* Scroll down to view each of the 3 available tours

RED BRIDGE CLASSIC HALF DAY COOKING TOUR (8.15am-1pm)

We start the day (8.15am) with a welcome drink at Hai Café ( 98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street , Hoi An Ancient Town, Tel: 863210) – our meeting point.

Visit Hoi An’s colourful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about all the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later.

We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School . This is a chance to view local river life, so make sure your camera is handy.

On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam ’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours - the Red Bridge chefs first demonstrate each dish before we prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat what we have cooked.

Bring your swimsuit and after the cooking tour has finished relax and enjoy free use of our new 20 metre swimming pool.

Recipes: - Vegetarians are provided with replacement ingredients.

1.  Rice paper (making)

2.  Fresh Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp

3.  Crispy Hoi An Pancakes with Shrimp, Herbs, Bean Sprouts & a Peanut Sauce

4.  Seafood Salad with mixed Vietnamese Herbs served in Half a Pineapple

5.  Vietnamese Eggplant in Clay Pot

6.  Food Decoration - Pineapple Boat, 3 Coloured Flowers & Vietnamese Hand Fan

*   Lunch includes the above meals as well as:

Steamed Ocean Fish on a bed of Fresh Vegetables (not included in the demonstration)

Cost: US$18 per person (2008) and includes:

·       1 Drink (non-alcoholic) at Hai Scout Café - extra drinks at Red Bridge will be charged for.

·       Local English speaking guide and chef

·       Boat trip

·       Cooking demonstration and lunch

·       All recipes and notes

·       Transfer from Red Bridge Cooking School to central Hoi An

·       Free use of the new Red Bridge swimming pool (towels & showers provided) - taxis are available back to town / beach area for around US$2-3 per car.

Note:

·       Full payment is required at the time of booking - no refunds.

·       No child prices.

·       Cooking tour operates everyday of the year.

·       Tour is conducted in English.

·       Minimum of 2 persons are required for the tour to operate.

NEW RED BRIDGE FULL DAY COOKING TOUR (8am-2.30/3pm)

We start the day (8am) with a welcome drink at Hai Café ( 98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street , Hoi An Ancient Town, Tel: 863210) – our meeting point.

Travel by minivan (10 mins) to Tra Que Organic Village , and walk through the market gardens where local farmers work their fields using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago - no electrical machinery here. We pick fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for our cooking lesson later, before trying a special herbal drink at a local home.

To the local village market and with shopping list in hand we purchase a range of local ingredients, including star anise, cardamom, sesame rice paper, water spinach and banana flower.

Arriving at Red Bridge Cooking School we have a chance to freshen up before beginning our class. Working together with our Red Bridge Chef we learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional Vietnamese utensils (still in use today) we cook 4 famous dishes, including the national dish ‘Pho’.  

After the class we sit down and a chance to savour the dishes we have prepared.  

Leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River back to central Hoi An.

Bring your swimsuit and after the cooking tour has finished relax and enjoy free use of our new 20 metre swimming pool.

Recipes: - Vegetarians are provided with replacement ingredients.

1.  Hanoi Beef & Rice Noodle Soup (Pho)  

- i- includes the making of fresh rice noodles.

2.  Clay Pot Fish with Fresh Dill (Cha Ca)

3.  Lemongrass Shrimp grilled in Banana Leaves (Tom Nuong La Chuoi)

4.  Grilled Chicken and Banana Flower Salad (Goi Hoa Chuoi Ga Nuong)

Cost: US$35 per person (2008) and includes:

·    1 Drink (non-alcoholic) at Hai Scout Café - extra drinks at Red Bridge will be charged for.

·    Local English speaking chef

·    Tra Que Village tour

·    Cooking demonstration and lunch

·    All recipes and notes

·    Transfer from Red Bridge Cooking School to central Hoi An

·    Free use of the new Red Bridge swimming pool (towels & showers provided) - taxis are available back to town / beach area for around US$2-3 per car.

Note:

·     Full payment is required at the time of booking - no refunds.

·     No child prices.

·     Cooking tour operates everyday of the year.

·     Tour is conducted in English.

·     Minimum of 2 persons are required for the tour to operate.

HAI CAFÉ EVENING COOKING CLASS (6pm-8pm)

 A Hoi An cooking class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine. The demonstration takes about 1 hour – each person helps prepare the dishes and then sits down to enjoy the meal.

The café’s chef introduces you to the local ingredients, takes you through the preparation, and explains the Hoi An style of cooking.

Recipes are provided at the start of the class.

Recipes: - Vegetarians are provided with replacement ingredients.

1. White Rose * – shrimp and pork wrapped in steamed rice flour.

2. Vegetable Spring Rolls – market vegetables wrapped with fresh rice paper and pan-fried.

3. Squid Salad – thinly sliced squid sautéed and combined with green papaya, onion, ginger, garlic, Vietnamese mint and lemon juice.

4. Fried Wonton * – wheat flour steamed to produce a wrapping filled with shrimp and pork. Wantons are fried in hot oil and garnished with market vegetables and crushed black pepper.

5. Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf – local ocean fish stuffed with lemongrass, coriander, garlic, onions, sugar and rum. Fish is wrapped in banana leaves and barbecued for approximately 30 minutes.

* Please Note: White Rose and Fried Wanton are secret recipes made by only 1 family in Hoi An. They are included in the meal, but are not part of the cooking demonstration.

 Cost: US$10 per person (2008) and includes:

·       Local English speaking chef

·       Cooking demonstration and dinner

·       All recipes and notes

 Note:

·       Full payment is required at the time of booking - no refunds.

·       No child prices.

·       Cooking class operates everyday of the year.

·       Class is conducted in English.

·       Minimum of 4 persons are required for the class to operate.