Amazing vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An!

The Market Restaurant / Le restaurant du marché
The Market Restaurant / Le restaurant du marché

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I think so far that was my favorite day!

Some of my friends will say that’s normal because I love food so much!

I saw a lots of cooking classes offers, here in Vietnam but also in Thaïland…I was not thinking about attending one because I was thinking it is just so touristic 😀

But when I went to eat at the Morning Glory Restaurant  in Hoi An, I definitely thought that I should try it!

And I have to say that was just amazing! So I don’t know about the other cooking classes but for sure I can tell you that this one is just perfect!

The food I ate at Morning Glory restaurant was so good that I decided to try the cooking class for the next morning! 😉

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Pomelo and shrimps salad / Salade de pomelo et crevettes
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Sugarcane pork and chicken roll / Rouleau de canne à sucre et porc

So I chose the Masterclass with all what you can eat traditional vietnamese breakfast for 32 USD and that’s the one you have to do!

So, basically you have to go there around 7:45 am at the Market Restaurant and then when you get there you can start to have your all what you can eat breakfast. You can taste everything and there is a lot!

It’s just SO good! A delight for the papillae!

Yummie! Miam!
Yummie! Miam!

Around 8:30 am they will ring a bell and they make small groups to go to the market.

You leave from the restaurant and you go to take a boat to cross the river to go to the main market.

On the way to the Market / En route pour le marché
On the way to the Market / En route pour le marché

Then, you spend there around 1 hour and a half I think. Our Guide, named Day, explained us a lot of things like for example that the market opens at 5:00 am and there are only women there. No men at all…

We started with the meat market first and she was explaining us that here in Vietnam they don’t use any fridge for the meat…but she was saying despite that the meat is always very fresh here. She explained us the technic to check the freshness of the meat 🙂 Very interesting! 😉

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In fact you put your finger on the piece of meat you are interested of! And she explained something about it but I didn’t get it…something about the tenderness of the meat when you touch it…Anyway, I made a small video to give you an idea of the atmosphere of this market 😀 Listen the noise of the meat grinders it’s amazing !

Then, the noodles market stalls with all the kinds of noodles you can have, like white, brown or yellow noodles that you can obtain with safran or tamaris for example…

Yellow and white noodles / Nouilles jaunes et blanches
Yellow and white noodles / Nouilles jaunes et blanches

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Noodles Market - Marché aux nouilles
Noodles Market – Marché aux nouilles
Cao Lau Noodles?
Cao Lau Noodles?

She showed us the rice paper to make the rolls and she explained us that they are drying on the sun.

I could take a photo the day before of some noodles drying on the sun at the morning 🙂

Rice paper for rolls / Galette de riz pour les rouleaux vietnamiens
Rice paper for rolls / Galette de riz pour les rouleaux vietnamiens
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Drying Noodles / Nouilles séchées

We then had a presentation of some fruits and went to the fish market just next door. All sort of fresh fish and crustaceans can be found here!

Calamars
Calamars
Fish Market / Marché au poisson
Fish Market / Marché au poisson

Then we continued with the most commons spices in vietnamese cuisine like garlic, ginger, tamarin, galangel, pepper…and fresh herbs like coriander, basil, mint, water cress, and the famous morning glory (vietnamese spinach)…Some vegetables and fruits also…

Main spices used in Vietnamese cooking / EPices principales dans la cuisine vietnamienne
Main spices used in Vietnamese cooking / EPices principales dans la cuisine vietnamienne
Vegetables and herbs market / Marché aux légumes et herbes
Vegetables and herbs market / Marché aux légumes et herbes
Momordica Charantia / Bitter melon / Margose ou concombre amer
Momordica Charantia / Bitter melon / Margose ou concombre amer

After we finished our tour we went back to the Market Restaurant and that’s where begun the funny part, the cooking class 🙂

More photos here

From here it was just great! You feel like you are participating at Master Chief, except that you are not a Chief 😉

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My cooking class neighbors / Mes voisins du cours de cuisine
My cooking class neighbors / Mes voisins du cours de cuisine

We had to cook four dishes and Hang was our teacher.

Miss Hang / Mademoiselle Hang
Miss Hang / Mademoiselle Hang

She explained us that according to Vietnamese tradition, when the woman get married, they have to live with their husband family during one year normally and they must cook during this period for all the family :-S

1- Carbage soup

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My soup / Ma soupe
My soup / Ma soupe

You have to use Nuoc Man, the vietnamese anchovies sauce, which is very important in Vietnam for cooking!

2- Chicken marinated grilled stick in five spices which are cinnamon, cardamon, anis star, coriander seeds, and cloves…as Hang said, always a little bit of Yin and a little bit of Yang 😉

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3 – Vietnamese pancake

Hang's crispy pancake / La crêpe croustillante de Hang
Hang’s crispy pancake / La crêpe croustillante de Hang

4- Green Mango salad

My green mango salad / Ma salde de mangue verte
My green mango salad / Ma salde de mangue verte

Everything was so delicious!!!

My main dish, chicken satay and green mango salad / Mon plat principal, brochette de poulet mariné aux épices et salade de mangue verte
My main dish, chicken satay and green mango salad / Mon plat principal, brochette de poulet mariné aux épices et salade de mangue verte

I really recommend this cooking class, it was for me a great experience!

You can visit their website and can even book online:

Morning Glory website – Cooking Class

More photos here