Start Your Morning With Chinese Breakfast Foods Instead

If you want to enjoy a true Chinese style breakfast you will have to travel to that country, because there aren’t many places in North America that serve it. But don’t stay in a western-style hotel where you’ll be able to get your bacon and eggs, because that defeats the purpose of traveling to discover a new culture. If you’re interested in Chinese style cooking and want to make a traditional breakfast, here are some ideas for you.

Like most Asian dishes, rice plays a major role on the breakfast table. However, a Chinese breakfast is a much simpler meal than their large dinners that feature multiple courses. Even on more leisurely weekends, a Chinese breakfast will take only minutes. Even though it’s small, a Chinese breakfast still packs plenty of calories to get you through a busy day.

A typical Chinese breakfast features a lot of deep fried foods. For example, there’s the Deep Fried Devil, similar to a cruller but much longer. Other choices in deep fried breakfast goodies consist of buns, noodles and pancakes.

The perfect accompaniment to these deep fried selections is another Chinese favorite known as congee. Congee is similar to porridge, but it’s made from rice or soybeans, and sometimes also features meats or vegetables to round out the selection. Frequently, the only home made dish at a Chinese family breakfast is the congee, while the deep fried foods are purchased from street sellers.

You would probably think that tea would be the beverage of choice for a Chinese breakfast, but you would be wrong. Since the breakfast porridge of congee can be quite watery (or milky, depending on what is used), it is the liquid part of the Chinese breakfast.

You might think that all Asian cultures would have a similar breakfast to the Chinese, but that isn’t actually the case. In Japan, breakfast is much more leisurely and substantial. Rice, known as ‘morning rice’ is still the centerpiece of the meal. Replacing the congee of Chinese breakfasts is Miso soup, based on soybeans or rice. Or Natto might be featured, a mix of fermented soybeans, vegetables and seasonings served over rice.

Breakfast traditions vary in each of the Asian countries. Breakfast is big in Korea (since lunch is a small affair), usually involving Kimchi (fermented cabbage) along with beef or pork soup. In Thailand, breakfast is similar to the Chinese version, featuring Khao porridge and pa thong go pastries. In Singapore, the specialty is Kaya, a jam-like concoction of coconut milk, sugar, vanilla and eggs.

Quite a switch from the traditional western breakfast of bacon and eggs, Asian breakfasts are just as tasty and filling, but quite possibly more nutritious.

Find more great meal ideas at the Cooking Site. We have lots of recipes, cooking tips and fascinating facts about food to keep you reading for hours!