My Go-To Japanese Breakfast: Addictive Miso Salmon & Japanese Egg Drop Soup

Hello everyone! A well-balanced breakfast is the best way to start your day, and in Japan, that often means a beautiful spread of savory dishes. Today, I’m excited to share a complete Japanese breakfast menu featuring flavorful Miso-Glazed Salmon as the star.

This set meal, which includes seasonal Sweet Potato Rice (Satsumaimo Gohan) and a comforting Egg Drop Soup (Kakitamajiru), is packed with flavor, nutrition, and the heart of Japanese home cooking. It might look impressive, but it’s surprisingly simple to prepare. Let’s get cooking!

Ingredients (Serves 1)

Here is what you will need for the complete meal.

For the Miso-Glazed Salmon:

• Salmon fillet: 1 fillet (2.8-3.5 oz / 80-100g)

• Sake (Japanese rice wine): 1 tsp

• All-purpose flour: 1-2 tsp

• Sesame oil: 1 tsp

Miso Glaze:

• Miso paste: 1 tbsp

• Mirin (sweet rice wine): 1 tbsp

• Sugar: 1/2 tbsp

For the Sweet Potato Rice (Satsumaimo Gohan):

• Uncooked short-grain rice: 5.3 oz (150g)

• Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo): 5.6 oz (160g)

• Sake: 1 tbsp

• Mirin: 1 tbsp

• Soy sauce: 1/2 tbsp

• Salt: a dash

• Dashi powder: a dash

• Water: 0.85 cup (200ml)

• Toasted black sesame seeds (for topping)

For the Egg Drop Soup (Kakitamajiru):

• Onion: 1.4 oz (40g)

• Carrot: 1.4 oz (40g)

• Egg: 1

• Water: 1.7 cups (400ml)

• Soy sauce: 1 tbsp

• Sake: 1 tbsp

• Shantung or your favorite stock powder/bouillon: 1/2 tbsp

• Sugar: 1 tsp

• Mitsuba parsley or other fresh herbs (for topping)

Instructions

Follow these simple steps to create a delicious and balanced Japanese breakfast.

1. Start the Sweet Potato Rice: Wash the rice and drain it well. Place the rice in your rice cooker pot. Add the sake, mirin, soy sauce, salt, dashi powder, and water, and stir gently. Cut the sweet potato into small cubes, spread them evenly over the rice, and start the regular cooking cycle.

2. Prepare the Soup: Thinly slice the onion and julienne the carrot. In a small pot, combine the vegetables with the water, soy sauce, sake, Shantung (or other stock powder), and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

3. Prepare the Salmon: While the soup is simmering, prepare the salmon. In a small bowl, mix the miso, mirin, and sugar to create the glaze. Set aside. Pat the salmon fillet dry, sprinkle both sides with sake, and lightly coat with flour.

4. Cook the Salmon: Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan over low heat. Place the salmon in the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on one side. Flip the salmon and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side.

5. Finish the Soup: Beat the egg in a small bowl. Once the vegetables in the soup are soft, increase the heat to bring it to a rolling boil. Slowly pour the beaten egg into the boiling soup in a circular motion. Stir gently once and turn off the heat as soon as the egg is cooked.

6. Glaze the Salmon: Pour the prepared miso glaze over the salmon in the frying pan. Coat the salmon evenly with the sauce. Let it sizzle and caramelize for a moment until it becomes fragrant, then remove from the heat.

7. Serve: Fluff the sweet potato rice and serve it in a bowl, sprinkled with black sesame seeds. Pour the egg drop soup into a separate bowl and top with mitsuba or your favorite herb. Place the Miso-Glazed Salmon on a plate, and your authentic Japanese breakfast is ready to enjoy!