Japanese brekkie brings the umami
Sushi is as much of a lunchtime staple as sandwiches in New Zealand and we love our teriyaki and ramen, and yet most Kiwis miss out on what is arguably one of Japan’s greatest culinary gifts to the world: its epic traditional breakfasts.
I am a sweet-toothed smoothie girl ordinarily, so admittedly eschewed Japanese breakfast items for Western ones such as fruit, yoghurt and omelettes on my first couple of nights in Japan.
Staying at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) on my second and third nights, however, I had to tuck into the trays of savoury local dishes served or go hungry. And the latter wasn’t an option.
Staying in a former temple in the cherry blossom mecca of Yoshino, our group of three Kiwi women sat cross-legged on cushions around a low dining table as we cooked eggs and slabs of salmon on mini teppanyaki grills, and ate them alongside pickles, umami-rich local vegetables, miso soup and freshly harvested rice.
My favourite of the dishes artfully arranged on my gluten- and dairy-free breakfast tray was the chawanmushi – a kind of savoury custard studded with the likes of mushrooms, ginkgo nuts and prawns, and infused with soy sauce.
kIn terms of flavour, it blows egg-based Western breakfast dishes such as scrambled eggs and eggs benedict out of the water.
Hearty without being heavy, the breakfast filled us for the morning and enabled us to taste multiple local dishes in one setting. I had been an unadventurous fool in gravitating towards Western-style dishes.
Traditional Japanese breakfasts typically consist of fish, eggs, pickles, vegetables, miso soup, rice, and a fermented soybean dish called natto¯ which, despite being hailed as a superfood in Japan, turns many off with its ammonia-like aroma and mucus-like consistency.
We may have had a lucky break in not being served natto¯ on our trip, but I would be keen to give it a go. Packed with vitamins K, B6 and E, it has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke. Some even say it boosts cell turnover, improves blood flow and keeps your skin looking young.
A winning combo of carbs, protein and fats, traditional Japanese breakfasts are nutrient bombs in general. They might not be what you find yourself craving on a hungover morning, but they would probably do you the world of good.
My enthusiasm for Japanese breakfasts was dented somewhat the following morning when we were presented with trays featuring whole, locally caught river fish, complete with open-mouthed charred blackheads. One bite into its sweet, smoky white flesh though, and my enthusiasm returned.
Essentially tasting trays, our breakfasts that morning also featured umeboshi (sour pickled plums) with miso-marinated beans, a cube of tofu with carrot and mushrooms, a green vegetable that may have been daikon dusted with smoky bonito flakes, carrot and daikon salad, miso soup with eggplant and, of course, steamed rice.
With little time in the mornings, I can’t say I am likely to whip up many Japanese-style breakfasts at home, but I do want to master chawanmushi. And if I return to the Land of the Rising Sun, I will give bland Western dishes a wide berth.