Simple joys: Egg Sandwich

The best things in life are the simple ones - a nice book and a cup of hot chcolate on a cold evening, the first cry of the cuckoo in spring, an all-night talkathon with friends. And these simple joys are best left simple.

The same principle applies to cooking as well. When you have had enough of rich curries and spice-laden tandoori meat, your soul (and digestive tract!)craves for simple nourishment - dal-rice-pickle, or khichadi, or rasam....you get the drift.

One such simple - and classic- breakfast dish is the Egg Sandwich. With a few flourishes, this humble offering takes on a sassy wicked avataar while retaining its simplicity. And its mighty tough to beat as a lazy late Sunday breakfast after a night of revelry!

Egg Sandwich a la moi

1 hard-boiled egg, peeled
1 pao (you need Indian pao for this - no sliced bread, sirreee! At a pinch, use dinner rolls/hot dog buns)
A few pieces (as many as you like!) smoked cheese (You can use any cheese you like, I LOVE smoked cheese with its....err....smokiness)
A squirt or two of Sriracha chilli sauce (Again, use any condiment/sauce/chutney you like - ensure its spicy or spicy-sweet or spicy-sour - something to cut through the richness of egg and cheese)

This sandwich needs careful construction for optimal taste.
For this:

Slice the pao sideways (but not till the end) so that it makes a pocket
Add a few dabs of chilli sauce on both flaps of the bread pocket
Slice the egg into 4-5 slices ,and palce them in the bread pocket so that the egg reaches every corner and you dont get any just-tasteless-bread bits when you take a bite
Slice the cheese or crumble it (if using a soft cheese), scatter it evenly across the egg slices
Top with generous daubs of chilli sauce
Press down the top layer of bread so that the egg, cheese and chilli sauce meld together a bit.

Take a humungous first bite and wash it down with hot, sweet tea.

Sink into the bliss of yummiliciousness!