Brinner, anyone?
Brinner, a portmanteau of ‘breakfast’ and ‘dinner’, is one of the easiest and most economical meals you can make at home, writes Aiman Ahmad Anuar
WHO can resist a hearty Western breakfast? The idea of waking up in the morning to a plate of poached eggs, drenched in a thick hollandaise sauce is the stuff good dreams are made of. But the reality is far drearier.
For most of us, the moment we wake up, we’re confronted with a list errands, family responsibilities and work to tend to. So instead of spending a leisurely couple of hours in the kitchen preparing ourselves a beautiful breakfast, we end up resigning ourselves to a piece of bread and a cup of instant coffee.
But all isn’t lost. After all, people who love breakfast foods don’t just love it in the morning; they love it at any time of the day. And this is where “Brinner” comes in. This word literally means “breakfast + dinner”. And it isn’t a new concept.
The term was coined in 2017 in California and quickly caught on in certain parts of the world, like Australia where there was a Brinner Festival in 2017. But while restaurants here always seem to serve “All Day Breakfast”, the idea of “Breakfast for Dinner” has never really caught on. Then again, even if we wanted to enjoy an “All Day Breakfast” at a restaurant, the idea of dishing out RM35 for a plate of eggs and a few slivers of smoked salmon does seem over-indulgent.
BRINNER AT HOME
Brinner is probably one of the easiest and most cost-effective meals you can actually concoct at home. All you need are some eggs, bread and some other ingredients to make it work. That, and some tips and tricks to ensure that you don’t end up wasting your time or ingredients. For example, don’t use hard-to-use ingredients like avocados because the chances of you getting a perfectly ripe one at the store might be rather low. So don’t bother. Instead, use never-fail ingredients such as smoked salmon or beef bacon.
Another thing to be aware of is that you need to cook for more than one person. Like any meal, the cost of cooking for a larger number of people always ends up being cheaper. I’m not telling you to cook for an army, but a meal for four would probably save you more cash than you expect. After all, you can’t just buy two eggs and two slices of bread. So why not cook for your family, or call some friends over. Perhaps if you’re lucky, they’ll pitch in.
Finally, when it comes to making breakfast for dinner, you’ll need it to be hearty and well-balanced. It’s still dinner so having French toast with maple syrup is probably not going to cut it. Add in vegetables and use as much protein as you can. If not, you’re probably going to wake up the next day very hungry.
If you still don’t know what to make, try my recipe for Shakshuka, which is basically eggs poached in a tomato-based sauce and eaten with toasted bread. It sounds simple but it’s really delicious.
HEARTY SHAKSHUKA
Start by making a good base. Like any dish, a good base ensures a great final result. In this case, the base is made up of four ingredients: onions, garlic, shallots and canned tomatoes. All you need to do is saute your base of onions, garlic and shallots before adding in your tomatoes and seasoning. Let the mixture cook for 20 minutes so that some flavour develops and you have a great base.
To make things a little heartier, I always add in two secret ingredients: roasted eggplant and chickpeas. Both add more body to the dish, and despite both ingredients not being meat-based, there’s still a “meaty texture”. But if you have something else in mind, go ahead. The beauty of this dish is that you can fill the sauce with anything you want.
Next, just crack some eggs. The best way to do this is to use the back of a spoon to make little holes in your dish to pour an egg into. Make sure to crack each egg into a bowl before you put it into the shakshuka because you don’t want to crack a rotten one in by accident. Then top it with shredded cheese and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, making sure the egg is still a little runny.
The great thing about this dish is that it can feed five people and will only cost you about RM50. It’s a great recipe to make when you have people around and briner really is best when you have your loved ones around.