In this special six-part series, dietitians from SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH), a member of the SingHealth group, share healthy and easy-to-prepare breakfast recipes to help you start your day right.​

Shredded chicken bee hoon soup (40-minute preparation time)

The saying ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’ has stood the test of time and for a good reason.

Breakfast is the first meal of the day and is a key part of nutrition for the elderly. From improving their energy levels to reducing the risk of diseases, eating a healthy breakfast is the way to go to support overall health.

But preparing breakfast for the elderly can be pretty challenging.

For example, elderly may find that they no longer have the strong sense of taste and smell they once had, and are not able to enjoy their food as much.

Poor dental health can also prevent them from enjoying their meal since they will be having difficulty in chewing certain types of food.

"Caregivers for elderly can try making bee hoon soup as its soft texture makes it easier to chew and swallow. It is also easy and takes shorter time to prepare," said Edward Chan, Senior Dietitian from SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH), a member of the SingHealth group.

Bee hoon is generally lower in sodium compared to yellow noodles while also functioning as a primary source of energy being a carbohydrate. For a healthier option, brown rice bee hoon will be a better choice.

What you can throw into a bee hoon soup is also flexible and can be matched for a well-balanced complete meal.

To have a more flavourful Bee Hoon soup, Edward suggests adding some shredded chicken, fish or even eggs!

Chicken is good source of protein and can also provide additional micronutrients such as iron and Vitamin B12 but do remember to remove its skin and some visible fats which are harmful to our cholesterol level.   

And if you are a vegetarian, bean curd would be a good substitution because of its protein and calcium content.   

Last but not least, add more green leafy vegetables to your bee hoon soup for more fibre!

Ingredients and preparation steps

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

​1 portion of brown rice Bee Hoon (100g)

½ large onion, chopped

​2 whole chicken breasts (250g)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 liter of low sodium chicken broth

1 large carrot, sliced

½ cup fresh Chinese parsley, chopped (10g)

2 stalks celery, chopped

​Black pepper and salt to taste

Steps

1. Steam the chicken for approximately 10 minutes and shred to chewable portions.

2. Heat olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pepper into the pan and stir fry for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

3. Add the garlic and stir fry again for approximately one minute. Pour the chicken broth into the mixture and bring it to boil.

4. Add the bee hoon into the soup and cook for another 6 minutes before adding the shredded chicken. When the bee hoon and shredded chicken are cooked thoroughly, add parsley into the soup.

5. Serve warm.

Watch how the dish is prepared!

 

Power of a well-balanced breakfast

A well-balanced breakfast can give you more energy throughout the day, improve concentration, better weight management and also has certain health benefits to type 2 diabetes and heart diseases.

Give our yummy tofu and peanut porridge a try! Get the receipe here. 

Tried our breakfast recipe for tuna and corn sandwich yet? Get the recipe here.

Prepare strawberry and banana oats in just 5 mins! Get the recipe here.  

Ref: J22