We had heard rumors of the cooking schools in Vietnam, specifically in Hoi An, but we weren't set on one until we arrived. A quick internet search led us to the Red Bridge Cooking school. The day began early at a local coffee shop, proceeded to a comprehensive tour of the local markets (perhaps another post all together!), and then had a beautiful trip down the river to the cooking school's remote location. The river trip alone - past the streets of Hoi An, and then the rural houses with their enormous fishing nets - had me smitten. When we arrived to a beautiful fresh cocktail, I was totally sold... and we hadn't even started cook yet!
After arriving at the school and getting a cold drink, we walked around the herb gardens are were taught about the depth of flavors in Vietnamese cooking. We took a seat in the open-air kitchen and got instruction for our first dish: Hoi An Pancakes (Banh Xeo) which consist of shrimp, pork, bean sprouts and spring onions wrapped in a beautiful rice pancake. Next, Nick was selected (of course he was!) to help build a seafood salad with Vietnamese herbs, served in a half Pineapple. The salad ingredients: green papaya, sour green mango, lotus root, carrot, cucumber, onion, squid and shrimp - YUM!
These dishes were delicious and fun, but the highlight of the class was learning to make fresh rice paper! With the right tools (and expert instructors) it ended up being far easier than we expected... easy enough that we're planning on trying it in our own kitchen (e-mail me for the recipe!). We finished the class with a quick decorating competition.... which I dominated :) Turns out making tomato skin roses is my secret talent!
