6 Asian Tips to Enjoy Budget-friendly Meals at Home
Frugality is common practice in Asian cultures, without giving up on wholesome and flavourful home-cooked meals. Come discover the handy tips!
Had enough of your cornflakes? Sick and tired of toast and butter? Then you’ve come to the right place! Asian breakfasts are fantastic, nutritious and delicious! They’re also more interesting than some of the stuff we dish up every morning. We’ve done a side-by-side suggestion so the next time you’re travelling through Asia, you won’t feel too homesick.
Pancakes
Hotcakes made from batter are popular in Asia too! Singapore has delicious Mee Jian Kueh—a soft, fluffy pancake that usually has peanut filling sandwiched in between, but can also contain red bean paste or cream corn. You can grab these from a bunch of different hawker halls around the city.
Taiwan is the home of Dan Bing (or Jian Bing), a crêpe made from water, flour and cornflour. It’s served with a couple of layers of beaten egg and a bunch of different toppings. Spring onions are always popular, but you can get pretty much anything on your Dan Bing—chicken and basil, bacon and cheese, tuna mayonnaise and even fried chicken. You’ll find them being sold by local street vendors every morning.
Eggs
One of the most versatile foodstuffs known to man, eggs appear in all sorts of guises in Asia. If you’re an omelette fan, head over to Thailand and try Kai Jeow. This Thai-style minced pork omelette is dished up on steamed rice and served with the local favourite—sriracha sauce. Instead of salt, the eggs are seasoned using fish sauce, and spring onions and herbs may also be added for a little extra punch.
If an egg and bacon sarnie is more your jam, then Vietnam is the place for you. Banh Mi Op La is a small-sized Vietnamese baguette accompanying eggs, often fried and served in small personal sized pans. Some construction is required, but it’s delicious.
Loved soldiers and boiled eggs as a kid? Then head back to Singapore for some Kaya toast with half-boiled eggs. Slow poached eggs are all the rage in hipster cafes these days, but they’ve been doing it in Singapore for generations. Kaya toast is sliced and toasted brown bread covered in kaya (coconut) jam and sometimes some icing sugar. Believe it or not, it goes beautifully with the eggs.
Donuts
Fried batter is delicious. The Spanish have churros, the Americans have doughnuts, and the Chinese have You Tiao. You Tiao is delicious bits of fried dough served a soy milk soup, curdled slightly with the vinegar, and flavoured with spring onions, sesame oil, pickled radishes and the crispy fried dough. We promise it’s better than Krispy Kreme.
Porridge
This one’s pretty obvious. Congee is what we’re comparing here. Congee is a type of rice porridge or gruels popular across Asia. Just like porridge eaten in the West, you make it delicious by what you put in it. It’s not uncommon to find egg, fish, duck, pork and all kinds of vegetables and sauces in there. It’s perfect because no matter what you chuck in your congee, you’re not going to be judged.
Rice
Rice is the main carb for many Asian cultures. Warm, filling, and tastily blends with almost any kind of accompaniment, making it ideal for any meal. Rice for breakfast is typically simple to prepare but filled with flavour and nutrition. Ever tried fried rice to start your day? Packed with veggies and protein to energize you right away.
Another popular option is the Malaysian Nasi Lemak. Cooked with coconut milk for sticky tenderness, and imbued with pandan leaf aroma; served with hard-boiled egg, spicy sambal, peanuts, anchovies, and cucumber slices. The most common ‘type’ is wrapped with banana leaf into a palm-sized pyramid shape. But Nasi Lemak stalls typically have extra add-ons too, including fried egg, sambal cockles, squid, fish, prawns, chicken curry and beef rendang.
The traditional Japanese breakfast is a whole meal set with rice, miso soup, and proteins such as fish, egg or fermented soybeans, plus a side of veggie or pickles – all served in small portions to whet your appetite, typically mild flavoured and easy to cook. Also, don’t forget to complete the meal with a cup of hot green tea.
Noodles
Bouncy chewy noodles in soup or sauce with added proteins make awesome breakfasts. Basically, any noodle dish can jumpstart your day, in a ‘just right’ portion that fills you with wholesome flavours. A serving of wonton noodles is a common breakfast – just like the Malaysian dry wonton noodles or the Cantonese-style wonton soup noodles. The noodles are much thinner than other types, ideal for a fast, light meal. Boiled wonton in simple broth soup and roast pork belly for protein and umami tastes, topped with a leafy veggie for extra crunch. Don’t have Asian noodles handy? Macaroni can do too, in this unique Hong Kong-style soup with spam, egg and frozen mixed veggies.
Toast
Former colonial Asians often incorporate toast in their breakfast, such as in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. Hong Kong French toast is made hearty with peanut butter, egg, and honey. Pan-fried and served hot with melted butter and sometimes with a scoop of ice cream. Meanwhile, Malaysian and Singaporean toast is much lighter – kaya and butter spread on simple toasted bread, enjoyed with hot runny eggs flavoured with soy sauce and pepper; plus a good cup of hot coffee.
Dim Sum/Yum Cha
Although Yum Cha actually means ‘drink tea’ in Cantonese, it’s practically synonymous with Dim Sum in Australia for some reason. Dim Sum is probably the ultimate Chinese breakfast or brunch to have, with a whole array of delicious bite-sized bao buns, dumplings, tarts, and steamed cakes. The portion for each dish is small, so you can savour many flavours till you’re full.
Hong Kong steamed rice roll is part of the menu, comes with minced cha siu or prawn filling, and drenched in an umami sauce mix. Roast pork bun is an all-time breakfast fave. Bite into the soft bao dough and let the sumptuous meaty filling ooze in your mouth. Other highlights include Har Gow prawn dumpling, Siu Mai minced meat dumpling, flavourful steamed taro cake, and steamed sticky rice with Chinese sausage.
Beverages
Complete your breakfast with Asian-style tea or coffee! Boil your tea with eggshell for the surprising smoothness of Hong Kong milk tea. Thai milk tea blends aromatic spices in the boil and gives a unique fragrance. ‘Pull’ your hot tea, back and forth in two mugs for the frothy, silkiness of Malaysian Teh Tarik. Need a pick-me-up? Ice-cold Vietnamese dripped coffee makes a tasteful morning booster. Want to trim the milk fat and calories in your breakfast, without losing the protein and calcium goodness? Soy milk is a wonderful alternative and an Asian fave – make yours fresh with our recipe!
