A Taste of Vietnam
I taught the first of 4 classes this week at the Williams-Sonoma store in Albuquerque, NM. Tonight’s class was “A Taste of Vietnam”, and we went over the basics of the cuisine, making nuoc cham nem sauce, a traditional Vietnamese accompaniment to almost any dish, and a dipping sauce for the next dish, which was summer rolls.
I showed the people in attendance (an intimate group of 13, who all got some hands-on cooking experience, how to handle the banh trang, or rice paper wrappers, and we use a variety of fillings, including rice noodles, cucumbers, carrots, shrimp, and a mix of herbs, such as mint, cilantro, thai basil, and spearmint.
We also make a grilled pork which was marinated in fish sauce, lime juice, cilantro root and sugar, and used it in the rolls.
We finished the class making a Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken with a Lemon Caramel Sauce.
food summer rolls lemongrass Vietnamese food personal chef ReMARKable Palate
Mark C. Tafoya is a personal chef in New York City. He is also a world traveler and self-taught gourmand. He is a graduate of Yale University, worked as an actor for 10 years, both On and Off Broadway, and in independent films. His love of travel and food has taken him around the world. He hopes to share his love of world cuisine with you!
