Vietnamese female chef tells the story of bringing 'July fried spring rolls' to the State Banquet at the Italian Presidential Palace

Ravioli In Carta Di Riso "Nem ran Luglio" - Ravioli with rice paper "July fried spring rolls" was the first dish at the State Banquet held at the Italian Presidential Palace in Rome on the evening of July 26 (local time), hosted by Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter.

What's special is that this dish was made by a Vietnamese female chef, Ms. Dinh Thi Hue (28 years old, from Hanoi ) - Runner-up of the Masterchef Italia program (Masterchef Italia 2023).

The story behind the dish "July fried spring rolls" is full of interesting and surprising things.

From the opening words of the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy

In a conversation with reporters during her days living and working in Milan, Ms. Hue still had the emotions of 2 months of "sleepless nights" to fulfill her role as chef in the recent important State Banquet.

Ms. Dinh Thi Hue works with chefs at the Italian Presidential Palace, preparing for the State Banquet on July 26.

Recalling the end of March and beginning of April, after being known by many Vietnamese and Italians as the runner-up of the Italian MasterChef 2023 program, Ms. Hue had an intimate meeting with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy, in Rome.

“The embassy said that maybe around September, the Italian Presidential Palace will welcome a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to visit, as this year marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Italy diplomatic relations.

The embassy asked me to cook a dish to represent the friendly relationship between the two countries at the State Banquet at the Italian Presidential Palace. At that time, I was extremely honored to be able to play a role in such an important event and immediately agreed," the female chef recalled.

"July fried spring rolls" appeared on the menu of the State Banquet.

In June, she was surprised to receive information that the meeting would be earlier than expected, taking place on July 26. At this time, she knew that she did not have much time to prepare the dish. Because, for her, a dish that would be present at this special and important event could not be prepared in a day or two.

Working with the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy, as well as with the kitchen at the Italian Presidential Palace, Ms. Hue came up with the idea of ​​making a completely new dish, which when eaten, people will immediately feel the fusion between Italian and Vietnamese cuisine.

From here, the idea of ​​fried spring rolls made with rice paper crust, which is typical of Vietnamese cuisine on the outside, and the filling of Ravioli - a type of pasta with the essence of Italian cuisine - "jumped into the head of a petite Vietnamese female chef.

The dish is from Ms. Hue's idea, a fusion of Vietnamese and Italian cuisine.

The filling doesn’t seem to be too big of a problem, as the typical ingredients can be found in Italy. The problem is the crust. Ms. Hue went to supermarkets near her home in Italy but still couldn’t find a satisfactory one.

“Starting in June, I started experimenting with cooking this dish at home. The only rice paper wrapper I felt satisfied with was the one I brought from Vietnam, which was not available in supermarkets in Italy,” she said. At that time, Ms. Hue asked the embassy to find ingredients in Vietnam and send them over.

Why is it called "July fried spring rolls"?

After many times of researching this dish at home, as well as traveling from Milan to Rome twice, working with chefs at the Italian Presidential Palace, Ms. Hue was able to finalize the idea and complete the recipe for this special cake.

The female chef describes Ravioli In Carta Di Riso "Nem ran Luglio" - Ravioli with rice paper "July fried spring rolls" was named by herself, when mentioned by the menu unit in the Italian Presidential Palace.

The reason it's called "July fried spring rolls" is because this dish has become something I've been thinking about and pondering over during these July days, when it was featured in a very important occasion. The person enjoying the dish will also feel the "very summery" taste of July, so I decided to order it.

Chef Dinh Thi Hue

Ms. Hue received support from 8 other chefs in the Italian Presidential Palace when making this special dish.

“July fried spring rolls”, as described by Ms. Hue, have a rice paper crust on the outside, covering the filling inside with a combination of ricotta, pecorino romano (cheese), origano leaves, basil leaves, carrots, bean sprouts... fried. When eaten with raw vegetables, you will feel the crunchiness on the outside of the crust and the juicy filling inside.

What is special, for Ms. Hue, is that the dish has the full colors of the national flags of Vietnam and Italy, as an intention of the maker, to highlight the friendly and strong relationship between the two countries and peoples.

Ms. Hue said she worked with 12 chefs at the Italian Presidential Palace. To entertain 150 guests on July 26, she was present from July 25 to prepare, with the support of 8 chefs, 400 portions of "July fried spring rolls".

Setting foot in the kitchen of the Presidential Palace, with talented colleagues, for Ms. Hue is an honor.

On the official day of the State Banquet, the first dish was served. The entire kitchen area at the Presidential Palace was excited, Ms. Hue hoped that "the beginning would be smooth, the end would be smooth" and the dish would receive good feedback.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy, Duong Hai Hung, on the sidelines of the State Banquet, shared that the presence of "July fried spring rolls" on the State Banquet menu this time is the appreciation of the chefs of the Italian Presidential Palace for Vietnamese cuisine.

She described that during the State Banquet that day, the mobile kitchen was set up near the banquet area for convenience. "However, I still focused on completing my work well, not letting any incident happen, no matter how small," Ms. Hue shared.

After the State Banquet, the female chef finally "breathed a sigh of relief". For her, the journey to bring "July fried spring rolls" to the Italian Presidential Palace was probably a special journey that she will never forget in her life.

The special journey at the Italian Presidential Palace was an unforgettable memory for the Vietnamese female chef.

There, she not only got to visit, learn, and know how the kitchen at the Presidential Palace operates, a place that not everyone can enter. But more than that, she was happy and proud to contribute a little bit of her effort between the two countries of Vietnam and Italy...

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