Cooking Like A Local in Central VietnamLocation: Hoi An, Vietnamby Chopt Creative Director, Julia Sh
Cooking Like A Local in Central VietnamLocation: Hoi An, Vietnamby Chopt Creative Director, Julia ShermanThe trip I took to Vietnam this last year was not my first to that country. I already knew that the beauty of this place lies not in its colonial pockets, or fancy hotels. To the contrary, Vietnam is in it’s most raw and unfinished state, when the buildings are constructed from cinder block and cheap tile, when serving ware is plastic and lighting fluorescent. Despite my first-hand experience, I allowed myself to be swayed by the romantic leanings of fellow travelers, convinced that I could not visit twice without seeing Hoi An, a postcolonial riverside town, packed to the brim with tourists, notable for its pastel, ornate architecture, lantern-lit cobblestone streets, and riverside views.I reserved a tiny guest house outside of town, wary of the congested tourist center. One morning spent in the old part of town, surrounded by nervous travelers and tailoring shops, and we were forever grateful for our sanctuary beyond the fray. We were greeted at the end of an impossibly narrow dirt road by Min, a slender young woman in skinny jeans with a beaming smile. She was genuinely excited to see us (she was avidly practicing her English and eager to converse). We were her only guests, so when we mentioned our focus on food, she was all ideas. Sure, there is the central Hoi An market, but what about the tiny locals-only market on this side of town? That one was surely not in the guidebooks. I pressed my luck and asked if maybe we could shop together and cook lunch with Min and her friends at the simple, open air guest house. At first she laughed at the idea, but when we insisted that we would in fact prefer this to the English menus in town, she conceded happily. As soon as we could drop our bags, we were en route to the market.Vietnamese markets are densely packed, with action simmering at the street level, bubbling up all the way to the rafters of their vinyl sided structures. Min shuttled us through, describing the taste of this bushy green vegetable, unlabeled bottles of colorful homemade soymilk and mysterious cakes of green jelly. We bought shrimp, beef, long, slender green onions, and a mélange of fresh herbs. Back at the ranch, the simple kitchen had already started to buzz. Min and her two friends pan fried the shrimp and sent us outside to roll individual shrimp bites – each of them bundled with herbs, bound together with one long green onion tied in a bow. These would be served with some chile sauce, so simple, and so good.Next, ground spiced beef is rolled into slender, cigar-shaped flutes, using a dry, paper-thin, wonton wrappers. Tight little packages were pan-fried until golden brown and crispy. They mountain of morning glory greens dumped into a hot pan with sizzling oil, and cooked just until they turn glossy and emerald green. We eat the meal sitting on the floor on the outdoor patio, Min and her friends laughing at how excited we are by this simple meal. -- source link