The simple things

I find it hard to have simple things nowadays. There is always an "ick" in the way. A bow too big on a pretty dress, a color too many on a cute pair of shoes, an ingredient that we can't pronounce, etc...

You get the point.

So some days, I just want a really simple meal.

When I was a kid, in the summer days when school was out & parents were at work, my cousin & I would each grab a big bowl, fill it with rice, some vegetables & cooked meat and drizzle everything with a sauce.

We would then head to the garden, the pool, or climb up to the roof, and enjoy our meal together that way. Simple, yummy, in great company, and then we'd be fully recharged for our next misdemeanors.

One of my favourite sauces to drizzle on rice, is a soft or hard boiled egg mashed into prepared fish sauce. I don't know what it is, but I go nuts dipping okra or green beans with this. And I won't need anything else.

And because in a typical Vietnamese pantry, there is ALWAYS a bottle of fish sauce & rice, this is really quick to make.

This is not a recipe. All you need is:

• Cooked long grain rice
• A peeled hard boiled or soft boiled egg
• Prepared fish sauce ("recipe" below)
• Okra or string beans (cooked in boiling water for 2 minutes, then put in cold water right away to stop the cooking process. I like my veggies with a slight crunch)

Dipping sauce (I like to make more than I need for other times)

• In 2 parts warm water, dissolve 1 part sugar.
• Then add 1 part of lemon juice (or half lemon juice and half white vinegar)
• 1 part pure fish sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• chili, minced (optional)

Stir to mix. Then mash the egg into the dipping sauce. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then scoop the egg remains back out onto your rice. Dip your vegetables in the fish sauce & enjoy your meal