Hoi An, Vietnam, has become a culinary destination. Just outside of Danang, restaurants and local markets provide plenty of Vietnamese food, fish and dining choices.
We walked over the bridge and on cobblestoned streets until our group reached Ms Vy’s Restaurant and Cooking School. It is a two story building with a beautiful restaurant downstairs with stations for dumplings, meats and so much more. Women squatted near big bowls as they prepared fresh herbs for the meal preparation and men rolled dumplings. Upstairs was the cooking class and our place settings were ready.
Lulu, our instructor, showed us how to use many different herbs, sauces and cooking methods to make tasty food and heathy meals. The take away was, what soy sauce is to Chinese food, fish sauce is to Vietnamese food. We experimented with different flavorful sauces which can be layered over noodles, vegetables and chicken. The sauces really do bring the food alive. After learning about main courses piled high with herbs and how simply to cook them all, we can’t wait to explore Vietnamese restaurants back home and on the road.
