Why Leftovers Are Such A Vital Part Of Japanese Breakfast

How many times have you eyed that container of last night's lasagna, promising yourself it'll be dinner tonight — only to toss it in the trash tomorrow? More often than not, leftovers meet a disappointing fate all over the world. In America, around 92 billion pounds of food is wasted in the country every year, which is about 145 billion meals. One way to use up your leftovers could be to take a page from Japan, where they form a crucial part of breakfast.

In Japan, the practice of using leftovers for breakfast is inspired by the concept of mottainai. While the word literally translates to "what a waste," it embodies the deeper idea that everything should be utilized to its fullest potential using creativity. And what better place to channel that creativity than in food? 

The Japanese approach this with minimal effort — most of the cooking is done the night before for a traditional breakfast, which often includes a bowl of miso soup, grilled fish, and pickled vegetables, served with rice. The spread is popularly called ichiju sansai or one soup, three dishes. Japanese families often serve leftovers like onigiri (rice balls) made with Calrose rice, or tamagoyaki (rolled omelet), using leftover rice kept warm in a rice cooker with the timer feature.

In her cookbook "Now & Again," author and food equity advocate Julia Turshen stresses reframing the idea of leftovers by being open to turning them into entirely new dishes. It's exactly the mindset needed to turn odds and ends from dinner into a morning meal that feels intentional, satisfying, and, well, Japanese. Take leftover rice and stir-fried vegetables, for example. Toss them together, add some herbs, and you've got nanakusa gayu, a soothing rice porridge made with seven spring herbs, traditionally eaten at breakfast during New Year's. While the herbs typically used in nanakusa gayu are rarely available outside of Japan, you can always substitute them with ones from your own pantry, like parsley, scallions, or even cilantro.

If you're using up leftover grilled fish, simply add a light marinade to make the breakfast staple yakizakana. Create the sauce before adding the fish so that you don't give the already-cooked fish more than a minute in the pan. And if you're left with bits of steak or stray vegetables, you can serve it up as okazu — a term that describes a wide variety of side dishes to serve alongside rice.

The variety of ingredients is what makes this breakfast wholesome, but don't stress if you don't have everything on hand. You can work with whatever ingredients are already available. After all, the philosophy of a traditional Japanese breakfast rests on creativity and making the most of leftovers to avoid waste.