— Maulana Yusuf

I would start perhaps with, um, China and, and, uh, uh, kanji, uh, the, the rice porridge. Um, you know, this is an example of a, of a, a, a simple dish, at least in its basic, uh, form that, uh, can be made into many different variations based upon what you add to it. And, uh, so to create a menu with some different, uh, options or varieties of KG, uh, I think can be, um, easy for the kitchen and satisfying for the consumer. And, uh, so, you know, you might, um, use a, a, a vegetable stock, uh, or a chicken stock, for example, uh, to prepare the, the, the base, uh, porridge. And, you know, it can be flavored in, its in its simplest, uh, uh, manner with, um, some, some ginger, maybe a little, uh, it could be some fried garlic and some soy sauce. And then from there, uh, you can create many, many variations. Traditional ones are wonderful, and then, um, you know, others that might, um, better suit, uh, your clientele. Okay. But, uh, that's gonna be one idea, the KG. And then, um, you know, I think about, uh, Indian breakfasts and, uh, a a a couple of ideas that are very common, uh, come from South India, and these are common, uh, all throughout India in my experience, uh, as well as, uh, outside of India. And this would be the combination of, uh, Italy and Sambar, uh, or Dosa and sambar. And so, uh, sambar is, um, a, um, uh, a a relatively thin in viscosity, um, sort of a soup, uh, stew, like, of a preparation, more like a soup, I guess I think of stews as being thicker. But, uh, so, um, it's got some vegetables in it. It's, um, uh, uh, spiced very nicely with sambar masala. And, um, uh, also, um, on the, uh, uh, the side of the id Italys, ID Italys are the, um, steamed, uh, call them dumplings, uh, made from rice and, and lentils, typically combination of those. And, uh, the, you know, the, the baseline version is, is a white version using white rice and, uh, um, you know, peeled lentils. But, um, you know, in, uh, south India, you find many, many variations, uh, using lentils that are, uh, skin on, uh, using combinations of, of, um, uh, other grains and, uh, uh, and lentils, legumes, um, to make some, uh, beautiful variations, both, uh, visually, uh, with added texture, uh, as well as flavor. And, uh, so this is another way, uh, that in the kitchen, from a a single base concept, you can create a number of different, uh, variations that can be very interesting for the consumer. And then the other, uh, popular item also hailing from South India is the doa, uh, which is often described as a, uh, a crispy crep. Uh, so a very thin flatbread, uh, using fundamentally the same batter, uh, that is used for the Italy. Um, both of these, by the way, benefit from fermentation, uh, to add a little more complexity, uh, and satisfaction, uh, to the flavor. And, uh, dosa can be served, uh, on its own. Uh, very often it is served with, uh, a bit of a filling, um, and, uh, referred to as masala doa. Very commonly, it is a, a, a spiced potato, um, uh, preparation that, uh, goes inside the, uh, the dosa, and then that's just kind of folded over or rounded over the top. And then that's served, uh, together with the, uh, the sambar. And, uh, again, uh, you can create a lot of variation on this, and that, that's where my suggestion lies, is to, um, start with some of these classics. Um, but investigate and play with some of the, uh, the variations that you find, um, rather than just the white version, uh, that's so common in the export, uh, context. And then the third idea, uh, would take me to Japan, where, um, uh, you know, of course these days, breakfast vary tremendously, and they can look very much the same as the rest of the world in, in some cases, uh, if it's bread and coffee that you're talking about. But, uh, in a, in a historical and, and traditional context, a um, a common Japanese breakfast would consist of, uh, a bowl of rice and some miso soup and some grilled fish, and then, uh, some pickles, uh, on the side. And, uh, you know, with the, um, the miso soup, uh, there's a lot of variation. It's possible, uh, because there's so many types of miso and, um, you know, commonly, at least here in, uh, uh, in the us, uh, you know, we talk about white miso, shiro miso, and, uh, aka miso or red miso. Um, but even within those, those two categories, there are many variations. Uh, and then in the middle ground here, uh, along this sort of spectrum or, or broad category of miso paste, there are many, many to choose from. Uh, you can always start to make your own, uh, as well. And so in this way, you can vary the flavor and the look of the soup. Uh, the internal ingredients, uh, can vary quite a bit based upon the season and based upon the region, uh, and based upon the household, of course. And, uh, so, you know, in a, in a hotel, a restaurant kitchen, uh, there are many, many possibilities. Uh, and then when it comes to, uh, the, the, the fish, uh, there, you know, again, uh, so many, uh, uh, um, you know, species or, or variations, um, are enjoyed, you know, in Japan, um, I personally tend to lean toward oily, uh, examples. Um, mackerel is a favorite. Um, you know, salmon is quite, uh, acceptable, uh, and, you know, so many more. And, uh, you can start to even, uh, provide a little bit of, uh, flavor, always allowing the natural flavors to come forward first. Um, but, uh, you know, secondarily, add some flavorings to enhance, uh, what you have. And, um, you know, for example, the flavor of, uh, yuzu, uh, has been, uh, trending, you know, in, in recent years. It comes in both, uh, you know, green versions and, uh, reddish orange versions. Different chilies are used, different, uh, aromas come out. So you can, uh, start to, um, to play with these, uh, sort of variations. Um, you know, also, uh, you know, consider, you know, things like, um, uh, regional specialty salts, uh, like, uh, mecan or tangerine salts from, uh, uh, the, the south of Japan in, in Qsu specifically, uh, Kawashima. And, um, uh, bring some interest to, uh, you know, these otherwise classics, uh, that you can offer your guests. Okay. I hope this will give you a place to start, uh, in developing your menu.