The Taiwanese breakfast rice-roll is part-tamale and part-sushi roll. It is both practical and delicious: a combination of radish, fried egg, pork sung (dried shredded pork), and sweet rice that you can actually slip into your pocket on your way out the door in the morning.
This recipe incorporates an ingredient that is also another common Taiwanese breakfast item: the Chinese cruller, or “yiou-tiao”. For simplicity, I will refer to this item as the Chinese doughnut stick because it does actually resemble a doughnut or even the Mexican churro without the cinnamon and sugar coating. In Taiwan, these savory doughnuts sticks are often dipped in warm, sweet soy milk and eaten on their own as a standalone breakfast. You can purchase this pastry at Asian bakeries or grocery stores.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sweet rice
- 1 cup regular white rice
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp, vegetable or canola oil
- ¾ cup chopped dried radish
- ¾ cup pork sung (dried shredded pork)
- 1 Chinese doughnut stick, cut into 6 pieces
- Cilantro (optional)
Instructions:
- Combine sweet rice with white rice and cook the grains with a ratio of 1 cup rice to 0.8 cups water in rice cooker. When the rice is done, allow it to simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and stir with a fork. Pour 1/6 of beaten egg mixture into wok or frying pan and make into a long, slim omelette. To do this, use a spatula to roll the egg shape as it cooks. Make six of these omelettes, one for each roll.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the dried radish to bring out the fragrance.
- Use a toaster oven to toast the Chinese doughnut stick pieces until they are crispy.
- Spread Saran wrap over an 8” round flat plate. Place a single cup of rice onto the plastic wrap and spread the rice out into an thin, even layer. On top of the rice, place two tablespoons of dried pork sung and two tablespoons of radish, then add the egg and donut stick as well as cilantro if desired.
- Use the plastic wrap to close the rice roll and shape the roll into a cylinder.
- Press until firm and set.
- Serve these rolls with the plastic wrap on — think of it as a sushi roll with the ready-to-eat convenience of a burrito. Makes six servings.
Can I make Taiwanese breakfast rolls using other ingredients?
Yes, definitely. Please note that is just one version of the Taiwanese breakfast rice-roll, and that the filling of the roll can be substituted to taste. This can be a great way to repurpose leftovers.
