Chinese breakfast

[crazillo]

I love Chinese food, but I really am unable to adjust to Chinese breakfast. :-(

How about you? Do you like true Chinese breakfast or do you keep stuck to unhealthy TUC crackers and Oriols just like me? I guess I'm just too spoiled with German bread.

[jbradfor]

What do you consider a real Chinese breakfast?

For me, I just loved 豆浆, 油条, and 包子 at first bite.

Now Korean breakfast, and to a lesser extent Japanese breakfast, that took some getting used to.....

[kdavid]

I can't stand eating last night's left overs as breakfast. Though I think this is largely only practiced in the countryside and by older Chinese who lived through the GLF. I understand the whole "waste not want not" mentality, but nothing turns me off in the morning more than vegetables and meat that have been soaking in oil and congealed fat over night.

I'm with the above poster on 油条，包子 and 豆浆. I also think we're pretty spoiled here in Harbin with 米旗 bakeries around every corner. 米旗 in the morning makes me happy. I also get real, fresh milk delivered every morning by 万家宝.

[Kenny同志]

You have a variety of choices : 包子、馒头、米粉（maybe you would like to try 常德牛肉粉 if you are in Hunan:mrgreen:）、稀饭、面条、油饼、烧饼、烧卖、油条、豆浆、米线、饺子、and so forth. Besides, each place has its own specialities and I almost forgot, even 米粉 has tons of types. I bet there're many you haven't tried yet.

Edited January 16, 2010 at 02:05 AM by kenny2006woo

[BrandeX]

No need to eat oreos every morning. I usually just eat quickly before I go out, PB & J on toast, with a cup of coffee. Maybe a bowl of cereal or even some pancakes if I feel like putting more effort into breakfast now and then. If I have no time at all at home, I'll grab a donut or bread from the bakery.

[anonymoose]

I agree, I'm not a fan of chinese breakfast either. I don't really like eating cooked or savoury things in the morning.

In fact usually I don't eat breakfast, but if I do, then at home I like toast with jam or cereal.

[liuzhou]

What do you consider to be a "normal" breakfast?

I vary breakfasts between bacon, egg, mushrooms, (Heinz) beans and toast at the weekend; muesli or other cereals; fresh fruit or smoothies. Or sometimes go Chinese with 米粉or 包子.

Usually muesli augmented by beautiful sultanas from the local Xinjiang grape man.

[skylee]

I don't eat breakfast. But if I do, I think I can eat anything except perhaps very greasy / heavy stuff, like a full English breakfast or steak. Actually bread only is not appetising at all. Cereals, biscuits and coffee, eggs, soy products, congee, dumplings, chinese vermicelli, Japanese breakfast with rice, etc all sound fine.

[Don_Horhe]

I'm a sugar freak and breakfast is the one meal which absolutely has to be sweet - cereal with yogurt, fruit, muffins, biscuits, or pretty much anything with chocolate. In order not to feel guilty about it, I sort of tell myself it's got to do with low blood sugar levels in the morning.

[mcgau]

what's Chinese breakfast exactly?

I love to have my breakfast in Cha-Caan-Teng.....

[xianhua]

Cereal or porridge as the norm, a 'full English' on special occasions, and 炒面 when in China. Unfortunately, I had to postpone my 炒面 eating on our last trip since I discovered that 岳母 was leaving them to drain without being covered - and they were getting covered in flies.

[xiaocai]

Normally I will have noodles or porridge with pickles for breakfast if possible. If not, I will just eat some else ranging from 豆浆油条 to 旺旺仙贝 - basically anything edible will do.

[HashiriKata]

I like a simple Chinese breakfast: 粥 (with bits of fish or meat in it), together with (I forgot the name!) a kind of very thin rice flour pancake, freshly steamed (with meat added if desired), rolled in a plate & soysauce is then poured on when eating. Can anyone think of a name for this? It's very cheap and seems popular in South of China for breakfast.

I've been eating Western breakfast for most of my life but it feels just something to eat when the time comes. In contrast, when in China I always look forward to the time for this simple breakfast, and I don't think I would even get tired of eating these same things every day

Edit: Just found a photo of the rice-flour dish I was trying to describe. Also found out that it is called 肠粉 in Chinese.

Edited January 16, 2010 at 02:32 PM by HashiriKata

[a_foxie_smile]

*sigh*, I love 豆浆, 油条, and 包子 but it is not so healthy and I try to be good and eat fruit and oatmeal/porridge instead.

[Shi Tong]

I love ALLLL Chinese breakfast. They eat very much the same in Taiwan, my favorite is 豆浆 and 油条, and 包子 is also a firm love.

Would 小笼包 and 锅贴 also count as breakfast? I could happily eat all of these things all day long.

[iolair]

I really miss the 蛋饼 in Taiwan. Especially 洋葱蛋饼 with brown sauce and chilli sauce on the side. And 豆浆. All the 豆浆 I've had in Shandong is watery and tastes like cardboard.

[creamyhorror]

I love all this savoury stuff for breakfast but rarely get it, because my family has lived too far from any hawkers for my whole life. My favourite food is 菜头粿, chopped up and wok-fried in sweet dark sauce (the 'black' version) Singapore-style, and paired with 豆花水 (aka 豆浆). 油炸鬼/油条 are also absolutely delicious when freshly-fried and dunked in sweet 豆花水. Try it, it's amazing.

Unfortunately my daily breakfast for the longest time has usually just been whole-wheat bread with peanut butter (or nutella or jam now and then). Pretty monotonous and not very satisfying. But then I'm not motivated enough to buy ingredients and cook for myself in the morning...and breakfast cereals are expensive over here...

Here's a picture of the 'white' version of 菜头粿.

[adrianlondon]

I'm eating Muesli right now, being very Swiss, whilst reading this thread and wishing I was back in Houhai going for my morning stroll picking up 煎饼 as I go.

[Shi Tong]

I've not seen 菜头粿 or tasted it before.. that said, it looks mouth watering.

Yes, same in the UK here.. just eating boring tasteless food.. ESPECIALLY when it comes to breakfast.. ho hum.....:lol:

[creamyhorror]

I've not seen 菜头粿 or tasted it before.. that said, it looks mouth watering.

Hmm, I was expecting that Taiwan would have a variant. It's basically radish cake broken up and fried with egg, spring onions, garlic and soy sauce. It appears to be a Teochew (Chaozhou) dish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_tow_kway).

Edit: Just found a photo of the rice-flour dish I was trying to describe. Also found out that it is called 肠粉 in Chinese.

The Malaysian/Singaporean version we have here uses sweet dark sauce (甜酱) and chilli sauce. It's delicious, of course, and quite different from the mainstream Cantonese variant (which is also very good). Here's a photo - looks good eh?