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As much as I love food tours and cooking at home, cooking classes while traveling are not my cup of tea. Maybe since I don’t have a kitchen to recook the recipes or cannot get the ingredients but also due to the fact that most cooking classes are a bit basic. After all, people are on holiday and don’t want to waste their time chopping and slicing or learn all of the Nigella basics. While that is a good concept, in general, it also means that a lot of classes never teach you any real skill which I think is a pity.
However, when I did two cooking classes in Bali this summer as part of a collaboration with some of my clients I rediscovered how much fun a well-structured class can be. While I may never recreate the recipes at home, I did enjoy the process and ‘working’ for my meal especially after being so spoilt in the Vietnam Airlines business class where I had to do no work whatsoever.
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So when lovely Ha from E Village Restaurant reached out asking to work with me I was immediately keen when she offered to organize Hoi An eco cooking class for me.
QUICK TIPS FOR YOUR HOI AN TRIP
My favorite hotels in Hoi An
Nem’s House – Inexpensive, cute homestay right by the Banh Mi Queen.
Anantara Hoi An – Classic luxury awaits at this wonderful hotel right by the Old Town.
Dechiu – A beautiful boutique hotel with the most stunning interior on An Nang Beach.
Cool activities in Hoi An
Practical things
Cooking class in Hoi An
Truth to be told, there is no shortcoming for a cooking course in Hoi An. Even some hostels offer spring roll classes and all over town, you will find classes to introduce you to Vietnamese food and cooking if you are keen.
My chef for the day is Mrs. Dung, one of the only female chefs in Vietnam who does cooking classes like this – most women keep their expertise hidden inside the kitchen.
While most Hoi An cooking schools offer a typical Vietnamese cooking class with dishes like spring rolls and crepes, E Village likes to offer their visitors something a little different. On our menu for the day are cassava noodle salad with shrimp & pork, lotus spring rolls, and braised eggplant and minced pork in a clay pot – it is the only time I have ever seen cassava noodles!
Read more about my love for Vietnamese food:
Lunchtime is slow during the rainy season in Hoi An and so we have a station set up on the patio with stove and chopping area. I am not sad to see that most of the ingredients have been chopped and arranged for me already. I rather test my knowledge of Vietnamese products and the ability to eat chili.
We start with the cassava noodle salad and Mrs. Dung walks me through the ingredients and the process. The noodles don’t need cooking but have already soaked in water so it is a quick dish. Once the salad is done we arrange it on an edible rice-flour & sesame plate – to eat we break off pieces and use them as a spoon for the noodles.
Next up are our lotus, pork & prawn spring rolls and I get a lesson in proper spring roll rolling. To be honest, I have never been a huge fan of fried spring rolls as I usually find them too greasy and the sweet chili sauce yucky. The spring rolls we make are entirely different and we eat them fresh from the pan after a very quick photoshoot. The best part about them is the dipping sauce which is anything but yucky but instead fresh and acidic, adding the perfect balance to the wonderfully fatty and nutty spring rolls.
Last we make eggplant curry, a perfect dish for a rainy day in Vietnam. which you could easily make vegetarian too. After the eggplant is deep-fried in a pan, it is further stewed and eventually served in a small clay pot which resembles a Moroccan tagine. If you visit Hoi An beach, head to Soul Kitchen to a superb beach version of this dish!
While most of the spring rolls have become in-between-cooking-snack there is plenty to go around once we sit down to eat. After my disappointing first Vietnamese dinner with pizza from the previous night, I am immediately mollified after my Hoi An cooking class and more in love with Vietnamese food than ever.
Where to book a cooking class in Hoi An
Unfortunately, E Village where I did my cooking class in Hoi An closed down during Covid. A sad loss for the culinary scene in town but lucky for you there are still plenty of great cooking classes around.
You can check favorite Hoi An restaurants like Vy’s Market or Morning Glory as they offer classes or book from various tour operators.
Many cooking classes also add a market visit, a boat trip, and activities like crab fishing. A fun option if you want to make a day of it and also learn more about rural Vietnamese life.
Alternatively, there are some cooking classes in Hoi An that are basically just that: a cooking class. Perfect if you are short on time and want to focus on the most important issue – learning how to make delicious Vietnamese food.
Usually, you will get the recipes after class at the Central Market in Hoi An you can buy a lot of the dry ingredients you will need to recreate the dishes at home.
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