Most often, when making egg-based breakfast dishes, we use bread as a base. Today, to shake things up and bring some variety, I’m sharing with you a breakfast bowl recipe that swaps bread for a creamy turmeric chilli polenta. How do you like the idea? Perfectly cooked fried eggs with sauteed watercress and a luxurious polenta seem to me like an ideal start to the day!
This polenta breakfast bowl will provide you with a good amount of protein and complex carbohydrates as well as a moderate amount of fat that will give you the right energy kick and keep you full for long! If you are interested in finding out more about how this meal can positively influence your well-being, check out the Nutrition section below.
First, we will cover everything you need to make this recipe, and then I will share with you little tips and tricks on how to make your fried eggs flawless every time. So, let’s go!
Tips when buying ingredients for this polenta breakfast bowl?
Eggs: First, open the package and check if all the eggs are whole. I like to choose organic or free-range eggs. Why? Compared to the other production systems, here, the hens can be outdoors, experience less stress, and express more natural behaviour.
In Croatia, the farming system is labelled as the first number stamped on the egg, and it can be 0 (“organic eggs”), 1 (“free-range eggs”), 2 (“barn eggs”) or 3 (“eggs from caged hens”).
Corn grits: Corn grits are coarsely ground corn kernels most often used when making polenta in Croatia. Depending on where you are, you can also choose cornmeal or instant polenta, which will have a similar cooking time to grits. Search for the whole grain type, which is more nutrient-packed than the refined versions.
Turmeric: Turmeric is a wonderful spice with a distinct, slightly bitter taste and a vibrant yellow colour. It is obtained from a root of Curcuma longa, and it is usually sold as a powder.
Chilli powder: For this recipe, I’m using red chilli peppers, which have been dried and turned into a powder, but, of course, there are many other chilli varieties you could be using here, like Aleppo, Ancho, cayenne, jalapeño, etc. If spicy is not your cup of tea, you can substitute chilli powder for sweet paprika.
Watercress: Watercress is usually easier to find in farmer’s markets rather than in big supermarkets; that’s how it is in Croatia. When buying watercress, check that the leaves are vibrant green with crisp stalks and no signs of wilting.
What is polenta?
Polenta is a name for a porridge-like dish that is most often made by cooking coarsely ground yellow corn kernels. Before corn was brought to Europe in the 16th century, polenta was made from various grains (rice, buckwheat, spelt) and even legumes (lentils, beans).
Corn kernels can be ground to different stages, finally determining the cooking time and the resulting texture. You can make it using cornmeal which is often made from a variety of corn called “dent”. It can be ground to fine, medium or coarse. Then you have grits, which I’m using in this recipe, which are slightly coarser than the cornmeal and need about 5 minutes to cook.
And there is also an incredibly flavourful coarsely ground corn product, a staple in Northern Italian cuisine, called “flint”. This product needs much longer to cook, about 45 minutes, but the result is so rewarding. I will leave “flint” polenta for another, more suitable recipe.
For those on a really tight schedule, there is instant or “quick” polenta that is pre-processed, which reduces the cooking time to only about 2 minutes. But it is generally less flavourful than the other types.
How to cook polenta?
Don’t worry; cooking polenta is an extremely simple task. Still, there are a few essential things to remember in the process. To make this polenta, you will need some boiling water, corn grits, turmeric, chilli and salt.
Start by adding turmeric and chilli to your corn grits and stir until evenly incorporated.
Don’t skip this step! If you add the spices later in the process, they can easily turn lumpy, which would be unpleasant to eat.
To make this polenta use a ratio of water to corn grits 6:1, giving a smooth, creamy porridge that will be easily pourable into your breakfast bowl. If you like your polenta dense, reduce the water to a ratio of 5:1.
When you’ve decided on your favourite consistency, heat the water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt.
Now, we’ve come to the most crucial part.
While constantly whisking, add polenta grits to the boiling water in a continuous stream. This will allow the grains to disperse evenly into the water and prevent lumps from forming.
Cook your polenta on low heat for about 5 minutes or until you don’t feel raw grains under your teeth. Don’t leave the polenta unattended; it can easily stick to the bottom if you don’t whisk it.
At the end of the cooking process, polenta will be more liquid, but it will continue thickening while you prepare the rest of the elements for this breakfast bowl.
Now that you know the basics behind polenta making, you can make it with a range of different products, from cornmeal, over grits to the coarser “flint” corn.
How to fry an egg?
For a long time, I was not too fond of fried eggs. But then I realised why; they were too greasy and simply overcooked. Fried eggs are usually cooked on one side and then flipped to the other in order to fully cook the egg white. It can be cooked to different degrees so that the egg yolk is still runny or fully set.
The method I’m going to share with you today is slightly different. First, I’m using a minimal amount of oil to fry the eggs, contrary to what the name may suggest. Second, I’m not flipping the eggs but using a lid which allows them to cook on both sides simultaneously.
The egg is an extremely delicate ingredient that needs low heat when cooked. If the heat is too high, the bottom part will cook too fast and start drying out.
In this method, we will use a lid to cover the eggs while frying. As the lid captures steam, it allows the eggs to cook simultaneously from the top and the bottom.
The result is a fried egg with a runny egg yolk and a silky egg white that is just cooked but not rubbery or browned.
Steps to making perfectly fried eggs:
- Start by gently heating a frying pan.
- Brush the pan with a little bit of olive oil to evenly coat the surface.
- Lower the heat and crack the eggs directly into the pan. Be careful to do it gently not to break the egg yolk.
- When the eggs are in, cover the pan with a lid.
- Cook the eggs on low heat for 3-4 minutes or until only a thin circle of egg white around the egg yolk is translucent.
- Leave the pan covered, off heat, for another minute, allowing the eggs to finish cooking.
- Don’t leave the eggs in the pan too long; they can quickly overcook and dry out.
NOTE: Don’t worry; the eggs won’t stick to the surface if you brush the oil evenly throughout. You can use a range of different pans, but I prefer to make it in a stainless-steel frying pan.
What is great about this method?
- It needs a minimal amount of oil
- It allows the egg to cook evenly
- Low heat allows for a better nutrient preservation
- It is extremely easy to master
What is watercress?
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a dark, green leafy vegetable with drop-shaped leaves and crisp stems. While the stems are sweet, the leaves have more of a peppery flavour that is slightly toned down when cooked.
It grows in natural spring water across Europe and Asia, and surprisingly, it belongs to the cabbage family Brassicaceae, along with kale, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage etc.
It is an extremely nutritious plant that has been part of our diet for centuries. It is most often eaten as a salad, but it can be incorporated in so many more dishes like soups, stews, pasta, risotto, sandwiches, and so much more.
How to cook watercress?
Watercress cooks much quicker than its other family members. It requires medium-high heat and only a minute or two to wilt and soften. When cooked, it is soft, delicate and slightly peppery.
Before you cook it, wash the watercress, changing the water 2-3 times to ensure all the dirt has been removed. Drain it on a piece of kitchen towel to remove excess water.
Heat a frying pan to medium-high heat and brush it with olive oil. Add the watercress and watch as it starts to wilt. Salt it lightly and stir using a spatula or simply a spoon. Sauté watercress for about 2 minutes until all the leaves have wilted. By the end of the cooking process, sprinkle it with lemon juice. Serve it on top of your polenta breakfast bowl. So easy, right?
Adding lemon juice will help preserve the watercress’s vibrant green colour and enhance naturally present flavours.
