The Yomiuri ShimbunEnglish breakfast using tofu

In this column, chefs and cooking experts share recipes that are easy to prepare at home.

As the days get hotter, it is important to eat a good breakfast that gives you energy for the day.

Katsuo Omiya, a chef at Restaurant Omiya, which serves Western cuisine and has its main restaurant in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, came up with an English-style breakfast that combines yakidofu grilled tofu with bacon and cheese. This hearty dish is sure to get your morning off to a good start.

“I was inspired by the ‘English breakfast’ you can get at foreign hotels,” Omiya said.

A scrumptious English breakfast includes bacon, eggs and toast, along with tomatoes and other ingredients.

For this dish, Omiya used high-protein, low-calorie tofu instead of toast to create a Japanese-Western fusion.

Generous helpings of cheese are placed between thin slices of grilled tofu, which are wrapped in bacon, fried, then covered in a sweet-and-sour yogurt sauce.

“Grilled tofu doesn’t need to be dried, so it’s good for frying,” he said.

Slice a block of tofu into three equal portions about 1 centimeter thick. It takes a little ingenuity to create uniform slices that do not fall apart. Take two pairs of chopsticks, stack each pair end to tip, and place the tofu between them on a cutting board. Cut the tofu horizontally in line with the height of the chopsticks to create even slices.

The sauce is made by draining the yogurt of excess liquid, then mixing in some marmalade.

“Tofu and dairy products go well together. It’s a solid combination,” Omiya said with a laugh.

Frying the ingredients makes the cheese ooze out between the tofu slices and emphasizes the bacon aroma.

Even though the recipe uses grilled tofu, it tastes like a foreign dish. The aroma and saltiness of the bacon goes well with the marmalade, and is complimented by the fluffy texture of the tofu. Melted cheese and yogurt also taste great together.

Salty, sweet and sour flavors combine into one. This dish is easy to make and even easier to eat, and it’s visually appealing as well.

Recipe for English breakfast using tofu

Ingredients (Serves 1 to 2):

1 block grilled tofu (250-300 grams)

3-6 cheese slices

3 bacon slices

Flour

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp unsalted butter

70 grams plain yogurt (drained)

40 grams marmalade

Green salad and mini tomatoes, as desired

Directions:

1. Wipe excess liquid from grilled tofu and slice horizontally into three equal portions. Cut each piece in half and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Place 1-2 slices of cheese between 2 slices of tofu. Press bacon with the flat side of a knife to lengthen it, then wrap around the tofu. Coat with flour.

3. Add olive oil and butter to frying pan. Place tofu in pan, frying the side on which the bacon overlaps first, cover and flip when browned. Fry both sides until cheese starts to melt.

4. Serve on a plate, cover with yogurt-marmalade mixture. Garnish with greens and mini tomatoes.

Salty-sour beverage

After the meal, how about a refreshing yogurt beverage? Mix a half-tablespoon of preserved salted lemon or yuzu into 180 grams of plain yogurt and 40 milliliters of milk, then pour into a glass. Garnish with black pepper and mint leaves. The salty-sour beverage is probably more suited to an adult palate.

Lemon or yuzu jam (30-40 grams) with some salt can be substituted for preserved salted lemon or yuzu.

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