4 EASY Japanese Breakfast Recipes for Beginners

What do you think of when you hear JAPANESE BREAKFAST?

Probably a lot of people think of RICE and MISO SOUP.

But, what exactly do Japanese people eat for breakfast? Only rice and soup? Are they difficult to cook?

Here, I would like to introduce the simple ideas of Japanese breakfast (4 ways), and they are extremely easy recipes! 

If you are looking for the healthy meals to start your day, why don’t you try these recipes? 

1. Natto Rice + Miso Soup + Japanese Rolled Omelette + Stir-fried Carrot + Pickled Cucumber

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

Natto Rice
・2 bowls of rice
・2 packs of Natto
・Minced green onion

Miso soup
・1.7 oz (50g) Tofu
・1 tbsp Dried wakame seaweed
・1.7 cups (400ml) Water
・1 Dashi packet or 1 tsp Dashi granules
・2 tbsp Miso paste

Japanese rolled omelette
・4 Eggs
・2 tsp Sugar
・1 tbsp Oil
・Shiso and grated daikon for topping

Stir-fried carrot
・3 oz (85g) Carrot
・1.2 oz (35g) Bacon
・A pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper
・1tsp Oil

Pickled cucumber
・3.5 oz (100g) Cucumber
・1 tbsp Vinegar
・2 tsp Soy sauce
・2 tsp Sugar
・1.5 tsp Sesame oil

Direction

1. [Pickles] Get your pickles ready the day before: make the pickles liquid by mixing vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, cut the cucumber into bite-sized, and pickle them. 

2. [Miso soup] Rehydrate wakame seaweed with boiling water or water (not included in ingredients).

3. Put dashi packet in a pot, pour water, and put on high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to low. Heat for 5-6 minutes on low heat to take soup stock. Take out the packet.

4. Add wakame seaweed and diced tofu. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. If you don’t have the dashi packet, add dashi granules here.

5. Turn off the heat, and add miso paste. Dissolve miso well.

6. [Stir-fried carrot] Stir-fry shredded carrot and bacon in a pan, and sprinkle a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper.

7. [Rolled omelette] Put eggs and sugar in a bowl, and beat them well. Make rolled omelette in a pan. (Please check the Youtube video.) Pour soy sauce when eating. Shiso leave and grate daikon are the best topping for this omelette.

8. [Natto rice] Mix the natto with the sauce attached to natto, pour it on the rice, and sprinkle minced green onion to your liking.

Ready to eat!

2. Easy Colorful One Plate with Salmon Rice Ball

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

・2 Boiled eggs
・1kiwi fruit
・4 Cherry tomatoes
・1.2 oz (35g) Corn

Salmon rice balls
・Rice for 4 rice balls
・3 oz (85g) Salmon
・A large pinch of salt
・Mitsuba or Shiso or Parsley

Soy sauce butter asparagus
・3 oz (85g) Asparagus
・1 tsp Soy sauce
・1 tsp Butter

Direction

1. [Rice balls] Sprinkle salt on the salmon, and bake it in a pan. Flake the salmon.

2. Mix the rice with salted salmon flakes and mitsuba. Add more salt as needed. Make the rice balls using plastic wrap.

3. [Corn] Cut the corn into bite-sized, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, microwave it for 1-2 minutes.

4. [Egg, tomato, and kiwi] Cook boiled egg, cut the (cherry) tomato and kiwi fruit.

5. [Asparagus] Stir-fry cut asparagus and season it with a little soy sauce and butter to your liking.

Ready to eat!

3. 3 Types Rice Balls + Miso Soup + Bell Pepper Tuna + Japanese Rolled Omelette + Cold Tofu

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

3 types of rice balls
・Rice for 6 small rice balls
・2 tsp Salmon flakes
・Salt for rice balls and salmon
・2 Pickled plums
・2 tsp Salted kombu (kelp)
・Few drops of soy sauce
・A pinch of sugar

Miso soup
・1 sheet Thin deep-fried tofu
・3 oz (85g) Your favorite vegetable (Daikon)
・1.7 cups (400ml) Water
・1 Dashi packet or 1 tsp Dashi granules
・2 tbsp Miso paste

Bell pepper tuna
・2 oz (60g) Bell pepper
・1 Canned tuna
・1.5 tbsp Mayonnaise
・A pinch of salt and pepper

Japanese rolled omelette
・3 Eggs
・1.5 tsp Sugar
・2 tsp Oil

Cold tofu
・2.5 oz (70g) Tofu
・Dried bonito shavings
・Minced green onion

Direction

1. [Rice balls] Sprinkle salt on the salmon, and bake it in a pan. Flake the salmon.

2. Mix salted kombu with a little soy sauce and sugar. If you can find the tsukudani of kombu, that’s perfect to use.

3. Make 3 small rice balls using plastic wrap, and sprinkle a little salt on the whole surface of rice balls.

4. Put pickled plums, salmon flakes, and salted kombu on the rice balls to your liking.

5. [Miso soup] Put dashi packet in a pot, pour water, and put on high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to low. Heat for 5-6 minutes on low heat to take soup stock. Take out the packet.

6. Add shredded daikon and thin fried tofu. Simmer until they are fully cooked. If you don’t have the dashi packet, add dashi granules here.

7. Turn off the heat, and add miso paste. Dissolve miso well.

8. [Rolled omelette] Put eggs and sugar in a bowl, and beat them well. Make rolled omelette in a pan. (Please check the Youtube video.) Pour soy sauce when eating. 

9. [Bell pepper tuna] Microwave shredded bell pepper for 1-2 minutes, wipe off the water, and mix it with canned tuna, mayonnaise, salt and pepper.

10. [Cold tofu] Dish up the tofu, and put a little dried bonito shavings and green onion. Pour soy sauce when eating.

Ready to eat!

4. Rice + Miso Soup + Sunny-side Up + Sausage

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

・2 bowls of rice
・Pickled radish
・Pickled plums

Miso soup
・1.7 oz (50g) Tofu
・Your favorite vegetable (Chinese cabbage, carrot, etc)
・1.7 cups (400ml) Water
・1 Dashi packet or 1 tsp Dashi granules
・2 tbsp Miso paste

Fried egg and sausage
・4 Eggs
・1 tsp Oil
・Your favorite sausage or Baocn

Direction

1. [Miso soup] Put dashi packet in a pot, pour water, and put on high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to low. Heat for 5-6 minutes on low heat to take soup stock. Take out the packet.

2. Add sliced vegetables and diced tofu. Simmer until they are fully cooked. If you don’t have the dashi packet, add dashi granules here.

3. Turn off the heat, and add miso paste. Dissolve miso well.

4. [Fried egg and sausage] Make sunny-side up and bake the sausage or bacon.

Ready to eat!