Exploring Central Vietnam - 19 May 2023 – Eco Cooking Tour, Hoi An

The Eco Cooking Class and Basket Boat Tour were the activities I had chosen for the morning. This is one of the recommendations while you are in Hoi An. I had booked this tour too through the hotel. The pickup arrived after breakfast and I was transported a short distance to meet the chef and guide, Phuong, near a local market. Our group consisted of seven ladies and self. The guide took us to a local market where she explained the main ingredients in Vietnamese cuisine. She schooled us how to choose fresh ingredients for the cooking class.

One of the highlights of the tour is that you can gain an insight into Vietnamese herbs and spices. Phuong mentioned that local markets open at 4.30 am and fresh produce is available day after day. She taught us how to select fresh meat and fish and explained the difference between the land and water grown morning glory. While we were in the wet section of the market one of the tour members felt nauseous and dropped out!

After the market trip we were transported to the Cam Thanh, or Bay Mau, Coconut village, about 3 km outside Hoi An. According to locals, Cam Thanh coconut forest has existed for about 200 years. Migrants from the Southwest region are said to have brought nipa palm, or mangrove palm, and planted them in this area. With abundant water and soil, the trees gradually proliferated, growing into a large forest of about 100 hectares.

We transferred to unique circular bamboo basket boats, two to a boat, to explore the beauty of Bay Mau coconut forest, also called the Mekong Delta in the heart of Hoi an. Besides boating and exploring the mangrove biome the boatman taught us how to fish for mud crabs. The 30 minute boat ride ended with the boatman expertly twirling the circular boat as fast as the occupants had the stomach for. Shrieks and shouts rent the air.

It was now time for the cooking class. We were made to scrub our hands and wear an apron and hat. Phuong first made us skin a tomato to make a rose. I took my own time, but made a decent job of it. We set that away and concentrated on the next task. We were assigned a place each at a long table. Phuong explained the ingredients in the three bowls that were kept in our places. One was for making a salad, another for rice paper rolls and the last for fish curry.

Following her instructions we plied the bowls with ginger, garlic, spring onion, pepper, fish oil, soy sauce, sugar, chicken powder, etc. her instructions were unique. For instance, if she said one, zero, two for any ingredient it meant that we were to drop one teaspoon of it into the first bowl, zero in the second and two in the third.

Once we had completed adding the herbs and spices into the bowls we were asked to transfer the items in the first bowl to a salad dish. We mixed the salad thoroughly with chopsticks and set it apart. Then Phuong showed us how to roll a rice paper with the stuffing. After the demonstration I took the rice paper and rolled the marinated spring onion, chicken and shrimp as I had seen her doing. I thought I made a pretty decent job of it. Next came the single burner cooking stove; each was given one of the butane fired stove with a pan full of cooking oil.

When the fire was turned on the temperature in the hut went up exponentially. I had to fetch a two litre bottle of chilled water to cool down. By then I had started feeling a bit uneasy with the dehydration. Nevertheless, I deep fried the rolls as Phuong instructed and set them aside. We took up the third bowl with the fish. The ingredients were given a thorough mix, particularly ensuring that the tomatoes were placed beneath the fish so that the fish does not get burnt during cooking. That was left to marinate for about 15 minutes. Then we were given a bowl of rice milk with pork and sprouts. The mix had to be poured evenly in the pan that had hot cooking oil. While spreading the mix evenly was a challenge a bigger one was when Phuong asked us to toss it after one side was done.

Phuong told us to take our salad, fried rice paper rolls and crispy pancake to the table and start the meal while the fish was cooking on the fire. We went about relishing the meal we had cooked and I thought I had made excellent rice paper rolls. The shrimp and chicken had cooked well and it was very tasty. But, the best was the fish. When that arrived at the table I was taken aback by the texture and the taste. I had beaten my expectations by a mile. It was awesome.

After the cooking class and lunch was done we were transported back to the accommodation in the pickup. The weather had drained me and I took a short nap after a shower. In the evening I walked down the street of the Old Town and came across a shop where large number of people had queued up for a cool drink. Using Google Lens I ‘discovered’ that what was on sale is Hoi An special herbal water, infused with Lotus, Ginger, Lemongrass, Cinnamon and Lemon. I stood in line and finally got my hands on the ‘elixir’; a very cooling concoction served in a paper cup with a couple of lotus leaves and a bamboo straw.