Cycling and cooking in Hoi An

We had a combined cycling and cooking class which was also run by the Morning Glory crew.  The cycle ride was my first in Vietnam and turned out ok apart from a flat tyre.  I realised that I would be able to cycle around which means that my fear of motor bikes wouldn’t stop me from going out (it’s along story). We cycled out to a very large market garden (a bit like an allotment) where we tasted various herbs and watched a farmer plant some seedlings by lining the planting ditch with seaweed.  Then back to the cooking class which turned out to be run by our cycling guide Bao.  This time we cooked individually and then ate at our cooking stations.  It was a very professional set up.  We started with a green mango salad, then cooked crispy omelette (from a packet no less) which we rolled in rice paper with lots of herbs including a slice of starfruit and green banana. We then tackled 2 versions of the local speciality – White Rose dumplings. The shrimp (or pork) version is fashioned a bit like a white dog rose and the vegetarian version like a tiny pasty. Marinated grilled pork was rolled up in rice paper with lots of herbs and dipped in a satay sauce. The lemongrass ice cream at the end was a bonus – not made by us…