Small Group Highlight: Interactive Vietnamese Cooking Class
March 28, 2025
From humble beginnings as a 16th-century trading port, the central Vietnam city of Hội An has evolved into a vibrant 21st-century tourist destination. Known for its UNESCO-designated Ancient Town and the canals that cut through the heart of the city, Hội An draws approximately 4 million tourists annually.
It’s when the sun sets, though, that Hội An truly comes to life. Locals and visitors alike flock to Ancient Town to browse the famed night markets or visit one of the city’s many traditional Vietnamese restaurants – one of which hosts an interactive cooking class for guests on our Southeast Asia Odysseyand Journey through Vietnamsmall group tours.
Odysseys employee Jamie P. recently experienced this cooking class for himself while traveling on our Southeast Asia Odyssey small group tour. Scroll down to read about the class and see some of his photos – and be sure to try your hand at preparing these dishes using the recipes at the bottom of this post!
Hội An Ancient Town
After we spend the day exploring Hội An, we walk from our hotel to a nearby restaurant in the heart of Ancient Town. There, we head upstairs to our “classroom” for the evening: a large private room with individual cooking stations and ingredients already set out.
The class begins with our instructor introducing herself and explaining what we’ll be cooking. On the menu this evening are rice paper rolls, Vietnamese BBQ chicken, and bánh xèo – a stuffed rice pancake also called a Vietnamese crêpe.*
Our first order of business is to prepare the chicken, so we start by placing our chicken thighs into a bowl and combining with salt, sugar, black pepper, five spice, turmeric, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, chili, and lime leaves. We then mix well and skewer our chicken thighs before handing off to an instructor, who will take the chicken to the restaurant downstairs. There, they’ll grill it to perfection after it’s marinated for at least 30 minutes.
We then move on to the rice paper rolls. Also known as Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, rice paper rolls feature a variety of fresh ingredients – like herbs, vegetables, noodles, pork, and prawn – rolled tightly in a thin, translucent rice paper wrapper.
Our instructor now walks us through how to prepare bánh xèo, the star of the show. A street food staple throughout Central and Southern Vietnam, this crispy stuffed pancake is easy to prepare, affordable, and delicious. Bánh xèo is also perfect for sharing with family and friends, which is fitting given the importance of family and community in Vietnamese culture.
After powering on our burner, we add our ingredients and pan fry for approximately 3–4 minutes per side before removing from the heat and rolling in a rice paper wrapper. As if right on cue, our chicken skewers then return from the restaurant – piping hot and ready to eat – complete with mango and prawn salad made fresh in the kitchen downstairs.
Now it's time to put your culinary skills to the test ... do you think you have what it takes to whip up the dishes Jamie and his group prepared on tour? Scroll down to find out!
Rice Paper Rolls (Serves 4)
Ingredients
8 sheets rice paper
3 cups mixed herbs
7–8 oz. vermicelli rice noodles
8 slices of pork, cooked
12 prawns, cooked and sliced in half
12 flat garlic chives, each approx. 2⅓" in length
For the mixed herbs:
Anise
Basil
Mint
Vietnamese mint
Butter lettuce
Coriander
Shredded morning glory stem
Bean sprouts
Chrysanthemum leaves
For the sweet and sour sauce:
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp fish sauce
2 tsp water
1 tsp mild red chili and garlic, pounded
Directions
Working with one rice paper roll at a time, place a sheet of rice paper on a flat surface and wipe with a wet cloth.
Place a handful of mixed herbs at the edge of the rice paper closest to you.
Place three slices of prawn (pink side down) and two slices of pork directly above the mixed herbs.
Starting at the edge closest to you, roll rice paper over from the edge until you reach the prawn and fold in the sides.
Place garlic chives on the right-hand side of the rice paper, the finish rolling up.
Serve with sweet and sour dipping sauce.
For the sweet and sour sauce:
Combine lime juice and sugar in a small bowl.
Add fish sauce, water, chili, and garlic. Stir to mix.
BBQ Chicken with Lime Leaves and Mango & Prawn Salad (Serves 4)
Ingredients
7 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs
⅓ cup fresh turmeric, pounded OR 1 tbsp ground turmeric
⅓ cup lemongrass, pounded
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp coarse black pepper
½ tsp five spice
4 lime leaves, finely sliced
2 tbsp garlic, pounded
2 tbsp shallots, pounded
1 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
8 wooden skewers
For the salad:
7 oz. green mango, sliced
1 cup onion, finely sliced
1½ cups mixed Vietnamese mint and mint
3½ oz. prawns, poached and sliced
1½ tbsp salad dressing
2 tsp sesame seeds, roasted
½ tsp Hội An chili sauce
¼ tsp sea salt
Pinch of coarse black pepper
1 tbsp shallot oil
2 tbsp fried shallots
4 rice crackers
For the dressing:
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp garlic and red chili, pounded
Directions
Soak wooden skewers in water for 1 hour.
Cut chicken thighs into 16 pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add salt, black pepper, and five spice and mix well.
Add turmeric, garlic, shallot, lemongrass, chili flakes, lime leaves, sesame oil, and fish sauce to chicken and mix well. (Note: If you are using fresh turmeric, you may want to wear plastic gloves to keep your hands from turning yellow.)
Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes.
Thread two chicken pieces onto each skewer.
Grill for 4–5 on each side. Serve warm with prawn and mango salad.
For the salad:
In a bowl, combine shrimp, onions, 1 cup mint, 1 tsp sesame seeds, and salad dressing. Mix well.
Add mangos. Toss to mix.
Garnish with remaining mint, sesame seeds, and fried shallots. Serve with rice crackers.
For the salad:
Combine lime juice and sugar in a bowl. Stir to dissolve.
Add fish sauce and garlic/chili mix to bowl. Mix well to combine.
Bánh Xèo (Serves 4)
Ingredients
½ cup long grain rice
½ cup mung beans
5½ cups water
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp scallion greens, finely sliced
¼ cup coconut cream
8 tsp vegetable oil
16 slices of pork shoulder, cooked and finely sliced
16 baby shrimps, cooked
Bean sprouts
8 sheets rice paper
To serve:
2 cups mixed herbs
8 green banana slices
8 star fruit slices
Peanut sauce
Sweet and sour sauce
Directions
Soak rice in 2 cups of water overnight.
Soak mung beans in 2 cups of water overnight.
Rinse rice well and drain. Add 1 cup of water to rice and blend until a smooth liquid forms.
Rinse mung beans well and drain. Add ½ cup of water to mung beans and blend until a smooth liquid forms.
Mix the rice and mung bean batters together and add turmeric, scallion greens, and coconut cream. Mix well to combine.
In a bánh xèo pan (or the smallest frying pan you can find), heat 1 tsp vegetable oil.
Place 2 slices of pork in hot pan on one side and cook for 10 seconds on each side.
Place 2 shrimp in the pan on the side opposite the pork.
Ladle in a small amount of bánh xèo batter and tilt pan to distribute evenly.
Fry for 3–4 minutes until lightly colored and crispy.
Place a handful of bean sprouts on the side closest to you, then fold the other side over toward you to create a half-moon shape. Continue cooking for 1–2 minutes on each side.
Repeat steps with the remaining batter to make 8 bánh xèo.
Place 1 bánh xèo on a sheet of softened rice paper and roll tightly. Repeat with remaining bánh xèo.
Serve with mixed herbs, star fruit, green banana, and dipping sauces.
You too can discover Vietnam's many wonders for yourself – and experience this authentic cooking class – on our Southeast Asia Odysseyand Journey through Vietnamsmall group tours. But until then, happy cooking!
*Please note: As the restaurant(s) hosting our class may use rotating seasonal menus, we cannot guarantee that all cooking classes on all departures will prepare the same meals.
