Amina Elshafei’s perfect morning has three key ingredients: music, family and a big breakfast.
“Music and food are a big deal for me,” says the TV chef and paediatric nurse. “And starting your morning with music – that’s just part of life.”
Amina, who got her start on MasterChef before going on to publish her own cookbook, likes to pop Spotify on while she gets busy in the kitchen.
“It puts me in a good mood and it just makes the whole process of cooking fun,” she says. “And every now and then when a really good track comes on, you have a little bit of a jam in the kitchen. Especially when the kids are still sleeping, it’s just a nice way to start the day before the chaos commences.”
Breakfast is a big deal in the Elshafei house. Amina and her husband usually skip lunch, so the first meal of the day is a hefty one that keeps them going until dinner. It’s also a way to tap into their family’s diverse cultural heritage. Amina is half Egyptian and half Korean, and her husband is Lebanese, so food is an opportunity to pass the recipes they grew up with on to their children.
A typical week’s breakfast menu could see the Elshafei family travel the globe. On any given weekday, they might eat a Middle Eastern spread of labneh, feta, halloumi, olives, flatbreads, honey, eggs and maybe some cured meats. Or it could be Korean soups and banchan, the small side dishes served alongside cooked rice. And that’s not all.
“At least once a week I like to do some kind of heavy egg dish, like a shakshuka,” Amina says. “It’s a really nice, rich, wholesome dish for breakfast. The other thing I like to do every now and then is ful, which is fava beans that are cooked down until they’re really nice and soft and then dressed with loads of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and cumin. In Egypt, it’s considered peasants’ breakfast, but man, it’ll keep you full for hours!”
GettyImages-1289244387 Photograph: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
On weekends, the family might go out to local Lebanese or Syrian bakeries, or stay in and make fattah, a Middle Eastern crispbread dish.
“And sometimes if it’s a really lazy Sunday, you can’t go past the cheese toastie,” Amina laughs.
Amina’s mornings aren’t just about food; they are also full of music. And her playlist proves her musical taste is as eclectic as her breakfast menu – swinging from moody R&B to classical without skipping a beat. So what exactly is she listening to while she whips up these cross-cultural delights? We asked the celebrity chef to talk us through her ideal morning playlist.
Jade – Don’t Walk Away
“You cannot beat 90s old-school R&B. So good. The tracks are great. The beats are great. It’s so uplifting in the morning. It’s just good fun.”
Erik Satie – Je Te Veux
“I grew up with classical music in the home with my parents and this piece in particular is beautiful on a rainy morning. It’s just piano. But it’s sentimental to me because it’s one of the songs that I used to play to my daughter, my firstborn, after she was born. It’s like a lullaby – she’d calm to it. So it’s quite sentimental to me.”
Puccini – O Soave Fanciulla
“The next one is opera. It’s a very famous piece. I’m sure if you hear it, you’ll be like, oh, yeah, I know that one! Again, I grew up with a lot of classical music at home; my mum in particular loved opera.
“And sometimes if it’s a really miserable morning outside, opera’s a really lovely way to start the day. This one is quite a romantic piece. It’s not one of those crazy German operas, it’s an Italian opera. But it is lovely and it touches the soul, I think, when you listen to some opera – even if you might not understand the words, the emotion comes through in the music.”
Marvin Gaye – All the Way Around
“God, he’s just amazing to listen to. I’m a huge Marvin Gaye fan and I think he has one of the best soul discographies ever – just think how many of his music pieces are so widely known and so lovingly played. So he’s definitely on my list.”
The Isley Brothers – Here We Go Again, Pts 1 & 2
“This one is from another soul group. I love cooking and driving to work with this song. Jam it up – if you’ve got a good sound system in your car, you cannot go wrong. It’s so uplifting.”
Anderson .Paak – Twilight
“This one is a little bit different. It’s really, really fun neo-soul. I’m really loving listening to Anderson .Paak recently. I know he’s been working with Bruno Mars and doing their thing, but him on his own is phenomenal.”
Chaka Khan – I’m Every Woman
“It’s a classic. It’s fun and it’s empowering, especially being female. But it’s just one of those tracks that are so much fun to listen to and as soon as you put it on everyone – everyone! – just has to dance to it. Even the men.”
Frank Sinatra – I’ve Got the World on a String
“For a weekend breakfast I like a bit of jazz as well, so I have to have Frank Sinatra. When I was younger, my dad and I would watch a lot of the old classic Sinatra films. So my love of Frank Sinatra started at that point. And then travelling to New York a few years ago, I learned a lot more about Frank Sinatra’s haunts and where he used to sing. I visited quite a few of the places. And I think my love for him just grew and grew more from that experience.
“And come on, his voice is just velvet. Just beautiful to listen to.”
Miles Davis – Freddy Freeloader
“Speaking of jazz, I also love a lot of Afro-American jazz players – your saxophonists, your pianists. But one of my favourites is Miles Davis. And my favourite of his songs is Freddy Freeloader.
“This track also features quite a number of other really famous jazz instrument players at that time – people like John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley. It’s a brilliant track, uplifting; the musical arrangement is phenomenal.
“On a Saturday or Sunday morning, I put this on really loud in the kitchen. It’s so much fun. Sometimes I have it on and my daughter will start twirling around in the kitchen. It’s great.”
John Legend – I Do
“It’s loving, it’s embracing, it’s a great song to start the morning. I’m very sentimental and I have a wonderful husband, so I feel like this song is reminiscent of our relationship. It’s a really nice way to start our morning when I’m home with him.”
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