With zero plastic packaging and a fully verified supply chain, Jungle Kitchen celebrates the unheralded efforts of generations of home cooks across the region  

 Jungle Kitchen – a Singaporean start-up that uses indigenous ingredients and cooking techniques to create tropical vegan food products – has made its debut. Jungle Kitchen is dedicated to exploring tropical indigenous ingredients and flavours, championing the quality and diversity of Southeast and South Asia, which have long been long overlooked in favour of Western produce. The inaugural range will be showcased at FHA Food & Beverage 2023 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 along 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 of Jungle Kitchen. 

Jungle Kitchen’s mission is to locate the very best indigenous ingredients, recipes, and preparation techniques from small producers, individual farms, and regions across South and Southeast Asia and bring these in easy-to-eat, sustainable forms. The brand’s wider efforts will be building a crowdsourced compendium of Asian flora, specifically focusing 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?” asks Surekha Yadav, co-founder of Jungle Kitchen. 

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 cooked in a buttery gravy reminiscent of the decadent butter chicken dish found in Northern Indian restaurants). 

The full Jungle Kitchen launch range comprises: 

JUNGLE JACK Ready-to-cook.  400grams	This versatile plant-based mince is made with young jackfruit, beetroot, moringa, kohila, and over 10 other herbs, spices, plants, and roots. Flavourful yet subtle, JUNGLE JACK absorbs and complements the spices and seasoning it is cooked with. It has a naturally meaty texture and can be easily shaped into burger patties or meatballs or used as a minced meat substitute.
JUNGLE FIRE  Ready-to-eat. 200 grams	Jungle Fire hot sauce is an explosion of flavour made with Cobra Chilli (Nai Miris), a spicy tropical chili. A complex, sweet yet spicy and intoxicating hot sauce that complements everything from chips to cocktails.
COCONUT SAMBOL  Ready-to-eat.  350 grams	A staple of every meal from the tropical island of Sri Lanka. This simple but magical combination of lime, chilli, and coconut with a touch of pandan elevates everything from toast to tacos.
POLOS CURRY, Ready-to-eat.  400 grams	Fresh, tender pieces of a young jackfruit tempered to perfection with Sri Lankan spices, this creamy, rich, and ready-to-eat curry can be enjoyed straight from the tin with rice or bread.
JACK IN BRINE Ready-to-cook. 400 grams	Fresh, tender chunks of young jackfruit in a lightly preserving brine.
BANANA BLOSSOM IN BRINE Ready-to-cook. 400 grams	Fresh, tender chunks of banana blossom chunks in a lightly preserving brine.

For more information, visit www.jungle.kitchen 

About JUNGLE KITCHEN 

Jungle Kitchen is a Singapore-based brand that aims to bring the best of Asian cuisine and culture to the rest of the world. The team scours the region, looking for heritage ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavour profiles (both old and new) to create vegan products that are sustainable, delicious, and creative. Jungle Kitchen makes sustainable production and packaging supply chains that reward communities. Female-owned and female-run, Jungle Kitchen works to celebrate the unheralded efforts of generations of homemakers and home cooks in the region, sharing their knowledge and a deep love of food with the world.