Joining a cooking class is always an unforgettable thing to do in Hanoi. Among the cooking classes, Chef Ai’s cooking class is an impressive cooking class that Handspan highly recommends. For us, Chef Ai is not only a partner but also a friend who will bring you a local experience. Through her guide, you will have a chance to learn how to cook Vietnamese dishes. Let’s meet Chef Ai with Handspan Travel Indochina!

Through this article, you will know the pieces of information below.

Who is Chef Ai?

Chef Ai is a passionate chef in Hanoi with more than 15 years of experience. Before being well-known as a chef in the top 5 of Master Chef Vietnam in 2014, she worked as a helper for foreign families and was in charge of planning the menu for private parties at home. This job allows her to be exposed to different cultures and cuisines. 

Chef Ai

Since 2015, Chef Ai has been cooperating with Vietnam’s travel agencies as a local chef sharing about Hanoi street foods and teaching how to cook traditional Vietnamese dishes. She aims to bring foreign friends closer to Vietnamese food and culture through her passion and enthusiasm. Besides working with travel agencies, Chef Ai also supports and consults for many restaurants, hotels, and organizations, such as IDEA (International Development Education Association), Super Candle Hotel, Dong Phu 1932 Restaurant, etc. She used to join the cooking demonstration with CIAT (Center International Agricultural Tropical) to convey the message about healthy meals for Vietnamese people. 

Recently, she has worked with Mr. Dan Buettner, who discovered five places in the world where people live the longest and the healthiest. They shared and talked with each other about the plant-based diet in meals.

Chef Ai and Mr. Dan Buettner

Chef Ai’s principles of cooking

When cooking, Chef Ai sets herself rules to follow to ensure that meals are not only delicious but also healthy. She would like each guest to feel her affection in every dish. Below are Chef Ai’s principles of cooking that she complies with.

• Respect the ingredients
• Use local and seasonal ingredients
• Avoid using too many spices to keep the natural taste of the food
• Balance nutrition and fully combine nutrients: protein, starch, vitamins, fiber, cooking oils, minerals, etc.
• Always update the information and knowledge of multicultural cuisines to combine them with Vietnamese food 
• Learn from other cooks to boost skills and appreciate the culinary culture

Chef Ai in her cozy corner

Experiences you can get from Chef Ai’s cooking class

With a vast knowledge of ingredients, cooking techniques, and flavors, Chef Ai will undoubtedly offer you unforgettable experiences. Let’s see things you can enjoy from her cooking class. 

Visiting Vinh Phuc Market, a local wet market near Chef Ai’s house

The wet market, built in the residential areas to serve locals’ needs, is one of the essences of Vietnamese culture. Joining Chef Ai’s cooking class, you will have a chance to visit the Vinh Phuc Market, a local wet market near her house. Coming here, you can find various stalls selling different types of fresh foods and produces, and immerse yourself in the crowded atmosphere of buyers and sellers. Chef Ai will show you how local people bargain and purchase food, select the freshest and most classic ingredients and use them in daily meals. Let’s observe local people and learn about their daily ways of life in the market!

Vinh Phuc Market

Chef Ai introduces the wet market

Chef Ai introduces the ingredients

Learning how to cook Vietnamese dishes

After taking a walk around the market, you will visit Chef Ai’s house to participate in the cooking class. In her cozy kitchen, you can feel her passion for cooking and learn about the cultural meaning of North Vietnam’s most popular dishes. 

Vietnamese noodles

Among the cooking class menus, the first menu which includes pomelo salad and shrimp burn with rum, royal grilled fish, and Hanoi cappuccino coffee, is always the best choice. With this menu, you will have a chance to learn how to make salad dressing and dipping sauce. Instead of using raw shrimp paste, Chef Ai uses fish sauce to make the dipping sauce for the grilled fish. She will show you how special the fish sauce is for the locals’ meals. Also, you will know how local people in North Vietnam use local species and herbs. Besides, what makes this menu unique is the Hanoi cappuccino coffee, which can be egg coffee, egg cocoa, or egg matcha. Chef Ai will share with you the history, story, and making coffee technique.  

Pomelo salad and shrimp burn with rum

Royal grilled fish

Chef Ai shows how to make the egg coffee

In addition to the foods and drinks on this menu, you can choose another menu with beef salad, fried spring rolls, and yogurt, or the menu with two versions of “Pho” (Vietnamese noodles), and the menu for vegetarians. 

Spring rolled Pho

Now, it’s time to choose yourself a suitable menu and learn to cook North Vietnam’s dishes with Chef Ai!

In addition to the cooking class, Chef Ai also works as a guide who shows you about Hanoi’s street foods. Following her step, you can enjoy a cup of coffee in a tranquil corner with a view of Hoan Kiem Lake while learning how Hanoian drink coffee. Besides, you will have a chance to taste the “Banh Xeo” (Vietnamese crepe), “Banh Duc” (rice soup), Pho (Vietnamese noodles), Banh Mi, Banh Khuc (Vietnamese spinach sticky rice ball), etc.

Banh Xeo

In conclusion, Chef Ai is an experienced, knowledgeable, and skilled cook who is always willing to show you Vietnamese food and culture. Let’s meet and make friends with her! 

Refer to our Vietnam Luxury Holiday, which includes Chef Ai’s cooking class in Hanoi here:  https://www.handspan.com/en/vietnam-luxury-holiday.html