Mean Cuisine

The cuisine of Vietnam, like most countries, varies depending on each unique region in the country. For example, pho isn't pho unless it comes from Hanoi, or is an exact replica of what you can get in Hanoi... in the north... right down to the types of herbs you are served - sans bean sprouts... at least, according to people in Hanoi

Here in Hoi An, in central Vietnam, Helen and I have had the real pleasure of experiencing what is local to this region of this engaging country. We ate so much, and in such variety, I'm going to try to keep this short and sweet.

Seemingly, I am a product of my environment. In Vancouver, when we largely think of pho, or grilled meat meals... which are excellent. And although my friends and I have really tried to try different dishes at local Vietnamese establishments, we are only really starting to scratch the surface, and shops advertise "beef noodle soup" heavily. So here in Hoi An, I guess I was expecting variations of pho as a staple here. Not so.

One of the specialties here is "cao lau" which is a bowl of just warm egg noodles in a very light fish sauce dressing, topped with slices of roasted pork and the ever-present bouquet of fresh herbs. Enter, Wan Lu; a very local spot. It was packed when we came across it. That's what caught our attention... we decided to try it maily because, if the locals like it... the food has to be good!

We ate there one night and tried the cao lau. We liked it so much we went back for lunch the next day:

The real magic, one would think is the pork... afterall, what's better than slow roasted slices of pork? It turns out, at least for me, the best part of this dish is the egg noodle. Now, I like pasta... big fan. But this noodle is like the best al dente pasta, beefed up. It's tender and just elastic enough to provide an amazing texture that balances out the soft juicy pork. The herbs add bright floral accents to each bite. But I do have to say, I'm not a big fan of the local watercress. It tastes fishy. Who knew an herb can taste like bad oysters?!

The night before, we noticed that all the locals were ordering this thing that looked like a skinny tamale. Wrapped in banana leaf, they open up to reveal an organic stick of what looks like rice? Flour? Rice flour?

So, for lunch, Helen orders us a couple:

It turns out, it's seasoned steam pork! And you know what? It tastes like a mild pepperoni stick!

The pork is ground fine like a pepperoni seasoned with black and white pepper, with slight floral sweetness coming from the banana leaf wrap. So good!

We complete our meal with "white rose," small bit of pork, covered with a gelatenous rice wrap, garnished with fried shallots and garlic. Is is similiar to shrimp dumplings at dim sum except with pork. The sauce is what makes it. It's sweet and slightly sour which brings out the starchy flavour of the rice wrap.

Usually, we are very small eaters. It doesn't take much to make us full. But Helen and I polished off one bowl each of the cao lau, all of the white rose, and the banana leaf sausage... all this for about $8. Incredible meal for what a combo now costs at McDonald's.

One of the major highlights of our time here in Hoi An would have to be the cooking class we did. We took it at Morning Glory, a mainstay restaurant owned and operated by a local chef who was one of the originals who started Hoi An a a tourist town.

We start off at the market where our guide walks us through the different sections and explains the different ingredients used in local cooking. We taste fruits and smell our way through herbs as we walk past fresh meat and live seafood:

Then we make our way back to the restaurant to start our class:

To call it a cooking class may be over extending the concept a little. As we were under time constraint, all of the prep was done for us, and much of the "cooking" was closely watched over by cooks helping our instructor, so there really isn't much risk in screwing up. Still, it was a wonderful experience to work with authentic local ingredients.

We make five dishes - cabbage soup with shrimp parcels, fresh salad rolls, banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake), grilled chicken with lemon leaf, and mango salad:

Even though Helen was a little apprehensive with having to be hands-on with this class, she did great! We both had a great time creating this food. We are given the recipes for all of these dishes, so we hope to share them with you all when we get home.

One last true highlight I want to share is of this banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich). I was first made aware of this thing on yet another episode of No Reservations where Bourdain finds "the best banh mi" in Hoi An. I have had a few banh mi's at home and Los Angeles. Good stuff. Great french baguette, slathered with pate and usually filled with chicken or sliced ham and topped with pickeled vegetables. In the Bourdain episode, his traveling companion (his former boss at Les Halles) calls it a "banh mi deluxe." After trying it, I am going to one-up him and call it a "banh mi extrodinaire!"

Helen and I ordered one each... with everything, including a fried egg on top! That means, along with the usual toppings of fresh herbs, pate, pickeled veggies... they put in sausage, chicken, and pork slices... THEN to it with a freshly fried egg! Here's the evidence:

There are many, many more food experiences that I would like to share with you of our time here in Haoi An. But this post is getting long enough, and I'm satisfied that we covered the very best of what we came across. Can't wait to try to make my own banh xeo!