Cooking Class in Ho Chi Minh City

At this point, we’d traveled all the way from the north of Vietnam to the Southern tip. The last city on our food tour was Ho Chi Minh. Formerly known as Saigon, this southern city played a crucial role in the Vietnam War. It’s full of French colonial landmarks like the gorgeous 19th-century Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral. My favorite site was the Bến Thành Market. It was bustling, bright, and full of great food.

The food in Saigon was delicious, whether it was traditionally Vietnamese or an amalgamation of colonial influences. Everywhere I went I sampled incredible treats, from minuscule street food stalls to the big, bright, bustling, Bến Thành Market. This is a city that truly loves to eat.

The French influence on Vietnamese cuisine is more pronounced here in Saigon than elsewhere in Vietnam, and I saw that influence during our final cooking class.

As we walked into Grain Cooking School, I was struck by how nice it was. The facilities were brand new, huge, and spotless. Not a pot out of place. Our class cooked in a small studio, but I walked through a much larger space equipped with tv screens, dozens of cooking stations, and top-of-the-line equipment. Clearly, this school was designed to accommodate a lot of people in style.

As you can see behind me, the facilities are brand spanking new

The owner of Grain Cooking School is Luke Nguyen, an Australian chef whose portfolio includes restaurants, books, and of course, this school. Upon seeing Luke’s photo, a woman in my tour group exclaimed, “Oh I know him! He’s popular in Australia.” According to our instructor, Luke’s cooking shows are broadcast internationally in Asia, England, and the U.S.

We kicked off the class with a fish sauce tasting. Fish sauce is nuanced and varied, just like other popular fermented foods such as beer, soy sauce, and yogurt. See how the liquid in the middle dropper is lighter? Even the color was different depending on the number of months the sauce was aged. The color reminds me a bit of soy sauce or cognac mmm.

The fresh veggies were arranged beautifully in this basket

First we cooked shrimp-stuffed squash blossoms. What a treat! I’ve always thought of stuffed squash blossoms as quintessentially Italian. The last time I had them was in Tasmania, and they were stuffed with ricotta cheese. So old-school, so lovely. In my mind, squash blossoms are kind of luxurious because (a) they only appear at the farmer’s market occasionally and (b) they’re delicate. So squash blossoms stuffed with shrimp sounded amazing!!

First, start by making a cut along the blossom’s side. Then, pound the raw shrimp in a mortar and pestle until it becomes a smooth paste. Next, scoop the paste into blossoms and seal the edge. Dip in egg, then dredge in flour, then fry! Then stuff yo face 😛

Next up? Jellyfish salad! I’m an adventurous eater, but I have to admit I’d never eaten jellyfish before. I’ve seen jellyfish on Noma restaurant’s Instagram stories (they’ll cook anything) and I’ve seen it washed up on beaches aaaand that’s about it. Maybe I’ve just never seen it on a menu? But it was on this menu and it was surprisingly good.

I like squishy desserts with gelatin and I love all things gummy candy, and at first glance the jellyfish looked like jelly candy! Ahhh that’s where it gets the name ‘jelly’ from, I thought. It all makes sense now 😋 The jellyfish did not, however, taste like jelly. Salty with an unexpectedly crunchy middle, the jellyfish strip was slightly chewy in the same way that the layer of cartilage in pig ears has bite.

“I don't think you're ready for this jelly.” — Destiny's Child

Ingredients for the dressing in the jellyfish dish

In addition to jellyfish, the salad was built upon cabbage, red bell pepper, chicken breast, shallot, and lime.

The dressing consisted of vinegar, sugar, fried garlic, and peanuts.

Lastly, shiso leaf (also known as perilla) added some much-needed freshness. We cut the shiso into long chiffonade ribbons. I love how the underside of the leaves is such a gorgeous deep purple color. Chiffonade is a technique you can use to cut food - usually flat leafy food like herbs - into thin strips.

We mixed everything together - salad base, dressing, herbs, and jellyfish - to create a unique salad. The jellyfish ended up being a nice accent to the other ingredients, rather than the star of the dish. After all, jellyfish doesn’t taste like much. It’s salty and chewy, so it’s mostly there for the texture. Thanks to the crunchy sliced cabbage, the dish kind of reminded me of a slaw.

After chowing down on the salad, it was time to make our main course: fish! The ingredients were laid out in beautiful wide wicker baskets.

First, we had to flavor the water. I cut the lemongrass into long strands, knotted them in the middle, and dropped the knot into a pot of water. Later, we steamed the fish over this lemongrass-infused water. As the fish cooks, the flavored water evaporates upwards and flavors the fish too. Genius, right? I LOVE the smell of lemongrass.

Also, we created a delicious paste of aromatics to smear on top of the fish. With a mortar and pestle, I pounded finely chopped lemongrass and garlic into a paste.

Then I smooshed the paste all over the top of the fish, which had already been arranged on a banana leaf. Lastly, I folded the banana leaf into a little square, like an envelope. This square shape is great, because it sealed in moisture and flavor while the fish steamed. The banana leaf is pretty neat. Besides being sturdy, it held in moisture beautifully - just as well as a piece of foil.

While the fish steamed, we prepared the salad on top. I say “salad” because the pieces were larger and heartier than a mere relish. But it’s not a “side” salad, since it goes on top of the fish.

We mixed strands of green mango “noodles” with vinegar, herbs, and goji berries.

One the fish was done, I opened the banana leaf package to reveal the flaky, moist, succulent fish. Yum! I topped it with the salad and dug in. The green mango was fresh and crunchy, the herbs were light and bright, and the goji berries were sweet and chewy.

I love this fish recipe because there are so many possible variations. As we cooked, I kept thinking of ways I could adapt this recipe for when I get home and don’t have, you know, fresh shiso leaves at my fingertips. Perhaps you could swap cucumber noodles for the green mango? And add whatever herbs you have on hand. And, in the unlikely event you have a banana tree in your backyard (but if you do I am totally jealous), you can always use regular old tin foil. Works just as well.

As with most large dinners I *always* find room for dessert. So with full bellies we moved on to the final course. I love custard desserts. I think they’re amazing, satisfying, and versatile. This flan was everything I wanted. It was so smooth and so creamy I could die and go to dessert heaven. Plus the pop of fresh dragon fruit on top was the perfect contrast to lighten it up.

And let’s not forget the espresso with sweetened condensed milk! Does it get any better than this? Nah, coffee is the ideal end to pretty much any dinner.

“Self Portrait.” It me, after eating this meal 🐷