From the “heritage” of banh chung to cooking for politicians
Việt Nam•22/11/2024
The name Madam Nhung is no longer strange in the culinary world. With over 30 years of experience, Madam Nhung is known for her unlimited creativity in dishes with bold Vietnamese flavors.
The name Madam Nhung is no longer strange in the culinary world.
Madam Nhung (real name Truong Thi Le Nhung, living in Hanoi) believes that banh chung is not only a part of Tet but also a culinary heritage of Vietnam. Although people can enjoy banh chung all year round, its cultural value does not fade. During her journey with traditional banh chung, Madam Nhung has constantly observed how Vietnamese people "treat" banh chung. She emphasized that everyone has special feelings for banh chung because of its wonderful flavor. Now, when banh chung is "dressed" in a new shirt, with enough colors and flavors, people love it even more. During her 33-year journey with cuisine, Madam Nhung believes that her important milestone is connecting people's love for cuisine. She always puts her heart into researching and discovering new flavors and unique cooking techniques to bring wonderful experiences to customers.
Ms. Nhung is a former student of Hanoi Amsterdam High School. After graduating from the University of Foreign Languages, she worked in many places, but then she pursued culinary arts and built her own brand.
In 2001, Madam Nhung received a special invitation: to cook a party to entertain VIP guests from Japan. This was an honor for her but also a huge pressure. "At that time, I had never cooked for foreign politicians. Therefore, I was very worried about how to satisfy them. How to cook delicious food that suits Japanese tastes," Nhung recalled. In the end, she chose a menu with many fresh ingredients such as wild mushrooms, mountain vegetables, meat and rice from the highlands.
In 2024, I plan to develop vegetarian dishes, especially vegetarian pho. The current culinary market's taste is vegetarian. Vegetarian dishes are now not simply vegetables but an art that contains the chef's feelings. Since it is a vegetarian dish in mind, the ingredients must be fresh, highlighting the original flavor of the dish, not fake vegetarian food and not related to meat dishes.
Madam Nhung
"I remember that was the time I created the dish of sticky rice with onions, using the meat steaming water to steam it. Sticky rice gives a pleasant aroma, and it absorbs the meat steaming water, making it even more delicious. Sticky rice is still a traditional dish, but I took care of the ingredients carefully, and also had a little secret, so it was convincingly delicious," said Ms. Nhung. The party was a success. The Japanese guests were very satisfied with her dishes. She has carried those memories with her throughout her career. It is both a motivation and a reminder for her to always try to continue creating many delicious dishes from Vietnamese products.
Madam Nhung's dishes are carefully invested in both form and quality.
Not only famous for banh chung, she also cooks many other traditional dishes of Hanoi such as braised fish, crab roe spring rolls, rolled pork ball soup, bun thang, chicken pho, beef pho and powdered rib porridge... Every time she creates a new recipe or dish, she simply thinks about how to preserve the culinary heritage of Hanoi. That way, the next generation can learn and love the traditional flavors of their homeland more. Many housewives say that Madam Nhung has contributed to "liberating" women from the kitchen. The food sets prepared and packaged by her have become a "savior" for housewives during holidays and Tet. Another Tet is coming and every time peach blossoms bloom signaling the coming of spring, she diligently experiments and creates dishes from traditional flavors. The vivid experiences of a time spent with cuisine are the "fire" that lights up her love and desire, so that she can continue to develop traditional cuisine to the fullest.
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