Cooking Class Hoi An

Copying is huge in SE Asia. If something is successful, you copy it. Our hotel in Nha Trang, for example, was called Hanoi Golden Hotel, but there is also Hanoi Golden Hotel 2 and Hanoi Golden Hotel 3. Completely different owners. Same same but different, as they say around here. Other than tailors, it seems cooking classes are the thing to copy in Hoi An. I wouldn't be surprised if there was over 100 cooking class options, as there are plenty of companies that only offer cooking classes, plus practically every restaurant, no matter how big or small, will offer cooking classes if you want them to. To make it easier, we simply chose the best ranked one on Tripadvisor. They picked us up one morning from our hotel and took us to the local market. I love these local markets, selling fruits, veggies, noodles, fish, seafood, meat. Who knows what else because I could probably identify only about 20% of the items for sale. So it's nice to have a local show you around. We walked around and picked out all the ingredients we would need for class, with our guide explaining what each of them were and what they were for.

Our guide Drang showing us the veggies. I think that's a pepper

Mmm the meat counter

Picking out some shrimps

After the market we took a leisurly boat trip out to their base on an island somewhere outside of Hoi An. We got to see some of the local fisherman going about their work, plus it was nice to cool off after sweating buckets at the market.

Once at the base we met our chef for the day, a sweet Vietnamese lady whose name I cannot remember. She would demonstrate what to do while our guide translated. All told we made 4 different dishes - fresh spring rolls (FILLED with veggies and herbs just like Steph likes), a beef noodle salad, a Vietnamese rice pancake, and beef pho (including the broth - anybody know where someone goes to get neck bones in the States?). I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Making rice milk

Drang on the right with our cute Vietnamese lady chef

Making the broth for our pho - beef bones, radish, lemongrass, cinammon, star anise, some other stuff

Fresh spring roll ready to be rolled up

All rolled up and ready to eat with peanut sauce

Making banh xeo, a crispy rice pancake/omelet thing. No egg involved

These things are seriously good

Beef noodle salad

Finally, the beef pho, with plenty of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and pickled shallots

Mmmm. Everything was really good. All of them were easy too, so we think we'll be able to re-create once we leave Vietnam.