I recently travelled from south to north Vietnam, going through the wonderful UNESCO listed city of Hoi An in central Vietnam. I attended a Vietnamese Cooking Class in Hoi An – this was the best day of my entire holiday. Thank to Cookly and My Grandma’s Home Cooking, I embarked on an unforgettable voyage into the heart of the Hoi An countryside and was welcomed into a family’s home where I learnt to prepare regional Vietnamese cuisine, in the way it has been traditionally prepared for hundreds of years.
The day started with a one hour visit of Hoi An’s fresh produce market, where I discovered tons of local ingredients, from tropical fruits and vegetables to freshly made rice noodles.
The day continued with a boat trip to an authentic Vietnamese village located on a small remote island. The class was set there and it started with making my own rice milk (from scratch!) as well as rice paper (which is used in fresh rolls), in the most traditional way. After that we settled at our cooking benches to make 4 wonderful and inspiring dishes (stay tuned for the upcoming recipes!).
WHAT WE MADE (AND ATE!)
- Grilled pork fresh rolls (Thit Nuong)
- Green papaya salad (Goi Du Du)
- Rice crispy pancake (Banh Xeo)
- Tuna steak in clay pot (Ca Kho To)
I’ll be posting the recipes one by one – watch this space!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY GRANDMA’S HOME COOKING
♥ Wonderful cultural and culinary discovery that brings you back in time
♥ Learn to make 4 traditional dishes using the freshest local ingredients
♥ Open air kitchen in a traditional remote family home
♥ Take the recipes home with you
♥ Vegetarian options available
There is so much I could say about this class. I spent about 6 or 7 hours with my hosts and the other attendees and I had a real ball! I truly enjoyed the experience and highly recommend it. Our hosts were knowledgeable, friendly and genuine. They welcomed us into their house, and made sure we learnt the Vietnamese food customs and traditions.
Cooking classes are a wonderful way to connect with the local people and discover about their culture. You can also read about my Cooking Class in Morocco and my Sushi Making Class in Japan.
Disclaimer: Mademoiselle Slimalicious attended as a guest of Cookly. All opinions and photos are my own.