bowled over
STEVE CUMPER SHELVES HIS
CYNICISMCYNICISM AN AND EMD EMBRACES BRACES
THTHE BREAKFAST BOWE BREAKFAST BOWL TRENL TREND. D.
PHOTOGRAPHYPHOTOGRAPHY BR BRETT STEVETT STEVENENSS ST YLINGST YLING DDAVAVI DI D M MOORRGGAANNHEALTHY BREAKFAST BOWL
Serves 4
1 tablespoon m1 tablespoon mirinirin
1 teaspoon caster sugar
6 red radishes, trim6 red radishes, trimmmed, thinly sliceded, thinly sliced
150g pum150g pumpkin, cut into 2cmpkin, cut into 2cm cubes cubes
1 tablespoon m1 tablespoon miso pasteiso paste
2 teaspoons vegetable oil2 teaspoons vegetable oil
180g cauliflower florets, chopped180g cauliflower florets, chopped
2 nori sheets 2 nori sheets
20g butter20g butter
100g shiitake m100g shiitake mushroomushroomss
4 eggs4 eggs
½½ cup tam cup tamariari
1 tablespoon sesam1 tablespoon sesame oile oil
1 cup brow1 cup brown rice, boiled, drainedn rice, boiled, drained
½½ cup puffed am cup puffed amarantharanth*
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons pepitas, toasted2 tablespoons pepitas, toasted
2 tablespoons sesam2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toastede seeds, toasted
2 green onions, finely sliced diagonally2 green onions, finely sliced diagonally
pickled ginger, to servepickled ginger, to serveWWhisk mhisk mirin and sugar in a bowl. Add irin and sugar in a bowl. Add
radish and toss to comradish and toss to combine. Cover and bine. Cover and
stand for 30 mstand for 30 minutes to develop flavours.inutes to develop flavours.
Preheat oven to 200°C. ComPreheat oven to 200°C. Combine bine
pumpumpkin, mpkin, miso paste and vegetable iso paste and vegetable
oil in a bowl. Spread over a baking tray. oil in a bowl. Spread over a baking tray.
Roast for 20 mRoast for 20 minutes or until tender.inutes or until tender.
Place cauliflower in a food processor. Place cauliflower in a food processor.
Pulse until it resemPulse until it resembles breadcrumbles breadcrumbs. bs.
Heat a large non-stick frying pan over Heat a large non-stick frying pan over
a ma mediumedium heat. Toast nori sheets for heat. Toast nori sheets for
2 m2 minutes each side. Cut into thin strips. inutes each side. Cut into thin strips.
MMelt butter in a large frying pan over elt butter in a large frying pan over
a ma mediumedium-high heat. Cook m-high heat. Cook mushroomushrooms s
for 6 mfor 6 minutes or until golden. inutes or until golden.
HHalf-fill a deep, malf-fill a deep, mediumedium saucepan saucepan
with water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to with water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to
mmediumedium-low. Break 1 egg into a cup. Stir -low. Break 1 egg into a cup. Stir
water to create a whirlpool. Pour egg into water to create a whirlpool. Pour egg into
whirlpool. Cook for 3 mwhirlpool. Cook for 3 minutes or until inutes or until
eggwhite is set. Using a slotted spoon, eggwhite is set. Using a slotted spoon,
transfer egg to a plate. Cover to keep transfer egg to a plate. Cover to keep
warmwarm. Repeat with rem. Repeat with remaining eggs. aining eggs.
WWhisk tamhisk tamari and sesamari and sesame oil until e oil until
comcombined. Spoon rice, ambined. Spoon rice, amaranth and aranth and
cauliflower amcauliflower among bowls. Top with ong bowls. Top with
pumpumpkin, eggs, radish and mpkin, eggs, radish and mushroomushrooms. s.
Spoon over tamSpoon over tamari dressing. Top with ari dressing. Top with
sliced nori, toasted seeds and green sliced nori, toasted seeds and green
onions. Serve with pickled ginger. onions. Serve with pickled ginger.
*Available at health-food stores.BACK, FAR BACK,BACK, FAR BACK, in the m in the mists of timists of time, one could expect a plateful of artery e, one could expect a plateful of artery
hardening and usually fried sustenance for breakfast at the local caff. This hardening and usually fried sustenance for breakfast at the local caff. This
was, of course, before it mwas, of course, before it morphed into the ‘caff-ay’ and confused everyone by orphed into the ‘caff-ay’ and confused everyone by
giving the coffee its own namgiving the coffee its own name, “Lard-ay, anyone?”e, “Lard-ay, anyone?”
It somIt sometimetimes feels like I dozed off, then awoke to a world where cafés insist es feels like I dozed off, then awoke to a world where cafés insist
on having secret locations, rendering themon having secret locations, rendering them im impossible to locate, serve cold-drip possible to locate, serve cold-drip
coffee, and all the staff look like 19th-century lumcoffee, and all the staff look like 19th-century lumberjacks. So imberjacks. So imagine magine my y
surprise when I noted a msurprise when I noted a modernismodernism on the m on the menu called ‘The Breakfast Bowl’.enu called ‘The Breakfast Bowl’.
The. Breakfast. Bowl. Crikey, not just any breakfast bowl mThe. Breakfast. Bowl. Crikey, not just any breakfast bowl mind you, ind you, TheThe
Breakfast Bowl. The thought that I had been choosing the wrong breakfast all Breakfast Bowl. The thought that I had been choosing the wrong breakfast all
mmy life filled my life filled me with percolating anxiety. “Good one, We with percolating anxiety. “Good one, Weet-Bix, thanks for eet-Bix, thanks for
nothing,” I thought to mnothing,” I thought to myself. I myself. I must admust admit though, the mit though, the menu itemenu item sounded a bit sounded a bit
infantile. I iminfantile. I imagined a large bowl brimagined a large bowl brimmming with Coco Pops or Froot Loops, and ing with Coco Pops or Froot Loops, and
wondered if I’d be handed a colourful smwondered if I’d be handed a colourful smock in which to enjoy the experience.ock in which to enjoy the experience.
HHowever, The Breakfast Bowl is the comowever, The Breakfast Bowl is the complete opposite —plete opposite — it’s all about being it’s all about being
virtuous or, mvirtuous or, more accurately, it’s about ‘wellness’. This crafty wellness cult has ore accurately, it’s about ‘wellness’. This crafty wellness cult has
mmoved beyond the beachhead it secured in our society a few years ago, stealthily oved beyond the beachhead it secured in our society a few years ago, stealthily
infiltrating the minfiltrating the menus of our eateries. And The Breakfast Bowl (or BB, as it’s enus of our eateries. And The Breakfast Bowl (or BB, as it’s
somsometimetimes known) is proof of this invading doctrine.es known) is proof of this invading doctrine.
The basic premThe basic premise is this: fill a bowl with as mise is this: fill a bowl with as much roughage as you can much roughage as you can muster, uster,
emembellish with a few mbellish with a few modern café contrivances —odern café contrivances — such as m such as micro herbs or petals icro herbs or petals
—— and, bingo, you’ve just created your own BB! Funnily enough, its list of and, bingo, you’ve just created your own BB! Funnily enough, its list of
ingredients is not too far remingredients is not too far removed fromoved from the dietary advice your grandparents the dietary advice your grandparents
mmight have dispensed when discussing the imight have dispensed when discussing the importance of being regular.portance of being regular.
I have grappled with the proliferation of the BB on café mI have grappled with the proliferation of the BB on café menus and so applied enus and so applied
somsome scholarly kitchen theory to understand the craze. I came scholarly kitchen theory to understand the craze. I came to the conclusion e to the conclusion
that this dish is simthat this dish is simply the mply the manifestation of what started in the 1970s as the anifestation of what started in the 1970s as the
mmacrobiotic diet. Hacrobiotic diet. Hitting a bit of an evolutionary roadblock —itting a bit of an evolutionary roadblock — because, let’s face because, let’s face
it, that diet was bland and boring —it, that diet was bland and boring — it evolved by appropriating som it evolved by appropriating some Asian e Asian
ingredients and a bit of Shinto-posturing, then rounded the corner just in timingredients and a bit of Shinto-posturing, then rounded the corner just in time e
to be gathered up by the cool hunters, ever eager to spruik the next big thing. to be gathered up by the cool hunters, ever eager to spruik the next big thing.
ComCombined with the undercurrent of the wellness trend, one can understand bined with the undercurrent of the wellness trend, one can understand
how this perfect stormhow this perfect storm of circum of circumstance has delivered us The Breakfast Bowl.stance has delivered us The Breakfast Bowl.
But, as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat ’emBut, as the old saying goes, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em, join ’em. It’s in this spirit. It’s in this spirit
that I have drunk the Kool-Aid and tuned into the Zeitgeist, and amthat I have drunk the Kool-Aid and tuned into the Zeitgeist, and am now now
offering you moffering you my own version of the BB. Think of it as a BB with training wheels y own version of the BB. Think of it as a BB with training wheels
that allows you to experience the dish for the first timthat allows you to experience the dish for the first time in the come in the comfort of your fort of your
own homown home, therefore avoiding the anxiety brought on by having to navigate the e, therefore avoiding the anxiety brought on by having to navigate the
mmelee of melee of modern café modern café menus. Please enjoy with a side dish of irony.enus. Please enjoy with a side dish of irony.
Steve CumSteve Cumper is a chef and funnymper is a chef and funnyman who lives in Tasman who lives in Tasmania and dreamania and dreams s
of one day owning a fleet of holiday vans called Wof one day owning a fleet of holiday vans called Wicked Cumicked Cumpers.pers.CCOOUUNNTTRRYY C COOOOKK ST E VST E VE C UE C UMMPE RPE R
H S 1 1 6 1 1
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHYDAMIAN BENNETTSTYLINGLIZ KAVANAGHDAMIAN BENNETTSTYLINGLIZ KAVANAGHFOOD PREPARATION AND RECIPE TESTINGDIXIE ELLIOTTFOOD PREPARATION AND RECIPE TESTINGDIXIE ELLIOTT