Toast and a cup of tea just don't cut it by Indian standards to be honest. Too right it shouldn't when there are a host of Indian breakfast dishes to choose from. The most common question first thing in the morning will be "what will you have for Naashta/ Breakfast?"
I sometimes think the term 'breakfast like a king' was keeping in mind the Indian repertoire of spiced breakfast. The culinary pot is bubbling over with Puri bhaji, Uttapams, Anda Bhurji (spiced scrambled eggs). To steaming Idli sambar with coconut chutney at the local southern Indian coffee houses and swoon worthy Bengali Luchi Aloor Dom. The list albeit endless; is exciting and finger licking good.
As a college going teenager in India, I was always strapped for cash so this was a meal that more than fit my budget & worth every rupee. It was also the sort of food that you could eat all day. Most colleges also have their own canteens & 'thelawalllas' /street food vans in Indian where they serve some of the delights.
Restaurants are buzzing all day with diners vying for that quick bite, more so early mornings when office goers come in for their filter coffee fix with some masala dosa to go with it. It was a haven for my friends & me; a time when studying & college was never as important as scoffing our way through the menu. Even when I took up my first office job after college, the street vendors and spiced Indian breakfast always kept me coming back for more.
Street food seems the buzz word these days and Indian breakfast is at the helm of it. Adding spices to meals is part of most Asian cultures but more than that is the exciting prospect of starting your day with scrumptious food with flavours like curry leaves, cumin and chilli.
A trend is emerging in the UK for Indian breakfast and it's catching on in restaurants, street stalls as well as households where people are emulating exciting eastern flavours and spices to perk up their weekend or even week day meals first thing in the morning.
From your Masala chai to a moreish masala omelette; it's easily done and might I add very addictive. I'm always indulging on a relaxed weekend tucking into the likes of a fried buttery Punjabi paratha at home. With every bite reminiscing about my food memories in India, perking up the start to my day with lashings of pickle, crisp onions and most definitely a cup of cutting chai!