Tag: Lotus stems salad

February 28, 2018
Today was our cooking class at Hoa Duc Restaurant. They have a complete kitchen on the 2nd fllor dedicated to the school. We had a young Vietnamese female chef named Tûn. She was young and very sweet. Because we created our own tour with the cooking class and the street market tour we had a private lesson, and while I have taken many of these type class the fact that our was private really benefited Pat who did and excellent job. The items we preparded were:

• Chȧ giò Sài Gin (Saigon fried Spring Rolls)
• Goi ngo sen (lotus stems salad with prawns & pork)
• Fresh rice noodles w/ marinated BBQ Pork & raw vegetables

We had decided to have a light breakfast of fruit and coffee, of course is had to have a croissant, very close to the good french croissants. Its a good thing we did because the tree courses, although light, were very filling. We learned the in Vietnam the Vietnamese eat their fried spring rolls wraped in lettuce along with Shiso leaves, basil, and lemon mint yo increase their vegetable intake. This was an excellent idea and we will be adopting when we return home.

The lotus stem salad was a first for the both of us. In all my trip the the Asia market in Richmond I have not used lotus stem and I am hoping that they have them. The salad like so many others we have had on the trip were tasty, light and refreshing, but filling.

Next up was Fresh Rice Noodles with marinated BBQ pork and raw vegetables. We marinated the pork in fish sauce and honey with a pinch of black pepper. Then we prepared the sauce and the lettuce and herbs, along with sesame seeds.

We placed the marinated pork on a grill basket a BBQ and grilled over a charcoal fire in the kitchen.

For dessert passion fruit mousse, which we did not make and the chef was quick to point out it was not Vietnamese.

Note: Pat was a trouper and used chop stick upto the last course and then they brought her a fork, and she did not ask for it.

Through the whole 4 hours were serves a light a refreshing ginger tea.

After the class we when for a walk down to the river, now that we have gotten our bearings were finding that we a very convenient to almost everything. We were on the pedestrian mall and heard music and walked towards the water and observed a group of performers practicing for a upcoming show, we do not kwnow when.

We’re theinking about going to Chuck’s Burger tonight because we had such a big lunch and as American’s after 3-weeks we alway crave a burger and Chuck’s is surposed to be the best in Saigon.