Nha Trang - Yet another cooking class!

Overnight train ride from Saigon to Nha Trang.
I got top bunk!! Yipee :) way nicer than I expected the trains in Vietnam to be. I was happy as can be.
8 ft high x 7 ft wide x 6 ft long for 4 of us! Good thing I like my roomies :)






Most popular thing to do here is lay on the beach or relax by the pool. So I got my R&R in the first day but one day is enough for me. It's not the type of travel that I wanted out of this trip as I prefer the cultural experiences. So what did I decide to do while my new friends went on a boat trip? Yep! Another cooking class! Now I got to learn all about Vietnamese food!

Todays menu: fresh shrimp spring rolls, fish in a clay pot and banana flambé!

Lam is our instructor today. So professional with her microphone and all!








First stop cyclo ride to the local market!! Yay!!





Oh the market was the highlight of the day!! Please take the time
to look trough this web album of pictures below. It was the best/craziest/most memorable market I have ever been in my life!







This veggie is called elephant ear to make sweet and sour soup
















Drinking fresh sugar cane juice given to us courtesy of taking the class!







Amazing experience!
Women young and old sitting on these tiny chairs working so hard. One is cutting up fish, another is grinding meat, another is filling bags of fresh noodles, another is filling bags of fruits and veggies. These women were working so hard and in really poor conditions. I tried imagining a 70 year old american woman working in this way and it was unimaginable!

It was utter madness in there. The ailes were full of people bumping into one another, fish juices were running off the tables, frogs were trying to jump out of their bowl... It was some type of organized chaos. It was incredible to be one of the 5 white people in a market full of locals.

It was an interesting set up where all of the fish was sold in one corner, all veggies in another, all the rice paper in another, and so on. There was at least 10 vendors for each ingredient. How do they compete? So I asked and was told that the customers are loyal to their seller. People come every morning for their fresh ingredients and visit the same buyer each time. I thought that was really nice. Very loyal.

Back from the market and ready to cook!
First creation: fish in a clay pot!
We used mackerel for this dish but you can use any type of fish, shrimp, or chicken.

Here is what you need: fish, shallots, garlic, onion, fish sauce, sugar, molasses, black pepper, chili pepper,broth and water. Really simple!


Here is a youtube of walking through the market http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P67CoQwffWg





Place the oil, 1 minced garlic, 2 sliced shallots, 1/2 sliced onion, fish fillet, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp water, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tbsp molasses in a clay pot. Can use some broth for extra taste too 1-2 tbsp . Marinate as long as possible covered. After marinated add about 1/4-1/2 cup more water.








Place uncovered on the stove on high eat. Once it starts boiling turn the fish and turn and place on simmer. Want the sauce to be thick so never cover. Taste the sauce and make sure doesn't need anymore spices. Simmer for 2 hours. We only cooked on high heat for 30 minutes since we didn't have 2 hours to wait and it was still delicious!








Final product!















**you can replace the fish with chicken, shrimp or pork. In addition you can add sliced Ginger to create a gingery flavor as well. Delicious, easy and healthy!!

Second creation: Spring rolls
Julienne carrots, cucumbers, rice noodles, mung beans, lettuce, thai basil



























Serve with either hoison sauce or chili sauce. (chili, fish sauce, garlic, sugar and water)

Dessert time: banana flambé
Ok last time I left out the dessert. This time Ill offer you all a treat :)


Must use unripe bananas!
Add butter to the pan on high heat. Once melted add sugar to taste preference. Add to the pan an unripe banana sliced in half long way.

Add rum And watch it fire







Take out bananas and add some orange juice to the leftover butter in the pan. Mix that around and top the bananas. The orange juice adds sour taste to the sweet buttery sugar sauce.








Side note:
This is the third class now that I have been told to never use olive oil! Asian cooking is usually done on very high heat and olive oil will easily go rancid in this condition. Therefore, it is best to use either coconut oil or sunflower oil for these high heat dishes. Keep your olive oil for salads and anything made on no more than medium heat! (Trying to keep all those I love healthy!)

Now off to my next overnight train to Hoi An!


More pics! This is a must see album


Additional recipes too add:

Vietnamese Steamed Fish Fish filet Topping: 3 stems finely cut lemongrass 1 inch crushed ginger minced Small handful of spring onions finely chopped Small handful of shallots finely shopped 3 pinches of pepper 1 pinch of sugar Lemon or Lime  sauce: Juice of 1 lemon ½ tsp salt ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp pepper	Place all of the raw veggies on top or insi de of the fish. Wrap in foil to steam. Place in oven on 150 degrees C for 20-25 minutes. Heat up the lemon sauce and pour over fish before serving. Serve with rice. *Rice is wonderful with the lemon sauce too! *Stuff whole fish with topping or place topping on top of fillet.
Lime Rice Cooked rice Lemon or Lime  sauce: Juice of 1 lemon or lime ½ tsp salt ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp pepper	Top steamed rice with sauce.
Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Sauce Oil 1 Veggie bouillon cube Chili pepper sliced ½ cup of diced pineapple 2 tomatoes diced Pinch of salt Pinch of sugar	Heat oil in pan and add crumbled bouillon cube. Mix to a paste (may need to add some water). Add chili pepper and stir. Squeeze the juice from both the pineapple and the tomatoes and stir. Add the pulp of each along with the salt and sugar. Cook until you reach the desired consistency.