I haven't eaten meat since 2013, deciding to stop out of love for animals and personal health concerns.

It hasn't been an easy commitment to stick to in food-haven Singapore, but over the past six years I found that there are sufficient vegetarian and vegan options for me to get by.

Still miss Sausage & Egg McGriddles

I do indulge in junk food, though, and in my endeavour to do so, have managed to find substitutes to some but not all.

I managed to find vegetarian versions of nuggets, bacon and sausages, but what I really miss is having a good old McDonald's Sausage and Egg McGriddles.

The right amount of savoury and sweet in a McGriddles is hard to come by in most types of food — and McGriddles fans will know what I mean.

But if you are thinking that I will make an exception (on my no-meat rule) for McGriddles, you are wrong.

So the good news is, I recently found a way to hack Sausage and Egg McGriddles recently.

The not-so-good news for those who are interested to try this is that you have to be willing to spend extra on this meatless version.

An alternative to McDonald's sausage patty

I got to know about a meat-free substitute to the McDonald's sausage patty just last year and since then, I had been waiting for the return of McGriddles.

The meat-free sausage patty is actually made from mycoprotein by Quorn, and I chanced upon these in the supermarkets.

For those of you hearing about this for the first time, mycoprotein is protein converted from carbohydrates by a microorganism in the fungi family called Fusarium Venenatum.

It is supposedly very nutritious and definitely environmentally-friendlier than beef or chicken patties.

You can get these sausage patties at S$6 for four pieces at Cold Storage. 

This is the best meat-free sausage patty I have tried (not an ad) and it reminded me of the McDonald's sausage patty when I tasted it for the first time.

How to create meatless Sausage and Egg McGriddles

After getting the Quorn sausage patties, all I had to do was to order a patty-less Sausage and Egg McGriddles at the counter.

The staff got quite puzzled that I ordered an egg and sausage McGriddles without the patty as they did not have this option.

Yes, you can't buy the McGriddles buns alone thanks to capitalism.

As such, I was charged at the original a la carte price of the burger, without the meat patty.

Damage to your wallet: S$5.40

That said, I did not mind paying for a rare treat like this as I hadn't had Sausage and Egg McGriddles in years.

If you have the patience, the recommended way is to grill the Quorn sausage patty on a pan for seven minutes.

Otherwise, you can do what I did and that is to heat the Quorn sausage patty in the microwave for one and a half minutes.

Et Voila! That's how you get a meatless Sausage and Egg McGriddles:

Just like how I always remembered the original sausage and egg McGriddles to be.

Total damage: S$5.40 + S$1.50 (S$6 / 4 patties) = S$6.90

Worth it?

I've always had a soft spot for animals since I was little.

I see animals as individuals with different personalities and quirks. Pets, farm animals and wildlife are all the same.

At the age of 13, I visited a farm in New Zealand where I had my first chance to interact with a cute little lamb who playfully followed me around the farm during my visit. That encounter made me give up eating lamb meat.

Later in life, I learned how animals face cruel treatment in factory farms.

Here's how chickens in the United States were mistreated before becoming nuggets, McWings and McChicken:

I cannot ignore the suffering that animals have to go through before becoming the meat we eat.

Farm animals, often raised or transported in crammed conditions, are also sources to the outbreak of disease and plenty of forests have been cleared to make space to these large-scale industrial farms.

On a more personal note, I also became conscious of the negative health impacts of eating too much meat after my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer years ago.

While the reason to go meatless differs between people, I did it in the interest of my well-being and for the animals I care about.

Even if that means spending S$6.90 on a meatless Sausage and Egg McGriddles, just to satisfy my craving.

All photos by Sumita Thiagarajan