Egg, tortilla, salsa.

I came to Hanoi not because I like Vietnamese food but because it was the best option for me at the time. Friends in Australia were jealous of all the amazing food I’d have easy and inexpensive access to, something that I was excited about after the wallet emptying doldrum that is Sydney. Delicious, cheap and interesting eating is everywhere here, I discover new places all the time but I have to admit it, I’m getting sick of Vietnamese food. On holidays I attempt to eat the local food as much as possible but I’ve been here for almost 5 months, this isn’t a holiday now it’s life.

In my old life I zig-zagged the globe when I ate out, Indian food one night, Greek the next. But obviously Hanoi is no where near as developed or multicultural as Sydney, and the dining scene reflects this. But I live in an area with a high expat population which is dotted with miniature grocery stores selling all manner of imported goods. Despite Hanoi’s dire restaurant situation I have been introduced to all kinds of food by new international friends, and can replicate dishes with ingredients that are easily accessible here but difficult to find in Sydney. Who’d have thought!

Even though I’ve never had a good Mexican meal in Sydney I still hold the cuisine in high esteem, even more so after a recent eye opening and delicious brunch of Huevos Rancheros. Fried eggs with soft wheat tortillas, cooked tomato salsa, black beans and cheese. All of the ingredients, bar some spices, easily available locally, a delicious fleeting snapshot of Mexico from a dining room in Hanoi. And a flavour that I couldn’t forget. I wasn’t interested in all the time and effort involved in bean cooking and cheese grating, so I made my own quasi Huevos Rancheros; Egg, tortilla, salsa.

For weeks I dreamed of this ensemble, tangy hot salsa, crisp tortilla, runny egg yolk all combining to form one great big mess of delicious. Then I took these photos, dreamed up this blog post and my desire for quasi-Mexicana seems to have waned, though I fear the actual posting may have re-ignited the fire. Tonight I am having a casual birthday dinner at a Japanese restaurant, tomorrow I may recall my Vietnamese-ised meal and drown my sorrows with some more fried eggs with tortillas and salsa.

Egg, tortilla, salsa.
If you can’t buy ready made tortillas then you can make them yourself. I never have but there are recipes online. If you are in Sydney you can substitute Greek flatbread (I’m not sure of the brand). It is readily available but much thicker than tortillas. Adjust recipe accordingly.

Freshly made wheat and corn tortillas are available here and can be used for this dish, though I prefer the wheat version.

Serves 1

1 clove garlic
red chilli to taste
1 ripe roma tomato, diced
coriander
lime juice
salt and pepper

2 tortillas
2 eggs
oil

1/4 avocado, flesh diced and mixed with salt and lime juice

Cut garlic finely and crush to a fine paste with some sea salt. I use the side of my knife to pulverise the garlic/salt mixture against the cutting board, but you could use a mortar and pestle if your kitchen was thusly equipped. Cut chilli finely. In a bowl mix tomato, garlic and chilli to combine, season with lime juice salt and pepper to taste, set aside for 15 minutes to enable the flavours to develop.
Heat a frying pan large enough to hold a tortilla over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoons of oil. When hot place both tortillas in the pan, and turn them almost immediately. Fry until bottom tortilla is golden, then turn again. Now you have a choice: fry eggs on top (it will be layered tortilla, tortilla, egg), or fry eggs between the tortillas (tortilla, egg, tortilla). Whichever you chose, add eggs as soon as you turn the tortillas. Season and cook until whites are set. Check the bottom tortilla as you may need to flip the whole eggy mess over. Don’t worry about this too much it will taste delicious even if it looks odd.
When eggs are cooked turn out onto a plate.
Mix roughly chopped coriander with the tomato salsa and arrange on top of your egg. Note: my salsa always turns out quite liquidy, I don’t pour all the liquid on the eggs as I don’t like it soggy. Use your judgement. Top with avocado.
Enjoy!