It’s no secret that the GTA has, arguably, the best Chinese restaurants in the world. The popularity of this cuisine is obvious from the scores of dinner choices around town. Perhaps less popular however, is Chinese breakfast. This is not surprising as for some the thought of starting the day with plain congee is unappealing. A porridge made from boiled white rice the consistency of glue (with slightly less taste), congee is meant to be a canvas for the salty condiments it’s served with such as fuyu (fermented tofu), salted duck egg, sweet pickles, and pork floss (think cotton candy, but pork). There are, thankfully, much tastier options, specifically Taiwanese-style breakfast foods, which can be enjoyed anytime of the day.

Although usually not thought of as breakfast, Shanghai style dumplings are always on offer at traditional breakfast places in Taiwan, and only throughout the day in speciality restaurants. As it happens, in Markham, the latter is the case. Two highly popular places are 369 Shanghai Dim Sum (8380 Kennedy Road) and Ding Tai Fung Shanghai Dim Sum (3235 Highway 7). Many flock there for the Shanghainese xiaolongbao. It is a delicate steamed dumpling. A thin almost translucent wrapping holds a nugget of seasoned ground pork, bathed in its own juice and fat, eaten with red vinegar and ginger. It’s meant to be consumed in one bite because you can easily squirt its “soup”, what the dish is known for, onto your shirt, or worse into your companion’s eye.

Another typical meal is saobin youtiao, a flaky sesame encrusted pastry wrapped around deep fried dough (what I affectionately like to call the fried bread sandwich), washed down with a bowl of warmed sweetened soy milk. A smaller and lighter version of the sesame pastry is one of the many offerings in the hot buffet bar at Mongolian Grill (7131 Kennedy Road). So in demand, it practically disappears once brought out.

One of the most portable of breakfasts is the hefty fan tuan, a sticky rice roll stuffed with soy, braised egg, fried doughnut stick, pickled dried turnip, and pork or fish floss. On the lighter side is dan bin, a savoury egg-y crepe served with a spicy garlicky soy sauce. A modernized incarnation has become popular all over Taiwan, with stands on every corner, each with long queues of hungry office workers lined up at 7am for their crepe and milk tea. Various fillings include processed cheese, corn, tuna, bacon, ham, or yes, pork floss. Squeeze on a little sweet garlic-thick soy and maybe a dab of hot chilli paste. It is fast, hot, cheap, and most of all, tasty. It has yet to be found in Toronto.

Ingredients to make dan bin at home are readily available from T&T Supermarket (222 Cherry Street) which carries a large selection of Taiwanese goodies, frozen or fresh. Prepared foods like the fan tuan are available for $2.99 a piece with a choice of 4 fillings and are available with white or black/purple sticky rice. There are lots of options that can be reheated at home, or try this simple recipe to make dan bin. Be sure to have all the ingredients on hand because it comes together quickly. Once the technique is perfected, feel free to experiment with a variety of flatbreads (roti, tortilla, etc.) and fillings.

Cheese Dan Bin

1 egg beaten
1 piece of crepe *
1 slice of process cheese
oil

Heat up a large non-stick frying pan on medium. For a softer version, use about 1 tsp of oil or cooking spray to coat the pan. For a crispy brown exterior use about 1/2 tbsp of oil and a slightly higher heat.

Pour the egg into the pan and immediately lay the crepe on top (use from frozen). Using the flat part of a spatula, move the crepe around so that the egg underneath spreads evenly to cover the bottom of the crepe. As soon as the egg is set, about 20-30 seconds depending on the heat, turn it over so that the egg side faces up.

Tear the cheese slice in half and lay it down the middle of the crepe (or use any preferred filling such as a strip of bacon, a few spoonfulss of tuna salad, or tomato slices).

Using a spatula and a fork, fold/roll the crepe, starting from one side about an inch in, about three times from one side to create a long (tube). Use the edge of the spatula to slice it into about 6 even pieces.

Serve with oyster sauce or thick soy sauce paste and hot chilli paste (sambal oelek is good).

*I like the I-Mei brand “frozen waffle – spring onion flavour” which doesn’t have English words on the package except for a nutritional info sticker on the back, but is easily recognizable.