Tinutuan is Indonesian rice porridge that originated in North Sulawesi in the city of Manado, but it's also often associated with Minahasa. The most common vegetables used in tinutuan include spinach, pumpkin, cassava, and corn, but other vegetables can be used as well.
Due to its liquid consistency, it is served in a bowl, together with salted fish and a spoonful of sambal on top. This savory porridge is originally vegetarian, but on special occasions, meat is sometimes added to the dish. It is commonly served for breakfast, and people usually flock to the stalls in the early morning to get this nutritious breakfast.
MOST ICONIC Tinutuan
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The sweet and savory balaleet is a breakfast dish that can be found in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. It is typically made with vermicelli, eggs, cardamom, saffron, butter, and water, but it can also include rosewater, nuts, dried fruits, and honey.
The aromatic mixture is topped with an omelet and served hot or cold, usually for breakfast. During the month of Ramadan, however, it is also served for dinner.
MOST ICONIC Balaleet
Kupat tahu is a traditional dish consisting of ketupat (a type of rice cake) and tofu in peanut sauce. The ingredients usually include rice cakes, tofu, bean sprouts, chili peppers, peanuts, garlic, brown sugar, water, and kecap manis soy sauce.
The tofu is fried until golden brown, the bean sprouts are blanched, and the peanuts are fried, then combined with garlic, chili peppers, and water in order to create the peanut sauce, which is additionally mixed with brown sugar. The rice cakes, fried tofu, and bean sprouts are topped with the peanut sauce, and the dish is then drizzled with sweet soy sauce.
If desired, kupat tahu can be enriched with lime juice and garnished with shrimp crackers. This dish is traditionally served for breakfast.
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Hong Kong-style French Toast is prepared with two slices of peanut butter or coconut jam-smeared milk bread, which are dipped into a batter of eggs and vanilla essence, then pan-fried or deep-fried in oil until golden brown. When served, this french toast version is topped with a dab of butter in the center, and it's often drizzled with maple syrup, condensed milk, honey, or an ice cream scoop.
This dish is traditionally served hot, and it's recommended to pair it with a cup of milk tea.
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Matzah brei or matzo brei is a traditional Jewish dish. It's made with a combination of matzo flatbread and eggs. Both are fried together, then served an eaten for breakfast during Passover. The matzo is torn into pieces, often softened with milk or water, combined with beaten eggs, then fried in butter or oil.
Although the dish is often savory, it can also be prepared in a sweet version with cinnamon, fruit, and honey. The sweet versions are typically topped with applesauce, whipped cream, yogurt, sour cream, or fruit jams. The savory versions are sometimes enriched with the addition of sauerkraut or onions, along with seasonings.
Even though Taichung City offers many signature eats and unique spins on local fare, one of its specialties and most notable standouts is the suncake or tai yang bing. Traditionally prepared since the Qing dynasty era, this delicious Taiwanese flaky pastry filled with gooey, buttery maltose paste is a treat found in every bakery shop in Taichung.
It is even sold as a souvenir, pre-packed in attractive gift boxes. An interesting combination of flavors and textures, the round-shaped Suncakes are most often sweeter than honey and their thick, caramel-like filling perfectly contrasts the dry flakiness of the floury, paper-thin layers of phyllo dough.
Translated as almond bread, these twice-baked cookies are typically prepared with a simple shortbread dough that incorporates eggs, flour, and whole, toasted almonds. The origin of mandelbrot is shrouded in mystery. What is certain is that they first appeared among Jewish communities, and some believe they might have been inspired by similar, also twice-baked Italian biscotti.
Because of their international status, the cookies appear under various names, and modern varieties often incorporated chocolate, dry fruit, or other nuts. They are traditionally enjoyed for breakfast when they are usually dipped in warm tea. In Ukraine, a similar variety is known as kamishbrot or thuskamish.
Spamsilog is a traditional dish originating from the Philippines, consisting of garlic fried rice, fried eggs, and Spam, the canned, trademarked, and square-shaped mixture of pork, water, salt, sugar, potato starch, and sodium nitrate. Spam is boiled in a bit of water, then fried in oil and arranged on a plate with garlic fried rice and sunny-side-up fried eggs.
The dish is traditionally served piping hot for breakfast, and it's accompanied by sliced tomatoes or cucumbers. The name of the dish contains all three components: Spam (Spam), sinagang fried rice (si), and itlog fried eggs (log).
Papeda is a traditional dish, often said to be the local porridge variety. It is made with sago, the staple food of the native people of Maluku and Papua. Sago is the eastern Indonesian counterpart to rice, the preferred starch in central and western Indonesia.
Papeda is made with flour that is extracted from the plant, actually the trunk of the sago tree. The dried flour is then vigorously mixed with water, salt and sugar. The final texture of the dish is very unusual: it is thick, glutinous, and viscous, and similar to porridge or a pale pudding.
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Rava idli is a popular steamed semolina cake invented during World War II by the popular restaurant chain Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) in Bangalore, India. During the war, there was a shortage of rice, the main ingredient in traditional idli, so MTR decided to use semolina (rava) instead of rice to make idlis.
The batter for rava idli is typically made by mixing semolina, curd (dahi), and a leavening agent, which is why idli is light and fluffy. The batter is then allowed to rest for a few minutes before steaming. Apart from the semolina and curd, the batter usually includes ingredients like finely chopped coriander, cashews, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and ginger, which are added for additional flavor.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “56 Worst Rated Asian Breakfasts” list until April 19, 2025, 17,503 ratings were recorded, of which 7,374 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.