesame oil.

Add the cooked egg into the soup. Garnish the dish with chopped red chilli, spring onions, coriander leaves and serve hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

(Per serving)

Energy: 623kcal

Protein:28g

Carbohydrates: 90g

Total fat: 17g

Saturated fat: 4g

Cholesterol: 434mg

Dietary fibre: 5g

Sodium: 780mg

Note: Does not include additional seasoning of light soya sauce to the soup.

This article was first published on June 25, 2015.
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