spacemonkey is looking for the ugly.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Hanoi Cooking Centre

Hanoi

Vietnam

14-17 May 2011

______

On one of the days of our trip to Hanoi,

my Dad and I decided to go for a

Vietnamese cooking class at the

Hanoi Cooking Centre.

The lesson started with a very exciting visit to a neighbourhood market,

just steps away from the school's shophouse location.

Our instructor for the day was a young local and chef who showed us the ins and outs of the local Vietnamese market,

and explained to us how certain ingredients are normally used in Vietnamese cooking.

_______

At The Market

Bee Larvae

Yes.. no kidding...

We got ourselves one serving!

These small crabs were ground into a paste for soups...

I am not sure if these are the same variety of horn snails

(Potamididae or chut-chut) we have in Singapore...

But I would imagine they would similarly go well with a chili & lime dipping sauce!!!

______

Back At The Kitchen

Daddy prepping in his apron before we start making our Spring Rolls!

"Bitter Leaves"

(I am not sure if they are Artemisia Annua)

But the Vietnamese swear by its medicinal properties...

claiming it is the magical cure for E V E R Y T H I N G

from fevers, food poisoning and hangovers!

Chef pounded the leaves with a mortar and pestle and made us drink the dark green liquid.

Yup... the name explains it all...

Frying our spring rolls!!!

Err.. ZERO FAT

This is a classic dipping sauce for many dishes in Vietnamese cooking...

3 tablespoons fish sauce

5 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

6 tablespoons sugar

2 garlic cloves (chopped)

1 red chili (chopped)

*mix altogether till sugar is fully dissolved

Pan fried bee larvae...

They tasted like beans....

but with a texture of shrimp shells on the outside....

Chef used the bitter leaves to create this lovely omelette!!

After cooking, the leaves weren't as bitter...

Cha Gio

(fried spring rolls with wood ear mushrooms, pork & cellophane noodles)

Goi Cuon

(sweet potato, pickled prawns, vermicelli & pork wraps)

We made all these food!!!

Since we could my Dad and I knew we would not be able to finish everything,

we invited these 2 travelers from Amsterdam, whom we met at a bookshop behind the cooking school, to join us!

______

Really enjoyed the time I spent with my Dad...

But with my non-existant kitchen skills...

It is obvious that no Vietnamese mother-in-law

would allow her son to marry me...


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