Pre-Launch Giveaway: Online Vietnamese Classics Class

Great news! Next Tuesday on January 28, my second online cooking class with Craftsy launches. “Vietnamese Classics: Pho, Noodles & Beyond" is a fun class that covers a number of favorite go-to Vietnamese dishes, things that I make at home, order out at restaurants – foods like goi cuon rice paper rolls, chicken and beef pho noodle soups, and bun rice noodle salad bowls. I designed the class as a primer on Vietnamese ingredients, cooking techniques, as well as how to shop at Asian markets.

When Craftsy invited me back to teach Vietnamese cooking, they asked me what I wanted to include. Pho(!), of course. But I wanted to offer a tight, focused survey of the classics, so I built the class around popular kinds of rice noodles, a core component of Viet kitchen. Given all that, the class lessons progress in difficulty – from dishes that are doable with supermarket ingredients to those that required a little stretching (i.e., going into the ‘hood for authentic Asian ingredients).

Join me to cook, shop, cook, and eat Vietnamese classics.

For example, I developed a nifty quick version of pho noodle soup, one that I’m truly proud of, that I’d serve you if you came to my home I had only 30 minutes to prepare you something deliciously satisfying. It took a couple of weeks of tinkering in my kitchen to come up with that recipe, a nice segue to the more traditional, slow recipes for chicken and beef pho. I like to push people bit by bit in the books I write and the classes I teach.

I also wanted to take cooks inside an Asian market. That’s the number one obstacle for many people when they’re starting out. “Okay!” the editor and director enthusiastically said. Director/producer Joe Baran scouted and found an Asian market for us to shoot in.

I have never been in single- or negative-digit temperatures before!

Unfortunately, we scheduled the shoot during the hideous cold spell early last December. But things worked out fine once I managed to avoid slipping on the icy sidewalk and got inside the market. You wouldn’t know it by watching the lesson in the class.

One of highlights of the shoot was the fact that Joe’s family came to the studio. They were very interested in learning about Vietnamese cooking and braved the freezing temperatures to drive to the studio. His older son had tested my quick pho recipe, preparing it to earn an A++ in his junior high cooking class. Joe’s two sons tried out the food we’d made on set, and this photo says it all:

A major vote of confidence from the Baran boys

The point of this online Viet class -- and my in-person classes too -- is that I help you build a foundation for making the Vietnamese dishes covered in class as well as ones that you may want to try in the future. There's a bit of etiquette too, as I discuss how to avoid pho faux pas. That’s to say, there are lots of takeaways!

As with the Asian dumplings class that I made with Craftsy, this one is packed full of helpful information and entertaining tidbits. Once you’ve bought the class, you own it forever and can watch at your leisure, wherever you want. Plus, you can pose questions and I answer them – just like a classroom.

Leading up to next Tuesday’s launch, Craftsy is giving away one free class enrolment!

The giveaway lowdown:

• The prize: One (1) registration to Vietnamese Classics: Pho, Noodles & Beyond (value $39.99)
• Who can enter: Any member of Craftsy (it’s free to join and there is no purchase necessary)
• Does your location matter? No, Craftsy classes are accessible worldwide
• Who draws the winning entry: Craftsy
• Giveaway end date: 5pm (PST), Monday, January 27
• Giveaway winner announcement: Tuesday, January 28
• How to enter: Complete and submit the entry form at Craftsy (don't leave a comment here) 

Because Craftsy is hosting the giveaway, submit your entry by using the form at Crafsy. Good luck!