Banh Mi Hot Ga Op La (Vietnamese French Bread with Sunny Side Up Eggs)

Since I was buying Vietnamese French bread for my Banh Mi Thit Heo Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sandwich), it was also the perfect opportunity to share one of my favorite Vietnamese breakfasts - banh mi hot ga op la (Vietnamese French bread with sunnyside-up eggs), frequently referred to as simply op la for short.

So simple really. Two eggs, sunny-side up, with a splash of Maggi Seasoning Sauce, or soy sauce if you don't have it, and a loaf of bread.

Banh Mi Thit Heo Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork Sandwich)

Besides making noodles and rice dishes with Thit Heo Nuong (Vietnamese Grilled Pork), you can also make banh mi thit heo nuong (Vietnamese grilled pork sandwiches).

The lovely part of making your own sandwiches is that it's loads cheaper. As if Vietnamese sandwiches weren't already cheap enough as it is. My preferred bread is Banh Mi & Che Cali's light, crispy, and buttery Vietnamese French bread, 3 loaves for $1. And you can stuff the sandwich with as much meat as you'd like.

Nuoc Rau Ma (Vietnamese Pennywort Juice)

Long before wheatgrass juice became a health and juice bar trend, the Vietnamese have been drinking nuoc rau ma (Vietnamese pennywort juice). Pennywort (centella asiatica) is a member of the carrot and dill family. It is also known as gotu kola in the Sri Lankan Sinhalese language.

There are numerous health benefits, according to Wikipedia and Asia Food, which include maintaining youthfulness, purifying the blood, curing nervous conditions, improving eyesight and memory, and relieving arthritis pain. Tai chi chuan master Li Ching-Yuen apparently lived to 256 years old, in part because of pennywort. And 10th century Sri Lankan king Aruna credits pennywort for giving him enough stamina to satisfy his harem of 50 women.