4 BREAKFAST IDEAS

BREAKFAST is the most important meal of the day. It fuels your body and sharpens your mind even as it jumpstarts your day with energy to keep you going the whole day. This is why you should never skip breakfast and, instead, load up because there are no excess calories here.

If you’re running out of ideas on what to prepare for breakfast, though, here are four creative and power-packed breakfast ideas shared by four professional chefs.

CHEF JACKIE ANG PO’S CHIPS CHORIZO CHICHARON

Celebrity chef Jackie Ang Po, who runs her own Fleur de Lys Patisserie and Café and develops recipes for a number of food manufacturing and distribution companies, recommends this delicious recipe which she created for Potatoes USA-Philippines’ 25 Chefs, 25 U.S. Potato Recipes cookbook.

Ingredients:

150 grams U.S. frozen potato chips

100 ml. water, cold

100 grams breading mix, divided into 2

20 grams chorizo, sautéed (cooked weight)

20 grams chicharon, crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley

120 grams Secret Sauce*

Sour cream (optional)

*For the Secret Sauce (120 grams): grams garlic

65 grams mayonnaise

35 grams horseradish sauce

35 grams ketchup 1

1 gram salt

5 grams sugar

5 grams lemon juice

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Procedure:

•First, prepare the Secret Sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for the secret sauce. Mix until fully incorporated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

•Make the batter. In a separate bowl, whisk together ice-cold water and 50 grams of breading mix until smooth.

•Preheat frying oil to 350°F (175°C) and maintain the temperature for consistent frying results. Batter the potatoes. Evenly coat US frozen potato chips with the prepared batter. Then dredge in remaining 50 grams dry mix, making sure that they are fully coated.

•Carefully place the coated potato chips into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown and crisp.

•Remove chips from oil and drain off excess oil.

•Assemble chips on plate. Top with chorizo and chicharón. Serve hot with chilled Secret Sauce on the side.

CHEF SONNY MARIANO’S BEEF PARES NOODLES

Multi-awarded Chef Sonny Mariano of the Tasteless Food Group is currently representing the Philippines in “Iron Chef Thailand vs. Asia Season 2” with fellow chefs Mia Yan, AC Agra and Maverick Javier. He suggests this hearty Beef Pares Noodles dish for breakfast.

Ingredients:

For the beef pares:

500 grams beef brisket, cubed

30 ml. cooking oil

20 grams garlic, minced

100 grams onion, chopped

20 grams ginger, sliced

2 pcs. star anise

60 ml. soy sauce

30 grams oyster sauce

30 grams brown sugar

30 ml. Chinese cooking wine

1.5 liters beef stock or water

2 grams ground black pepper

For the noodle broth:

1.5 liters beef stock

500 ml. beef pares braising liquid

1 gram ground black pepper

5 ml. sesame oil

For plating and assembly:

600 grams fresh egg noodles or mami noodles

200 grams bok choy, halved

30 grams spring onions or leeks, sliced

20 grams fried garlic

Calamansi juice and chili oil

Procedure:

•Braise the beef. Heat oil in a pot and sear the beef until browned. Add garlic, onion, and ginger. Sauté until fragrant.

•Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, Chinese cooking wine, star anise, and black pepper.

•Simmer until tender. Pour in 1.5 liters of beef stock or water. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2 to 3 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender. Add water as needed.

•Prepare the broth. Strain or skim the braising liquid as desired. Combine beef stock with 500 ml. of the braising liquid. Season with white pepper and sesame oil. Simmer for 10 minutes.

•Cook the egg noodles.

•Blanch the bok choy in boiling water until tender-crisp, then drain.

•Assemble. Divide the noodles among four bowls. Add beef pares and bok choy, then ladle in the hot broth.

•Garnish. Top generously with crispy garlic and spring onions, Serve hot with calamansi juice and chili oil on the side.

•Makes 4 bowls.

NANCY REYES-LUMEN’S AVOCADO TOAST

Culinary expert Nancy Reyes-Lumen, who hails from the famous Reyes clan behind iconic The Aristocrat Restaurant, is now based in the United States but frequently visits Manila for work and family. She simply loves Avocado Toast in the morning.

Ingredients:

Walnut-cranberry bread or other grain breads, sliced Avocado, mashed finely

Salt

Olive oil

Poached egg

Procedure:

•Toast slices of multi-grain bread loaf

•Spread mashed avocado all over the bread.

•Sprinkle a little salt on top.

•Drizzle with olive oil.

•Poach an egg. Break egg in a strainer to filter out loose egg white. Drop gently on slow boiling water with vinegar, and poach.

•Carefully fish out the poached egg and top on avocado toast.

•Enjoy!

CHEF MYKE ‘TATUNG’ SARTHOU’S CHAMPORADO

Ever a foodies, Chef Myke ‘Tatung’ Sarthou loves diversity in his breakfast. One morning he craves for Sinangag (garlic fried rice) with Pork Tocino, Beef Tapa, or Longganisa; the next morning he would simply want a bowl of hot and delicious Champorado (thick, glassy cacao porridge). So important is breakfast for him that he included the recipes of a number of them in his book Pinas Simpol, which has just been picked as a finalist in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2026 in the “Best Asian Book” and “Celebrity Chefs (World)” categories.

For this breakfast feature, he shares the recipe of one of his favorite breakfast fares — champorado. He finds the duet of sweet and salty flavors very interesting.

Ingredients:

For Set A-Start:

1 cup rice (1/2 regular, 1/2 glutinous)

6 cups water

For Set B-Finish:

100 grams pure cacao (tablea)

1/2 cup sugar, or to taste

Milk, for topping

Fried dried fish (tuyo, danggit or dilis)

Procedure:

•Soak regular and glutinous rice for 30 minutes. Then cook rice in water, stirring often, until tender and porridge-thick.

•Stir in tablea until melted.

•Sweeten per bowl. Top with milk. Pair with fried dried fish.

•Makes 3 to 4 servings.