Katrina, Hayley, Natalie and I got up early to do a Vietnamese cooking course - Hoi An has so many speciality dishes that here seemed like a great place to do one.
Our first stop was a traditional local Vietnamese market where we bought the ingredients for the dishes we were going to be making. It was absolutely pouring with rain so we were all provided with ponchos and market baskets - leading the four of us to looking completely ridiculous, and nicknamed ourselves Ethel, Dorris, Maurine and Margaret due to the grannyish nature of our appearances. We picked up lots of vegetables, meats and live shrimp alongside lots of Vietnamese herbs and then proceeded to take a boat ride through the old town of Hoi An. Hoi An seems like a really cute, pretty place. We approached a load of green water coconut trees in the lake.
We switched over to a smaller row boat and were given Vietnamese hats (the pointy ones!) and drifted through the water between the water coconut trees towards a small village where we would be Vietnamese chefs for the morning.
The first dish we made was fresh spring (summer) rolls, Goi Cuon, which were so simple to make and so delicious eaten with a peanutty sauce. We then made a Vietnamese Crepe, "Banh Xeo", which was so yummy - I had not had one of these yet. It was cleverly made with rice milk and looked a little like an omelette when being cooked, and like a taco when finished and ready to eat! It had only pork, shrimp, salad and beansprouts inside and was wrapped in rice paper to be eaten. So interesting! Next, we made a beef noodle salad which really showed how much the Vietnamese pay attention to detail as the chef spent ages designing his plate to make it look pretty and appetising, turning the cucumbers into flowers and making a dome of noodles. It tasted so nice and is definitely something I would order in the future. It surprised me how much beef and pork are involved in traditional Vietnamese dishes. Next we made the final dish which was Beef Noodle Soup, "Pho Bo". We had started simmering the broth around two hours before hand and to finish all we had to do was ladle it onto some noodles and beansprouts and add some pork and seasoning and voila! The seasoning in Vietnam is so simple and if you do not like a broth it is supposed be your fault for not seasoning it correctly. On every table you will find chilli, soya sauce, garlic, lime and sometimes a few other sauces of which you may add as much or as little as you like of each to your meal for your own taste preferences. I was so full by the tim