In the last posts, I covered the challenges vegans face eating out for breakfast. I created this set of posts to show that vegan breakfasts can be just varied and delicious as those loaded with dairy and eggs. The first 16 breakfast ideas included simple recipes for easy on the go breakfasts, and also ideas for cooked breakfasts. If you missed these posts they are linked here:
21 Vegan Breakfasts (1) – for the series introduction and easy ideas.
21 Vegan Breakfasts (2) – for cooked breakfasts.
When I was writing these posts I was very conscious that these are mostly Western breakfast dishes. Living in Asia I have found that traditional local breakfasts can be quite different, but equally as delicious and satisfying. So this post focuses on some of my favourite Asian breakfasts. In general Asian dishes are less differentiated between what is considered a breakfast meal vs lunch or dinner, and so many of the dishes below are rice based, and can be eaten at any time of the day. I have however tried to pick the things that are most commonly served as a morning meal.
Asian Breakfasts
If you like Asian flavours, are interested to try something different, and have a bit more time to cook in the morning, check out these options which will familiar to anyone who has lived or travelled in Asia.
#17. Congee (South East Asia and China). Congee, or Burbur in Indonesia and Malaysia, is basically a sticky rice porridge. Different regions of South East Asia all have their own versions, and of course, they all usually contain chicken or fish, but the vegan versions are just as good. Vietnamese congee is often flavoured with ginger, Indonesian Burbur Manado uses lemongrass, Cambodian congee uses coriander. Congee can be quite a thin soupy porridge in some regions, but can also be very thick and sticky. Check out these recipe links for some ideas to get you going.
It was hard to find a vegan Burbur Manado recipe and the one above does mention salted fish as a topping, but just leave this off. Congee is very filling, and as it contains very little fat and no gluten, is quite a healthy way to start the day.
#18. Nasi Goreng (Indonesia). Literally “fried rice” in Indonesian, nasi goreng is eaten at all times of the day, and is a very common breakfast dish using rice leftover from the night before. It is essentially a vegetable fried rice, but is usually served with egg for breakfast, or grilled meats at lunch or dinner. However, tempeh and tofu are both very traditional Indonesian foods so it is super easy to swap the eggs and meat out. Nasi Goreng can be as plain or as spicy as you want, and usually a breakfast version would not be quite as chilli-heavy. Try this online recipe to get you started. If you don’t have tempeh, you can use tofu or leave it out altogether.
#19. Dosa, Idili & Varda (India). These Southern Indian snacks are my favourites, and I always make a bee-line for the Indian counter at hotel breakfast buffets where its available. Dosa are thin, crispy pancakes, idili are a puffy, soft steamed dumplings and varda are like a fried doughnut. They are all made from a batter of different blends of lentil and rice flours, and are served with a thin but spicy lentil and vegetable soup (sambar) and a couple of chutneys, with coconut, coriander and tomato chutneys being common. The most famous dosa dish – masala dosa – is served with a spicy potato filling. If you like spicy food these breakfasts are super delicious. If you have some time and want to make these at home, I’d suggest sourcing the pre-mixed batter flour and pre-made chutney from your local Indian store. The sambar can be made the day before.
#20. Miso Soup and Natto (Japan). The first time I went to Japan I was intrigued by the breakfasts, it is a very different flavour profile to most western breakfasts and can take a few tries to get used to. The Japanese will typically eat a number of small dishes for breakfast, a similar concept to the lunchtime bento box. Breakfast dishes will often include:
- a small bowl of miso soup, served with seaweed, spring onion and fresh tofu cubes. Miso soup sachets are readily available to buy in most stores, or there are many recipes online to make it from scratch using miso paste.
- a small bowl of shredded raw white cabbage or lettuce, with a light miso or sesame dressing
- a dollop of natto paste. Natto is a fermented soy bean product. It’s related to tempeh, but less well known and with more of a paste-like texture. As with most fermented foods it can be an acquired taste. Check your local asian store to see if they have it.
- a small bowl of plain sticky rice.
#21. Pancakes with red bean paste. OK I confess, I made this one up! But sweet red bean filled bread buns are very common in China and Japan, and are one of my favourite snacks. To make red bean paste, soak dried adzuki beans overnight, add the beans to boiling water for 10 minutes, pour off this water, then cook on a medium heat for another hour until soft. Once the beans are pretty soft, pour off excess water and add sugar for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Most recipes add far more sugar than I would ever cook with to make the paste super sweet, but you can adjust this to your taste. The bean paste will keep in the fridge for a few days, so you can make it in advance. I usually roll up my pancake with the red bean as a filling, then top with chopped banana and a drizzle of maple syrup. Yum!
#22. Kaya Toast (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia). I initially thought I would struggle to come up with 21 breakfasts, but it was actually quite easy. And once I started writing this Asian page I remembered this Singapore staple, and I couldn’t leave it out. Local coffee shops are everywhere serving strong brewed coffee with condensed milk and Kaya Toast, a cheap, quick and filling breakfast. Kaya jam is usually made with egg yolks to give the creamy yellow colour, but this vegan version uses pumpkin. It’s just as good and much healthier for you! Spread your toast with a thick layer of vegan butter and slop on this amazing Vegan Kaya Jam
Happy Mornings!
There you have it, the full series of 21 (+1!) breakfast ideas that are totally vegan. Most are very simple and quick, but with bit of time anyone can make any of them. I hope this has given you some tips from which you can create your own ideas as well. Share your favourites with me, I’d love to hear about them.
And please, please share these pages with your favourite local brunch cafes and hotels to inspire them to add more vegan breakfasts to their menu’s!!
For those who missed the first two posts, the links are below:
Letter from Jakarta. 