“In this new series, Chef Seeto explores foods that tantalise the sensors in the way they look, smell and taste early in the morning. Delicious, healthy and easy to make dishes to wake up to.”
I don’t know about you but I wake up most mornings starving and ravenous for something tasty, healthy and quick that will help me forget I even have a snooze button on my phone! Coffee is a great kick start for a sleepy head, especially for chefs who tend to have long late nights, but after being asleep for so long the brain and body is craving something more substantial than caffeine. Two important breakfast brain foods that should be included in every balanced diet are eggs and yoghurt. Like almonds, bananas, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and avocado, they contain an amino acid called tyrosine, a building block for important wake-up-your-brain chemicals. Combining eggs and yoghurt with spices for breakfast not only provides flavour and essential protein, but fills your home with tantalising aroma that is sure to awaken even the sleepiest of giants. For poached or sunny side up eggs, always make sure your eggs are the freshest. Put an uncooked egg into a glass of water. If it sinks it is full and fresh. If it floats, it is older and best used for scrambled eggs or omelettes.
Fiji has world class spice farms
One of the best things about Fijian produce is the herbs and spices now in abundance thanks to a forward thinking Dr Ronald Gatty, the son of Fiji Airways founder Harold Gatty. The younger Gatty studied botany at Cornell University and served as a professor over a couple of decades in New York, and later explored the South Pacific in search of medicinal plants. Over 20 years ago he settled back in Fiji to pioneer the land at Wainadoi, in virginal jungle and rain forest, to pioneer Fiji’s first spice farm. Today, Spices of Fiji produces some of the most aromatic peppercorn, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon and cardamom that are used by local chefs to create some of the most amazing spiced recipes. In my kitchen, the butter chicken recipe that I have used for decades tastes even better with Gatty’s organic spices. Dr Gatty’s pioneering dream that one day Fijians might use more herbs and spices to create unique local dishes is beginning to come true.
Yoghurt for stronger bones
Does your family eat yoghurt for breakfast? Dairy was never a major part of the traditional Fijian diet, which is why iTaukei cuisine has very little cheese, cream or milk. Yoghurt is made by fermenting cow’s milk and is one of the most essential breakfast foods in a modern Westernised diet. In days gone by, calcium for growing strong bones mainly came from eating lots — and I mean lots — of green vegetables, seeds and nuts. But in today’s modernised diet of processed foods and less plant-based produce, dairy foods are needed to replace the missing calcium. Fermented foods like yogurt contain power-boosting protein and bone-building calcium and is packed full of vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in vitamin B12 which helps maintain healthy blood cells and keeps the nervous system functioning properly. With yoghurt made in Fiji, there’s no excuse to grab a tub of fruit yoghurt or add plain yoghurt to your next breakfast meal.
Shakshuka — spicy desert eggs
A spicy breakfast recipe from North Africa might just be a perfect change that gets your family eating eggs in the morning. Shakshuka is a traditional Tunisian breakfast composed of simmered tomatoes, chilli, aromatic spices and poached eggs and is ideal for Fiji’s tropical climate. Tunisia is the smallest country in North Africa and was exposed to many of the spicy delights of their Mediterranean neighbours. Tunisians are descendants of a nomadic African race that have lived in the hot and dry region for more than 4000 years. Shakshuka is an easy one-pan dish that combines spice, eggs and protein-rich legumes like chick peas to create an energy packed breakfast that will awaken the senses and keep you going until lunchtime. The sauce and runny egg yolk is deliciously mopped up by crusty bread, roti or root crops. For meat lovers, add some bacon, sausage or chicken as you fry the onions to create a more hearty breakfast. Its spiciness is designed for the hot African desert, as the nomads believed that eating fiery foods helps to cool the body down by making you sweat. Just make sure you spray with a good antiperspirant before you leave home!
Prepare breakfast the night before
Let’s face it; most of us have less time in the morning to prepare our family the healthy breakfast they deserve. It is so easy to grab a packet of sugary cereal, milk and sugar to give the kids just to get them out of the house. Father probably isn’t so lucky and will probably grab a roti wrap on his way to work. Feeling guilty? The easiest way to prepare a good homemade breakfast is to do it the night before. In professional resort kitchens, breakfast chefs arrive around 5am to set up their stations but most of their preparation has been done the night before. If the family wants your home cooking in the morning then ask them to help prepare the ingredients before they go to bed. Another hint is to cook extra food for dinner that you can use for a breakfast dish. Roast, grilled or lovo meats and fish are fantastic when added to omelettes or in a long loaf. Cooking peas, beans and lentils the night before will save time in the morning, and they’re easy to throw in a pan with scrambled eggs. The Chinese love re-using leftover rice in the morning to make egg fried rice with a touch of garlic, oyster, white pepper, sesame oil and light soy sauce. Just remember to hide your leftover foods as you might find that someone in the family has arrived home late after a night out on the town or a long grog session; and they have the munchies for your breakfast!
* Lance Seeto is an award-winning international food writer, author, television presenter and
executive chef based on Castaway Island Fiji.
Follow his culinary adventures or send him a
message at www.lanceseeto.com
