Cooking classes are a great way to learn about culture and tradition in a hands-on way and of course everyone loves eating! Join us for our fun cooking class – Zoom is a cheerful Hanoian girl, full of life and positive energy, not to mention our talented cooking skills! Zoom will first take you shopping at an out-of-the-way colorful traditional street market and show you the way to choose goods –and bargain their price! You will learn how to prepare authentic Vietnamese food at Zoom’s home in a non-touristy historical Hanoi neighborhood, near the West Lake area.
Don’t leave Hanoi without trying her delicious, crispy fried, to-die-for spring rolls or her delightful salads, whether papaya, banana blossom, banana trunk, lotus stem or green mango they all spring to life with fresh, aromatic Vietnamese herbs. She also makes a delightful cha ca (grilled fish), eggplant in a clay pot and che com (young green rice dessert). Zoom goes out of her way to make you feel comfortable and our lightheartedness will make you forget your exhaustion from dealing with shrewd Hanoian vendors or the mad traffic.
HIGHLIGHTS
Experience an authentic Vietnamese food adventure in a Hanoian home
A truly unique experience touring a local wet market in West Lake neighborhood where you see no tourists around and learning about Vietnamese ingredients before you start your cooking class
Enjoy your mouth-watering traditional dishes and culinary creations
A peaceful walk on the middle island where you can see how local farmers work on their farms
ITINERARY
8:00 am – The class is held at a Hanoian home in West Lake area right outside of the Old Quarter without a single tourist around. The day begins at 8:00am where we meet at the house. Zoom will brief you on the program for the day and then we will proceed to a local wet market in the neighborhood. Here we learn more about Vietnamese ingredients and Southeast Asian herbs and spices. Taking a trip to the local market gives you an insight into this very important part of Vietnamese life. As you choose your fresh ingredients, Zoom will tell you about how they have been used throughout the centuries and how they are used today.
9:00am– We start our cooking class. Zoom will guide you through the preparation process by helping you to marinate and to spice; crucial stages in Vietnamese cooking. Following that she will give a detailed demonstration where everyone will play an active role.
11:30am – We finish preparing and cooking our dishes. We enjoy our meal together and talk about Vietnamese food, culture, custom, or anything that you would like to know about our country of Vietnam.
1:00pm– Say good bye or you can get an extra interesting walking section to Middle Island on the Red River where you can see how the local farmers do their farming.
Note: You can choose our cooking lesson in the afternoon as well. No worries that you are not able to experience the Hanoian traditional wet market in the afternoon because Hanoian tend to go shopping for food both in the morning and in the afternoon. Our afternoon class starts at 4pm and ends at 9pm.
There are 2 options you can choose for our cooking class:
Option 1
Banana blossom salad with Hanoi-style chicken
Hanoi fried spring rolls
Eggplant in a clay pot
Green rice and lotus seed dessert
(Serve with steamed jasmine rice)
Option 2 (Vegetarian)
Papaya Salad
Tofu in tomato sauce
Eggplant in a clay pot
Longan and lotus seed dessert
(Served with steamed jasmine rice)
PRICES (Valid from 01/01/2015 to 31/12/2015)
$50/person
Maximum: 5 people/group
Price per person above is valid for a group of minimum 2 participants. If you your group is more than 3 people, the cost is $45/person.
INCLUDED
An interesting tour to a local Hanoian market
A private cooking section of four Hanoian traditional dishes
The four delicious dishes we prepare together
Tea/coffee/ beer, and fresh fruits
A small gift from Zoom Zoom
Great pictures to post or show your friends and family!
