Even Hanoians need a helping hand in the kitchen. Minh Phuong swallows her pride and rolls up her sleeves in Highway4
It’s 8am but already I’m planning lunch. I meet up with an Australian couple, Linda and Percy, in Highway4 at 5 Hang Tre street, as all of us are here to discover more about the scrumptious world of Vietnamese cooking. So guided by Dzung from Highway4 we head off to investigate the ingredients of our lunch-to-be at Hang Be market, tucked away slap, bang in the middle of Hanoi’s old quarter. No one can tell exactly when Hang Be market first popped up, sometime in 18th century it’s believed, but here you can find enough high quality and varied foodstuffs to meet the demands of every household and restaurant in Hoan Kiem district in downtown Hanoi. It’s easy to be overwhelmed in the jungle of food, with produce from the north and the south. Even as a Hanoian I feel a little lost. There are vegetables I cannot distinguish, which thanks to Dzung I now know, like marjoram, which he tells us is not to be confused with mint. “They taste similar, but the colour is a little different,” he tells us. “The mint is totally green while the marjoram is greenish-purple.” Every seller in Hang Be market seems to know Dzung. We’re greeted with nothing but smiles as we mooch around the dried-goods where the thick scent of dried seafood, mushrooms, cinnamon, anise, pepper, ginger and garlic mingles in the air. Hang Be market is also abundant with fresh food, especially seafood, such as crabs, shrimp, cuttlefish and eel. “Oh my god!” yelps Linda. “There’s an octopus!” “I’ve never seen so much fresh food!” says Percy with an envious eye. “You know, living in Australia, we have only supermarkets with frozen food!” Then we take a cyclo from the market down to Highway4 at 54 Mai Hac De. The cyclo drivers speak English, not very well it has to be said, but they’re enthusiastic and willing to act as a guide for the unacquainted. It’s nine in the morning when we reach the restaurant and after a refreshing tea, Dzung introduces the three dishes we’re going to cook: Nem ca (Fish spring rolls), Com rang (Fried rice) and Canh chua ngao (Sour Clam Broth). Then chef Thang of Highway4 takes charge of the class. After we slip into our chef’s outfit and receive our step-by-step booklet, we start on the Fish Spring Rolls. He tells us to cut the catfish into forefinger-shaped pieces, squeeze them and then mix them up with flour and spices. The fish is popped into the pan and simmered until golden brown. Next, the fish is taken out of the pan and dipped in mayonnaise, then placed into rice paper with dill. Then it’s rolled up and ready to eat (but only after you dip it in wasabi). Next up is the fried rice. You place the rice and egg into a frying pan with cooking oil and mix them together before adding diced carrots, chopped spring onion, sliced cucumber and green pepper, fresh baby shrimp, chicken or pork (cut into small cubes). Thang explains the dish is not so difficult but it requires the ingredients to be put in a very specific order. Lastly, for the Sour Clam Broth, we boil the clams until the shells pop open, then add pineapple, dill, tomato, salt to the broth and boil for another 30- 45 seconds before switching off the gas – et voila! At first it had been confusing with the plethora of ingredients around us, but with the help of the chef, I have to say it seemed pretty easy, though the true test will be trying it myself at home. Afterwards, when we receive our Highway4 gift, Linda’s obviously feeling like a master chef: “After this I’m thinking of opening a Vietnamese restaurant in my country.” “Eating fish spring rolls with wasabi is so yummy!” chips in Percy, digging into lunch behind our backs. So before he scoffs the lot, Linda and I jump in beside him and tuck in.
Contact Highway 4 for more info on cooking classes at info@highway4.com Other cooking classes in Hanoi Sofitel Metropole Hotel on Ngo Quyen street Anh Tuyet restaurant at 25 Ma May Street
