Breakfast is always an important part of a day. It gives you the energy to get you through the oftentimes hectic morning. Sometimes, it can even be a reason for you to get out of bed (that’s if you’re lucky enough to be living with someone who can cook, has some semblance of knowing how to cook, or better yet, if you are a great cook yourself).

The easiest and healthiest breakfast for me is an omelette. It is versatile because I can decide on just how heavy or healthy it can be. Sometimes, the simplest dish such as an omelette can be the hardest to perfect. A flawless omelette should be light and fluffy, as if biting onto a cloud of eggs.

Even I, who have made countless omelettes, can still be a victim of hit and miss (this time I added too many vegetables and not enough egg). Sometimes I simply cannot shake off the notion that the more vegetables a dish has, the healthier it is. But nevertheless, I would like to share this quick and simple recipe for my breakfast omelette. Aside from the eggs and vegetables, I added perilla leaves to give the dish that hint of mint.

Perilla leaves belong to the mint family, with green and purple varieties. They look like nettles but the leaves look rounder. It is also a rich source of vitamins and minerals that can be beneficial to your overall heath.

Perilla leaves are known as zisu in China, deulkkae in Korea, pak maengda in Laos, and tia to in Vietnam. In Japan, perilla leaves are called shiso or Japanese basil. The green type is known as aojiso, aoba, ōba, or aoshiso. The purple variety is called akajiso and it is often used as a dye for pickled ume and sweet, red juice. The younger leaves are also used for pickling. It is often eaten with meat dishes, sashimi, used in spaghetti sauces and salads. It is such a popular herb; Pepsi even came out with “Pepsi Shiso” only in Japan. Who am I to argue with Pepsi and if Pepsi can add it to soda, heck, why not an omelette. Perilla leaves are available at most Asian grocery stores all across the U.S.

The omelette recipe contains approximately 400 calories. It’s light and makes a perfect breakfast. Being abroad, I had to pay a nice fee for 200 grams of Red Cheddar. Boy, do I miss my New York City delis.

Scrambled Omlette with Japanese Basil (for two people)
1 onion
1 red bell pepper
100 grams of cheddar
4 eggs
1 bunch of Japanese Basil
2 tablespoons of EVOO

Sautee the onion, red pepper and basil, let it sweat a bit, as it begins to caramelize,please add the scrambled egg mixture, I add a dash of milk to give it some lift/air. 30 seconds before the eggs are finished, you’ll want to sprinkle in some red cheddar. A side dish of green pitted olives is perfect.