Vietnamese bride brings spring rolls, Hoi An chicken rice... to Senegal, 'captivating' diners

Don't be afraid to explore new lands

In 2003, Ms. Le Thi Hai Yen (41 years old, originally from Ho Chi Minh City) and her two daughters (children with her divorced French husband) moved to France to settle down. Two years later, she met and married her current husband. She has two more sons, the first is in 9th grade this year, the second is only 2 years old.

She and her husband lived in Marseille (France) for 10 years and then moved to Toulouse so her husband could open his own company. Her husband's job required him to travel to many countries frequently, so she and her children also followed the "nomadism" philosophy.

Ms. Hai Yen is living in Senegal.

"During the Covid-19 outbreak, traveling abroad was very difficult. My husband and I could not go to countries with a red epidemic level. At that time, we planned to go to Ivory Coast, but a week before departure, the country changed to a red level, so we could not go. In Africa, Senegal is one of two countries with a green epidemic level, so the whole family decided to go there," she recalled.

For her, life in Senegal is quite peaceful.

It was thought that the decision to move to Africa with her husband would be difficult for the Vietnamese bride, but in reality it was quite comfortable.

"When I first arrived, I was a bit surprised by the facilities in Senegal. People's lives are quite simple. People in remote areas do not have electricity or water. Only people in big cities or the rich have them," said the Vietnamese bride.

The restaurant staff assisted Ms. Yen in cooking.

A few weeks after arriving in the new country, the woman started going to the market by motorbike or horse cart. It was difficult to find Vietnamese food and ingredients here, and tropical fruits were not abundant. Her family bought a house near the coast to their liking and intended to stay here for a long time.

Introducing Vietnamese cuisine to Senegalese diners

Ms. Yen tried to adapt to her new life through food. She saw that the locals often used hibiscus leaves to cook soup and soaked the flowers in water to drink. The woman also tried it. At first, it tasted strange, but gradually she got used to it and found it good.

Hoi An chicken rice dish prepared by Ms. Yen

"Where I live is about 80km from Senegal's main city, there are Vietnamese restaurants there. However, finding rice paper and fish sauce is also very difficult because the Vietnamese community living here is small. For 8 months, I could not find fish sauce, some ingredients I had to bring from France. In addition to new dishes, there are also pure Vietnamese dishes in every meal," the mother of four confided.

Dessert

In addition to the locals, Senegal also has many Europeans living and working there. There are no Vietnamese restaurants in the area where she lives, so she often cooks traditional dishes and invites people over to eat to strengthen the connection.

Spring rolls are a favorite dish of many diners.

One time, a French friend complimented her cooking skills and asked her to cook for a nearby restaurant. She agreed and went to the restaurant to cook once a month. In Senegal, it is common to have "houses without numbers, streets without names" so she could not cook at home to sell online. She usually prepared a menu for diners to order.

"Spring rolls, spring rolls, braised pork... are dishes that people here really like to eat. The first time I made them for about 40 people and they were successful because they praised them a lot. I still remember the time I made sweet potato dessert, many people thought that dessert would be cakes, butter, milk... but they didn't expect the main ingredient to be sweet potatoes. Another time I made banana ice cream, they were also very surprised. Seeing them enjoy the dishes I made with my own hands, I was very happy," she shared.

Vietnamese ingredients are hard to find in Senegal

According to her, restaurants in Senegal are quite expensive, up to 20,000f/dish, equivalent to 30 euros, because of high cost of ingredients.

"Senegalese cuisine has about 8-10 main dishes. Vietnamese cuisine makes me proud and I want to introduce the dishes to more countries," the Vietnamese bride confided.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/co-dau-viet-dua-cha-gio-com-ga-hoi-an-sang-tan-senegal-hop-hon-thuc-khach-185230509173801356.htm