CHIC KITCHEN COOKING CLASS

8.00 – 8.30 am Hotel pickup

Shortly after departing your hotel you will be riding past rice fields, down laneways and via backtracks you will enter the coconut forest where the tracks are lined with water coconut trees and river canals. Leaves from the water coconut trees line the roadside drying out in preparation to be made into various products including roof thatching. Here we will go for a 15 minute row through the water coconut forest in a coracle (traditional round boat)

Leaving the forest heading closer towards Hoi An we approach the outer suburbs. We will ride alongside the Thu Bon river with ferries, barges and fishing boats going about their daily business. The riverside ride takes us virtually into the heart of the old town, and on to the Tiger market.

8.30 – 9.00 am

Before exploring the market we will grab a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop. Vietnamese coffee is an export becoming famous world wide and it seems the whole country needs their cup of coffee to start the day.

9.00 – 10.00 am 

The Tiger market is located on the edge of the old town. This is where locals do their shopping and is far less touristy than the Hoi An old town market. The Tiger market with its displays of fruit and vegetables, ladies lining the sidewalk selling wares from wicker baskets, mum’s bargaining hard for their daily supplies, this is truly a local market. Selling everything from, kitchen utensils, herbs, spices, fresh seafood, poultry, meat you will get the opportunity to see and learn about a vast array of local produce and products.

10.00 – 11.00 am

Our next part of the journey takes us to An My village which is a small village bordered on two sides by ricefield and shrimp farms at another. This quiet and quaint little village has some of the last remaining large residential blocks which the owners use to grow a various assortment of herbs, flowers, peanuts and vegetables. You will be taken a step back in time as you meet some of the villagers to buy produce directly from their gardens and help them tend the soil.

Here its time to try your hand at some market gardening. Slip on a traditional farming outfit over your clothes and lets have a go at tilling and watering the soil. Pick the herbs for your cooking class yourself. It doesn’t get much fresher than this.

11.15 am – 1.30 pm

Arriving at Chic Kitchen you will be given a demonstration of rice paper making by traditional means using a wood fire. The rice paper is the base for one of Vietnam’s national dishes – Banh Cuon. Sampling this will get your taste buds prepare for the food ahead.

Now it’s time to do some cooking. Using the herbs you picked, from the soil you tilled and watered is the key to Vietnamese food – freshness of produce.

 “Chuc an ngon” enjoy your meal.