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    Home » Breakfast

    Published: Jul 28, 2022 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Traditional Chinese breakfast recipes (16 ideas)

    Sharing food makes everyone happy! :)

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    16 Traditional Chinese breakfast recipes, with tips on how to reduce the cook time so that you don't have to be slaving over the stove early in the morning!

    A dim sum spread on a pink table.
    Jump to:
    • What's a Chinese breakfast?
    • Congee
    • Noodles
    • Fried rice
    • Dumplings
    • Bread
    • Others
    • What to drink

    What's a Chinese breakfast?

    There is no such thing as a typical Chinese breakfast recipe as different parts of China eat different dishes for breakfast. However, they share some commonalities:

    1. we all eat what Westerners would find rather hearty and filling morning meals!
      • My Canadian and German flatmates used to be amazed by the fact that I could eat a big bowl of noodles or rice porridge in the morning!
    2. Unlike Western breakfasts, Chinese breakfasts are almost always savoury
      • One of the few exceptions is soy bean or tofu pudding (豆腐花 dou fu hua) but even so we pair that with deep fried Chinese dough sticks (you tiao, sometimes called crullers)!
    3. We like our breakfasts hot!
      • Hot breakfasts need cooking- if you're like me and find it a chore to cook early in the morning, you may find the preparation tips to cut shown the cook time useful!
        • They're below each recipe

    For more Asian breakfast food ideas, click here for a list of Asian breakfast side dishes!

    Congee

    2 bowls of mixed seafood congee with prawns and conpoy.
    Now that's what I call a hearty breakfast!

    Paired with deep-fried dough sticks, congee (jook) is 1 of the most common and classic Chinese breakfast foods, especially in Hong Kong. It's delicious even when served plain and without extra ingredients inside! (Plain white porridge is often paired with toppings such as peanuts and small side dishes such as salted eggs and Chinese sausage (lap cheong). It's considered by many Asians to be a very comforting food!)

    The versions of congee below, a type of rice porridge (Zhou), are all savoury but we have sweet congees too, such as Laba (8 treasures) Congee, though they are less common now.

    We usually wash down the porridge with a cup of soybean milk (Chinese people believe that soy milk (Dou Jiang) is good for the complexion!) Alternatively, if you want something lighter for breakfast, you can just dip the fried dough sticks into the soybean milk and skip the porridge.

    Tip

    A good bowl of congee needs a lot of stirring and slow cooking, but that is too much work for early morning. Freeze your rice overnight and that'll help it break down more quickly. I.e. your bowl of congee cooks more quickly! (20 minutes instead of a few hours.)

    If you have a thermomix, it works really well for congee jook too!

    Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.
    Easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge
    A no-fuss, easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge recipe, also known as jook or congee, which can be made using store cupboard ingredients. So easy there's only 1 photo for the step-by-step instructions, it's the perfect comfort food and a delicious recipe for a weekday dinner.
    Click here for the abalone jook recipe.
    Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.
    Singapore Chicken Rice Porridge Recipe
    A jook version of the famous Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice that is just as fragrant but super easy to cook!
    Click here for the chicken porridge recipe.
    Close-up of brown rice cook in a blue and white bowl.
    Easy Chinese Seafood congee with shrimp/ prawn
    This Easy Chinese Seafood congee with shrimps or prawns is a delicious seafood rice porridge that is easy to cook but still silky and rich. Chicken stock/ broth optional!
    Click here for the congee with shrimp recipe.
    A bowl of seafood congee with prawns and ginger.
    Leftover roast chicken congee (jook)
    A great way to use up your roast chicken leftovers is to make rice porridge (jook)
    Click here for the leftover rotisserie chicken congee.
    A close-up of a bowl of chicken congee
    A spoon scooping a fresh scallop out of a bowl of seafood congee.
    Dried scallop congee recipe
    This Cantonese seafood congee uses both dried and fresh scallops for maximum flavour!
    Click here for an easy dried scallops jook recipe.
    A spoon scooping a fresh scallop out of a bowl of seafood congee.

    Noodles

    There are 100s if not 1000s of Chinese noodle recipes, but I'll focus on some that can be made in under 20 minute for this Chinese breakfast round-up. (In Asia, we can get a quick breakfast on the go from street vendors, but outside of Asia, one has to make one's own meal and people have to get to work or school!)

    Scallion noodles

    The scallion oil can be prepared in advance, so you only need to cook the noodles and toss with the oil in the morning! Here's a recipe I like from Ladyandpups.

    Tip

    Prepare a bigger batch of the oil ahead of time and it will last you for a few breakfasts. (Make sure never to include garlic in the start, as infusing garlic in oil is ripe for a botulism party.)

    Sesame noodles

    This hearty bowl of noodles is great for fall and winter (sesame sauce is quite nourishing.)

    Tip

    This Omnivore's Cookbook recipe only takes 20 minutes to make but you can cut down the cooking time by prepping the sauce the night before.

    DIY Instant noodles

    OK instant noodles aren't a traditional Chinese breakfast recipe, but noodles in general are!

    Bowl of radish cold noodles with kimchi on top
    Instant Korean cold noodles are a great breakfast on a hot morning!

    This is not the healthiest option, but some brands can be really delicious! (Click here for a review of Korean instant noodle brands- Korean food is very popular in Asia.)

    For example, Gong Zhai Mein, or Hong Kong Instant Noodles, is a popular Cantonese breakfast recipe. (For more Cantonese food recipes, click here.)

    In fact, you can DIY your own make-ahead instant noodles that can be kept in the pantry (don't have to be refrigerated):

    1. Place dried mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles) in a heat-proof airtight glass jar
    2. Add some chicken stock powder or bouillon cube (you can use seafood or vegetable flavour too) on top
    3. Place some roasted seaweed on top
    4. Right before you want to eat: Pour boiling water into the jar, ensuring the noodles are submerged, and leave for 5-10 minutes before eating.
    5. Optional: season with miso sauce, sesame sauce, kimchi, chilli oil (if you want spicy noodles), soy sauce, sesame oil etc and garnish with ginger, spring onions or coriander.

    Tip

    You can make these noodles with a variety of stock powder (from shrimp to pork to congee) and thus in lots of different flavors!

    A bowl of vegan asian wonton soup with vegetarian balls
    Sprinkle some fried onion slices or fried garlic bits on the soup, if you have them!

    Soup

    If you can't handle carbs so early in the morning, a bowl of soup may suit you better. I remember going with my Grandfather for bak kut teh (a peppery pork broth that is scrumptious with white rice) and chee cheong fun, every week when he was alive.

    This wanton soup is a really easy dish to cook as you don't have to spend hours boiling pork or chicken stock!

    Easy Vegan Wonton Soup for Colds
    Done in 20 minute vegan Chinese wonton soup that tastes as good as the traditional version. Gluten-free and made without commercially bought stock/ bouillon cube OR hours of making homemade stock! A great flu fighter thanks to the ginger and garlic!
    Click here for a plant-based wonton soup recipe.
    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

    Fried rice

    If you have leftover rice from the night before, fried rice is calling your name! (This works for Japanese sushi rice too.) Click here for more fried rice ideas but remember to store the rice carefully as it can result in bad food poisoning!

    Dumplings

    There are many Chinese dumpling recipes, such as wonton and shui gao, but here is an easy jiao zi (Northern Chinese dumplings) recipe from Kuali.

    Tip

    If you're serving dumplings as the main and can't decide what to serve with them, here are some good Asian side dishes.
    Dumplings freeze well so make a large batch 1 weekend and this meal prep will last you for months!

    Bread

    Savoury flatbread/ Scallion pancakes

    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.
    Taiwanese green onion pancake recipe (Cong you bing)
    Taiwanese green onion pancake (Cong you bing), also known as Chinese scallion pancake, is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze.
    Click here for the savoury green onion pancake recipe.
    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

    Tip

    These are a great make-ahead breakfast as they freeze well and can be cooked from frozen. Just make sure to use parchment paper to separate each pancake so that they don't stick and tear! If you can't get lard, you can use oil or 1 of these lard substitutes.

    For green onion alternatives, click here.

    Jian Bing

    1 of the most popular Chinese breakfast recipes is Jian Bing, a popular Chinese street snack- click here for a easy hack by MochiMommy. It's been described as a savoury crepe.

    Other popular Chinese flatbreads are Chao Bing and Ji Dan Bing.

    Buns

    2 green matcha buns with a Chinese tea pot.

    Buns (baozi) are 1 of the most common forms of bread found in China. (If you want something baked such as shokupan bread, click here for more Asian bread recipes.) Chinese buns can be eaten plain or stuffed with sweet and savoury fillings.

    Examples of sweet buns are:

    • red bean bao buns
      • Click here for the Red House Spice recipe

    Some savoury stuffed buns include:

    • char siew bao pork buns (filled with roast pork)
      • Click here for the Whattocooktoday recipe- it's 1 of my favourite Asian blogs!
    • Sheng jian bao
      • Unlike char siu baos, this popular street food has crispy bottoms, like potstickers.

    If serving guests, you can impress them with scallion flower rolls, which look quite pretty!

    Mantou

    Spiral Pandan Mantou (Steamed Chinese Buns)
    A 1-rise mantou dough that has 2 colours.
    Click here for the cute mantou recipe.
    A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.
    Easy Matcha Buns (1-rise Mantou)
    An easy matcha bun (Chinese mantou bao) recipe which only requires 1 proof (1 rise), along with a mantou FAQ section on how to use a metal steamer (instead of the traditional bamboo steamer) and why your naturally vegan matcha buns aren't smooth.
    Click here for the green tea steamed buns recipe.
    1 matcha green tea bun before being steamed.

    Tip

    These 2 steamed buns freeze really well and there's no need to thaw before steaming, so you can make a huge batch then freeze them for future Chinese breakfasts!

    You can easily vary the colour of the spiral mantou by using other natural colourings such as turmeric powder and cocoa powder.

    Others

    Dim sum

    Chee chew fan and char siew bao on a pink dim sum lunch table.

    Dim sum is eaten for both breakfast and lunch. These range from sweet ones such as Hong Kong egg tarts and savoury ones such as Shumai and Lou Bak Gou (Turnip Cake).

    Tip

    These days, you can buy (or make) frozen dim sum from many Asian supermarkets and steam/ boil/ fry these bite-sized snacks for breakfast. (I have some homemade lo bak gou/ turnip cake chilling in my freezer as I type!)

    Tea Eggs

    Tea eggs last for a few days in the fridge so it's a great Chinese breakfast recipes- you can make a batch on Sunday to feed you for the coming week! They're beloved for their savoury flavour and their marbled appearance!

    This was 1 of the first "How to make the best..." posts that I was working on. Sadly, I've not been able to come up with a version that I really like, so I'll just share a TasteAsianfood recipe here.

    Tip

    You can braise other ingredients with your tea eggs such as mushrooms and tofu.

    What to drink

    Yep, Chinese people drink tea at all times, including at breakfast! This can range from Pu-erh to a lighter green tea.

    For some popular Asian teas, click here.

    What are some of your favourite traditional Chinese breakfast recipes? If you've found these useful, please do share them on social media and I'd love to hear about your favourite breakfast dishes in the comments!

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

    • Cup of pink lychee juice with a lemon.
      Easy Lychee Juice Recipe
    • A bowl of shrimp congee toped with fresh green onions.
      Best Congee Toppings
    • Close-up of a spoonful of baked salmon sushi rice.
      Salmon Sushi Bake Recipe
    • A glass of cold brew coffee with milk and ice.
      Cold Brew Latte (3-ingredients)

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    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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