Market to Table: Banh Mi Op La

I need a new camera. And better dishes. And a kitchen with natural light.

Alarm goes off: It's 6am, once again.

Light is streaming in your windows and you can hear the sounds of the neighborhood waking up around you, making the most of the only part of the day that has both sunlight and fresh, cool air. It won't last.

If you could, maybe you'd roll over and go back to sleep until a more reasonable hour, but, just like everyone else, you know how hot it'll get by midday... but for now, the world is a beautiful, comfortable place. Might as well drag yourself out of bed!

Breakfast this morning needs to be the easiest thing you can handle - as little heat as possible, as much flavor as possible, and, preferably, under 10 minutes. And coffee.

Luckily for you, Banh Mi Op La is just about the least complicated homemade breakfast you could imagine. Come along, and learn how to make this incredibly simple and nourishing Vietnamese breakfast with me!

Honestly, it's so basic, I actually feel a little silly making this a blog post "recipe," but I'd personally never heard of it before I came here and I know you'll enjoy it. It was the first meal I had after I arrived in Vietnam and it's still my favorite breakfast (except for Bo Kho, maybe), precisely because it's so thoroughly easy to grok and how fast it is.

School Lunch

So, if I'm as busy as I say I am, then where do I find the time to grab food? The only sane answer is street food. Total time to walk up, indicate quantity, and leave with food is usually less than a minute. Best of all, each of these is 15,000 VND - less than $0.75.

Some of these are typical, and one is harder to find - all are tasty and fresh. I've showed you a couple before, but since I've been eating these for breakfast and brunch regularly for the last month, I thought I'd share a portion of my daily diet with you!

Our First Dinner Party

LOOK AT THAT CARROT. HOLY CARROTS BATMAN.

It was a dinner party in the loosest sense of the term - but definitely a party where we served food, so I'm not going to be too picky about semantics! Possibly the most fun I've had at my own house since we moved in.

One of the greatest surprises about my new roommates (all but one has left the house, and the last one is leaving on Sunday night) is that there is a cooking enthusiast among them - HOORAY!! Finally, all the dreams I had for utilizing my kitchen will hopefully be coming true!

Psycho Asian Comfort Food, The Beginninging: Veggie Scrambled Egg Baguette

It's attractive open-face, but, like any good relationship,
you have to seal it up nice and tight to prevent the cheese
and juices from leaking out. ...Eww. I'm... I'm so sorry.

Hey there! Back again? Good! Glad I haven't alienated you with my absence. I've been taking a drug for My Gout (I have started to think about it this way) and it's been making me super sick, nauseous, and basically made me need to be less than 10 feet from a bathroom at all times. It's finally starting to wear off (and my foot feels better, too). I thought I'd share what I'm up to in my very own kitchen (I have to take the damn med with a meal... shudder. I mean, what's the point??).

Recently, I've been sticking to trying to emulate street food in my home, which is basically a no-win proposal (well, a win-win for me, but it's definitely not up to par with what I can get for cheaper and better on the streets... but then I wouldn't be cooking, would I?).

Tonight, before starting in on some VN flashcards, I decided to branch out a little and try something new. I will call this new series of posts "Comfort Food" but it's only because being in the kitchen and playing with food relaxes me. It's a form of artist play, I feel. And, since I can finally keep any of it down, it's basically like eating for the first time after a week of ginger ale and unsalted saltines.

It turned out pretty good, so I'll share. Feel free to suggest new and even more interesting ideas in the comments... you better believe I've got my ears peeled.

RECIPE:
Veggie Scrambled Egg Baguette