Let's Eat Hearty, Healthy Japanese-Style Breakfasts
Last January, we resolved to head down a heartier, more enlightened path. There’s no more running out of our houses with only cups of coffee to sustain us until noon. But while lots of people start their days with something sweet, we go for savory flavors. And so we looked to Asia, where their breakfast would be equally delicious at dinner. The fact that our interpretation is healthy, filling, and beautiful to look at makes it even more satisfying.
Our breakfasts are built around short-grain brown rice and/or tiny earthy lentils. Eaten together, they deliver a complete protein with all the essential amino acids. We keep things simple, cooking extra rice for dinner, then, the next morning, reheating small bowls of it in the microwave. Once a week, we simmer a batch of lentils with garlic and leeks and season them with soy sauce.
And then we add whatever we have prepared ahead. It might be beets pickled in umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) vinegar, black kale dressed with sesame oil, or shiitake mushrooms bathed in teriyaki sauce or a spoonful of savory oyster sauce. We poach small blocks of salmon and marinate them in our teriyaki sauce, which adds just the right amount of salt against sweet. With all these treasures stashed in the fridge, it is a pleasure to carefully compose the bowls.
To begin a day in this fashion, choosing health and aesthetics over convenience, changes our attitudes. We are always looking for what is simpler and calmer as we move through life, taking time for what really matters. It turns out that rethinking breakfast was the perfect way to start.
