Burmese-Inspired Eggs with Rice for Breakfast

I have to share with you what I’ve been eating lately for breakfast. Most days, I wake up eager to get into the kitchen (of course, pouring a big cup of coffee may be part of this, too) where I usually have a list of what I’d like to cook, what I need to prep for dinner or a new recipe idea to play with ... but breakfast takes priority before I dive in.

With early morning light softly coming through the window (yes, our pitch-black mornings are beginning to brighten!), I sip my coffee and think about what to cook up. I like to start the day with protein and prefer savory breakfasts with eggs. As much as I adore pancakes, if I make a batch I always have to have an egg alongside. Now that our backyard hens are laying again after the dark winter days, I am happily collecting eggs and admiring their bright, sunny yolks.

This past December, I had Naomi Duguid’s beautiful book, Burma, on loan from the library and did quite a bit of cooking from it. I’ve since added it to my wish-list since it is a marvelous collection of stories, history and very delicious dishes (a new favorite is Golden Egg Curry). In addition to chopping and frying lots and lots of shallots, I fell in love with the combination of fish sauce and lime juice that is the foundation for many of the meals.

A bowl of leftover brown rice inspired me recently to think about a change from my usual eggs-on-toast-with-avocado. With fish sauce and lime juice still on my mind, it wasn’t long before I was chopping green onions, chiles, and, of course, shallots to whip up a fine breakfast. I find that if I keep little bowls of diced onion, ginger, garlic or some leftover veggies in the fridge, then this is indeed quick to prepare. But keep it simple, it’s first thing in the morning after all.

The rice is warmed in a bit of coconut oil with shallots and chiles, then doused in fish sauce and lime juice. A fried egg, sunny-side up, tops it off with a sprinkling of green onions. The salty, sour flavors awaken your taste buds while the creamy egg yolk coats the rice lusciously. A satisfying, energizing breakfast, and best of all, only one skillet!

Burmese-Inspired Eggs with Rice
Serves 1 (easily doubles)

1 teaspoon coconut oil (or more if needed)
2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon red chile, finely chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice (either short or long grain)
1 tablespoon fish sauce, or more to taste (preferably Red Boat Fish Sauce, an amazing all-natural, quality sauce)
1/2 lime
1 egg
Green onions, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Warm the coconut oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and red chile and sauté for a few minutes, until soft. Add the rice and stir to warm the rice and mix in the shallots and chile.  Add the fish sauce and squeeze the lime over the rice and stir. Taste to see if you like the salty-sour balance and add more of either. Scoop the rice into a small bowl.

If needed, add a bit more of coconut oil to the skillet and warm. Crack the egg in and fry sunny-side up or however you prefer. Slip the egg out of the skillet onto the rice, scatter with some green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Pour another cup of coffee and enjoy!

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

To me, Vietnam has always been exotic and far away. I’ve seen stunning photos and heard incredible travel tales but I have not had the pleasure of visiting ... yet. Well, my brother, his wife and my sweet niece and nephews moved to Hanoi last week and will be living there for two years.  Amazing!  I’m excited to hear about their adventures and eventually to visit them and share some Vietnamese experiences with them.

Of course, I am also thinking of the food!  I’m looking forward to Vietnamese cooking and need to get a good book (any recommendations?).  When I think of Vietnamese food I’ve eaten in restaurants, fresh herbs, vibrant flavors and spicy heat come to mind.   Plates piled high with basil, mint, cilantro and lettuce accompany the dishes I order.  My taste buds tingle as I inhale the fragrances and begin eating.

In honor of Tim and Kristen departing with their family, I started chopping and tasting to create a Vietnamese noodle salad in my own kitchen.  Fresh herbs were foremost on my mind, along with soft rice noodles and crisp vegetables. Vietnamese cooking evokes tastes of sweet, sour, salty and spicy.  To achieve this balance, I squeezed limes, chopped garlic, minced chili peppers and crumbled brown sugar. Fish sauce added a depth of flavor – umami if you will – that pulled the dressing together.

The salad became a tangled, pretty web of bright flavors, gentle heat and crunchy textures.  We eagerly ate bowls of the salad while discussing the first photos and tidbits from Tim’s new life.  I wish them a wonderful, delicious time in Hanoi!

Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Serves 6-8

For the salad
8 ounces thin rice noodles
1 cucumber, roughly chopped
2 bunches (10 or so) green onions, sliced diagonally
3/4 pound snap peas, sliced in half lengthwise
3 medium carrots, sliced thin and diagonally
1 cup mint, roughly chopped
1 cup basil, roughly chopped
3 red jalapeno (fresno) peppers, slivered lengthwise
1 1/2 cups roasted peanuts, chopped

For the dressing
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Zest of 2 limes
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 red jalapeno (fresno), chopped

Bring a large pan of water to a boil, immerse the rice noodles in it and let them sit for 10 minutes.  Drain the noodles when they are soft and rinse in cool water.

On a large platter or in a large bowl, combine the remaining salad ingredients (reserve some peanuts to garnish) and mix in the rice noodles.  I used my hands since bits kept flying off my platter.

In a food processor, combine all of the dressing ingredients and whiz until smooth. Pour half of the dressing over the salad and gently toss to mix in.  Add the remaining dressing slowly and to taste.  Sprinkle the reserved peanuts over and serve.