We made an appointment to meet Ms. Phan Ton Tinh Hai, a famous female chef descendant of the Nguyen Dynasty, when she had just finished a culinary competition for 100 chefs in Hoi An (Quang Nam) and returned to Ho Chi Minh City to start a meeting for a new culinary project the next morning. Despite her busy schedule, when we asked her to take a photo series of Tinh Hai's favorite dish, the lovely-faced female Master Chef did not hesitate to agree and started decorating.
Ms. Tinh Hai's wish is to bring the quintessence of her homeland to many people to enjoy.
Only by directly witnessing the preparation and decoration of the dishes can one fully appreciate the high concentration, meticulousness in every detail and the passion for culinary arts that always burns within her. And then one can understand why this "super" chef has always received respect and admiration from students and partners for so many years. Having taught since the age of 22, the female Master Chef became famous when studying for a master's degree in the US and participating in a series of programs and events promoting culinary culture, training and passing on the profession to many generations of students who have now become head chefs of 5-star restaurants.
Having devoted decades of her youth to the community and Vietnamese cuisine, when we asked her about her own aspirations, Ms. Tinh Hai was very humble. "My wish is to bring the quintessential products of my homeland to many people to enjoy," she confided.
The quintessential products that Ms. Tinh Hai is talking about are traditional dishes imbued with the soul of the countryside such as banh chung, pickled onions, ginger jam... For Ms. Tinh Hai, these are very familiar dishes but not everyone can enjoy them at an elite level. For example, pickled onions, her secret recipe is completely different from other industrial production places, no bleaching, no preservatives but very delicious, rich and can be kept for a long time.
We were personally prepared by the "super" chef Tinh Hai to treat us. Although we are familiar with this traditional dish, we must admit that Tinh Hai brand banh chung is hard to resist because of its delicacy, smoothness and special flavor, completely different from the types of banh chung that the writer has known before. The dish of pickled onions can only be said to be of a different class, the aroma spreads throughout the space and the sweetness is natural, completely without the "harsh" taste of "market" pickled onions. The traditional dish is personally selected by the famous chef and personally created using secret royal methods, it is difficult to describe it as truly as the actual feeling.
"I can deliver this banh chung to consumers in large quantities, but it must be ordered in advance and also limited, because to cook the cake with consistent quality, it takes a lot of time and effort. Currently, I cook a batch every 2 days and all are ordered by customers. The pickled shallots and ginger jam are in larger quantities, customers can buy unlimited amounts. My wish is to spread these products to consumers on any day of the year, not just focusing on the Tet season. This can be said to be a culinary gift that I want to send to everyone near and far," Ms. Tinh Hai shared.
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