You have just woken up and your tummy is rumbling. You’re thinking of rushing off for work to beat the jams and to clock in before the ‘Black Monday’ begins.

But wait a minute. If it’s going to be a ‘big day’ for you, then you’re going to need a big breakfast. And rightly so if you want to keep your energy levels going.

First of all, to enjoy a really great breakfast, wake up early enough to enjoy it. You don’t have to ‘rise and shine’ hours in advance. Just about 15-30 minutes will give you sufficient time to prepare a hearty meal.

For busy officegoers, you’ll never go wrong with eggs. Poached, sunny side up or in a wonderful tomato omelet combination with herbs and spices… you’ll enjoy biting into them. Complete the package with some baked beans on the side, as well as buttered toast, slightly burnt - crispy on the outside but still deliciously fragrant when the butter melts in your mouth.

If you’re into something more Oriental, consider century egg porridge with some crunchy pickled vegetables, and the must-eat - yiu tiao (deep fried dough).

It’s perfect with a steaming hot bowl of century egg porridge. Some people throw in the odd pieces of chicken to give the porridge a richer texture. The pickled vegetables are easily available in the supermarkets - and are cheap to buy.

Known as the unofficial national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak would be the top choice. If you’re into do-it-yourself (DIY) mode, all you need is rice, coconut milk, pandan leaves, ginger, anchovies, eggs, cucumbers and sambal paste. Throw the rice into the cooking pot or the rice cooker, with the coconut milk, alongside the pandan leaves and add in a pinch of salt. Cook the rice until the texture is - fluffy!

As for the sambal - fry the anchovies and add in the the sambal belacan paste, and add sugar and salt to taste. Some like their anchovies just the way it is - minus the spicy element which can also be another alternative. As for the eggs, you could have it sunny side up, or in the traditional way - boiled hard and good. Roughage is also provided in the form of - good old cucumbers served just the way it is!

The saying goes, the world is your oyster - well, breakfast is certainly ‘your oyster’. Go experiment and try something different for your breakfast. Variety is indeed the spice of life!

For more information about Nasi Lemak: Click Here for Wikipedia.

Recipe: Click Here.

Restaurant: Click Here.