The Making of a Big Breakfast

Who doesn't like a Big Breakfast?  I know I do.....and I can eat it at anytime of the day be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! ;)  It's one of my most favourite things to cook at home as it's among some of the easiest food to prep and execute.  All you have to do is fry up some eggs and processed meat.  Yeah, yeah, you may say it's commercially procured meat...but isn't that what most cafes serve you anyway (it just depends on the quality of the processed food they source)...lol.  Most wouldn't bother to make their own and if they do, it's usually only limited to sausages and hash browns.  So, I might as well cook my own (which I do quite often) at a fraction of the price the cafes charge.

And that thought came to mind when I got hold of some organic sourdough from Kenny Hills Bakers which will elevate my Big Breakfast to be a a bit more atas lah!  And in line with an atas version, I got some expensive asparagus to go with it. ;P

You can cook an entire Big Breakfast in a non-stick or cast iron pan, of course...but, just for the heck of it, I put 4 gadgets to work...just because I could.  I was hoping that maybe using a few gadgets at one time, the food/individual ingredients can all be ready at the same time.  Wishful thinking! >_<

I cooked the asparagus first in the oven as this would take the longest (based on my experience with roasting vegetables).  It took more than 20 minutes, I think, and that's because I was waiting for the asparagus to get the requisite charring.

Even with the time it had in the oven, it didn't quite get the charring that I was hoping for...and ended up extra soft.  For a better char on the asparagus (the way I've always been successful with green beans), it'd be better to cook this in a pan (but the oven is certainly ideal if you've a big batch to cook).

I'm sure you've heard about the tip on how to prep asparagus...and that's to bend it and it'll snap at exactly the right place where the good eating stops and the woody bit starts (quoting Jamie Oliver's mate, Pete). But the kedekut in me wasn't about to do that as one spear of asparagus costs at least RM1!  So I trimmed an inch off at the bottom.  Nope, not the wisest decision as I didn't get rid off enough of the stringy and chewy end parts. >.<

While the asparagus was cooking in the oven, I sauteed the Swiss brown mushrooms in a pan.  For non-soggy mushrooms (each and every time), try these few tips I put out here.

If there's one thing I can't do without in my Big Breakfast, it has to be the mushrooms...and it has to be fresh button mushrooms.  They're so juicy when bitten into that they provide a much needed relief from the other so-called "dry" ingredients on the plate.  No amount of mushroom is too much for me.

Next, I put the bacon to cook in the air fryer...which is now my favourite way of cooking bacon as it's so quick, it takes only 5 minutes (a far shorter time than in the pan) and it comes out really crispy coz the fats/oil can drip away underneath the rack.

But cooking bacon in the air fryer can be a little tricky as you really need to watch it (especially in the last 1 - 2 minutes) as it can easily burn if left in the fryer just a few seconds longer (it has happened to me before).

Then it was time to get cracking at cooking the eggs.  For my Big Breakfast, I would usually cook sunny side-up eggs (with runny yolks hopefully) but decided to make scrambled eggs this time since my first attempt at scrambled eggs turned out rather well.

While the eggs were cooking, it was time to put my atas bread (organic sourdough) to toast in the toaster oven (which does a better job of crisping up the toast than in an air fryer).  The texture of sourdough can be a bit on the chewy side, so it's advisable to lightly toast it first.  You can sapu the butter before or after toasting.

Gently stir the eggs over medium-low heat until cooked.  I left my eggs in the pan to check on my toast and ended up with overcooked scrambled eggs as the residual heat continued to cook the eggs.

The second time I cooked the eggs, I made sure I pour it onto a plate immediately (or, if your toast is ready, you can pour it on top).  It's advisable not to leave it in the pan so that the eggs don't overcook.  See, I nailed it this time...soft and runny.

Sourdough is good in any breakfast platter...but it's also equally good and satisfying with just simply good butter and jam.  This was what I had for dinner after my lunch at Teow Chew Meng and light bites at Kenny Hills Bakers.

Ah, my Big Breakfast with an atas feel....elevated by the sourdough....like one served in a cafe! ;)  Eating it was a pleasurable affair.....cooking it was a chaotic affair! :D  I was running around like a headless chicken trying to multi-task and cook everything everywhere all at once.....lol! :D

For a homecooked version, we just have to accept that not everything on the plate will be served hot as one cook (mua) can only do so much with two hands...lol!  Even a professional chef is assisted by his sous chefs and assistant chefs with each tasked at doing a certain component of the dish so that the dish comes together quickly.

But that doesn't take away my enjoyment of cooking...and eating my own-made, still lightly warm when served, Big Breakfast any less! ^_~