5 Healthy Chinese Breakfast Ideas 
Explore and learn about popular Asian foods for breakfast!
Not a breakfast person? Eating a healthy, nutritious meal in the morning is a great way to start the day and refuel your body. Research shows that people who eat breakfast regularly consume more nutrients, which can positively impact their performance at work.
Children who eat breakfast also tend to perform better at school. Despite busy schedules, many families choose breakfast as a time to talk and connect with one another. Beyond the many health and nutrition benefits of eating breakfast, this article will focus on building a healthy meal using popular Chinese breakfast foods. Let’s first look at the basic components of a healthy breakfast.
Key Takeaways
- A balanced breakfast includes carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and healthy fats to provide energy and help you stay satisfied throughout the morning.
- Building your meal from three key food groups—grain/starch, vegetables or fruit, and protein—can help create a more complete and nourishing breakfast.
- Popular Chinese breakfast foods like steamed buns, noodles, dumplings, congee, and dim sum can be combined with protein and vegetables to add variety, flavour, and balance.
- Simple additions such as tofu, eggs, fish, lean meats, nuts, seeds, and vegetables can make familiar dishes more satisfying and help support steady energy.
- The Fish Congee with Shiitake Mushroom recipe is an example of a balanced breakfast, combining rice, fish, and mushrooms to provide carbohydrates, protein, and flavour in one comforting meal.
What is a Balanced Breakfast?
A balanced breakfast should include carbohydrates, protein, fibre, and a small amount of healthy fats. Carbohydrates provide the energy our bodies need to start the day, while protein, fibre, and fats provide satiety and longer-lasting energy throughout the day.
As outlined in this blog post, there are three main categories in a well-balanced meal. Choose foods from each of the following categories:
- Grain/Starch: rice, glutinous rice, mixed grains, millet, rice porridge (congee), wontons or dumplings, whole wheat noodles or bread, steamed buns, pancakes.
- Fruits or vegetables: cooked or raw vegetables; fresh, canned, or frozen vegetables; and fresh or frozen fruits.
- Protein: meat (beef, pork, or lamb), fish, seafood, tofu, nuts and seeds, and soybeans.
With these categories in mind, how can we power up the following five popular Chinese breakfasts?
Steamed buns
Steamed buns are a popular breakfast choice. They are often made with refined, enriched wheat flour and can be either salty or sweet. Instead of making plain buns with white flour, you can use whole wheat flour and add nuts and seeds, such as ground walnuts, hemp seeds, or sesame seeds, to increase the fibre and protein content. You can also stuff plain buns with lean meat and vegetables for a more balanced meal to start the day.
Rice, egg, or wheat noodles
A bowl of steaming hot rice vermicelli or wheat noodles is a great way to start the day. Higher-fibre options include brown rice vermicelli or whole wheat noodles. Instead of having plain noodles, you can add a fried or boiled egg, thin slices of meat, tofu, seafood, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and leafy green vegetables.
Dumplings
Dumplings are a favourite for many! They consist of fillings wrapped in dough made with enriched wheat flour. They are often boiled in broth, steamed, or pan-fried, and are sometimes served with noodles. Popular fillings include ground pork, shrimp, fish, mushrooms, or vegetables. Instead of having only dumplings with meat fillings for breakfast, you can cook them in a broth with vegetables or pair them with a plate of leafy greens.
Rice porridge or congee
Plain rice porridge, or congee, is white rice cooked in plenty of water for a long period of time and is a commonly eaten Chinese breakfast. It is often paired with fried noodles or deep-fried dough sticks. Since congee is primarily carbohydrates, a simple way to add more protein is by including toppings such as meat, fermented tofu, eggs, bean curds, or beans. You can also enjoy congee with a glass of soymilk and a side of vegetables.
Dim Sum
For those who haven’t had dim sum before, it is a Chinese meal that features many small plates or steamed baskets of bite-sized foods. Popular choices include shrimp or pork dumplings, vegetarian dumplings, buns, and steamed rice noodle rolls. A more balanced combination can include a few vegetarian dishes along with sides of boiled Chinese broccoli or cabbage. This adds more nutrients and valuable fibre to your meal.
Need recipe ideas?
Fish Congee with Shiitake Mushroom Recipe
4 servings
What You Need
- 1/2 cup brown rice (or white rice, if preferred)
- 150 g white fish fillet
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 6 dried (or fresh) shiitake mushrooms
- 3 tbsp Chinese preserved mustard greens
- 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
- 1 spring onion, diced
- 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
- salt to taste
How to Make the Fish Congee with Shiitake Mushroom Recipe
- Presoak the dried shiitake mushrooms in one cup of water until they are rehydrated (approx. 30 mins)
- Remove the mushrooms and reserve the liquid that was used to rehydrate them.
- Thin slice the fish fillet at an angle with a very sharp knife to about 1/4-inch thickness pieces. Marinate with salt, pepper, and ginger for 10 mins.
- In a large pot, bring to a boil the chicken or vegetable stock with the reserved
mushroom liquid - Once at a boil, add brown rice and pinch of salt and reduce the heat to
simmer - Place a lid on the simmering rice and allow them to cook for approx. 45 mins.
- Add the sliced fishinto the pot and boil for another 5-10mins. Season with salt and garnish with spring onion
- While the congee is cooking, thin slice the shiitakes mushrooms. Sauté them in vegetable oil until they are slightly caramelized and soft, then add the sweet soy sauce and Chinese preserved mustard greens.
- Serve fish congee in bowls with the shiitake mushrooms and Chinese preserved mustard greens.
Nutrients per serving
Using chicken broth
Calories 145
Carbohydrates 25 g
Protein 10 g
Fat 1.2 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Fiber 1.7 g
Sodium 1400 mg
Potassium 344 mg
Calcium 39 mg
Iron 1 mg
With a little meal planning, it doesn’t take much time or effort to prepare breakfast using these popular Chinese foods. Starting the day with a balanced meal can help support steady energy for the rest of the day. Remember, health is wealth, and choosing nourishing foods is one way to care for your body. Which Chinese breakfast would you try next? Comment below!
Curious about how the foods you eat benefit your health? Dive deeper into the world of nutrition and learn how to fuel your body for optimal wellness!
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