In 2012, I took a trip to Hoi An, Vietnam and attended a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School and Restaurant. The day started early with a trip to an organic farm where we picked up our herbs and learned about the different type of herbs in Vietnam and their role, both culturally and culinarily. Then we went to the morning market where we bought noodles, vegetables, fish sauce, herbs, spices, and meat. Then to the beautiful cooking school where we made friends and cooked up a storm. Many of these photos are also courtesy of my friend Susanne ....
Part 1: The Cooking Class
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| The spacious and beautiful cooking area |
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| Sesame seeds, peanuts, MSG, salt, sugar, black pepper, star anise. I was amazed at how big a role black pepper plays in Vietnamese cuisine! |
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| Shallots, garlic, peppers, and lemongrass |
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| After cooking, we had a little swim! |
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| The lush garden around the cooking school |
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| Me and our chef/trainer - note the LaRue beers that were available. |
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| The chef/trainer (I think his name was Thanh) telling us about technique. |
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| Preparing to make a papaya and green mango and carrot salad. |
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| Our first dish - shrimp cooked in banana leaves. Delicious! |
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| Chopping while drinking beer might be a mistake? Nah! |
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| Learning how to make rice noodles for our Pho. |
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| Our fresh pho made with lots of fresh noodles, fresh broth with lots of star anise, and basil! |
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| The master showing us how its done. |
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| Making a marinade for the fish. |
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| Me and my shrimps! |
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| Bananaflower salad with chicken. Delicious! |
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| After cooking classes, a boat ride back to Hoi An |
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| Beautiful Hoi An river scape |
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| Making the rice noodles. |
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| The bones for the Pho stock. |
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| Rock sugar, ginger, cinammon, onions, shallots for the Pho stock. |
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| Making the shrimp packets. |
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| Opening up the Shrimp packets. |
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| The secret to good Vietnamese cooking - a big mortar and pestle! |
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| Get ready to make a paste! |
