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1
I'm on a great escape
***! I'm pumping the brakes.
.
.
getting away from it all
How are you?
.
.
and back to doing what I love best.
MAN: It's a fried spider.
I've been cooking now for 25 years
and I still get so excited
about being taught
something unique, something new.
My appetite for culinary adventure
takes me country hopping around
South-East Asia.
It's home to some of
the world's best cuisine
That is amazing.
.
.
but it's way off
my gastronomic map.
It's like a little,
wide moustache.
Woven bird's spit.
I'm starting my great escape
in Vietnam.
Excuse me?!
Hello, can I have a lift?
I have the most delicious
and freshest ingredients
at my fingertips.
I've never seen squid that fresh.
Look at it.
I experience the world's
most extreme cuisine
What is that?
That is the mountain rat.
You are kidding me, aren't you?
.
.
and I discover that
in Vietnam
It's still beating.
.
.
if it moves, they eat it.
Ah, ***!
Theme music
I've just arrived in Ho Chi Minh.
It's the foodie capital
of the south
and I'm here to get my induction
to this country's incredible food.
One into the city.
Yes.
Yes.
I've never been to Vietnam before
and I can't wait to get started.
For me, the idea of escape
is to go to a country where
you're not noticed, bed down,
and more importantly
.
.
turn the phone off
and just disappear -
I mean, really disappear.
Just me and food - that's it.
It's ten in the morning and
already it's a boiling 35 degrees.
Oh ***.
I trust the air-conditioning's
not working then.
and I've heard the Vietnamese
are a nation of fearless foodies.
They're rumoured to waste nothing
and eat everything.
Everyone says in France,
it's the nose to tail.
Over here,
completely different level.
If it moves, they eat it.
That's new territory for me.
Here we go.
Oops.
My first stop
is the mother of all
fresh-food markets, Ben Thanh.
This is Vietnam's answer
to our supermarkets,
but here the food
is as fresh as it gets.
Wow, look at this place.
My God.
It's amazing!
Where's the fish section?
Which section?
Fish.
Fish? Here.
Oh, through there.
Thank you.
It's the liveliest market
I've been to -
many ingredients
still have a pulse.
Unbelievable.
Everything's out, open.
Fresh.
He's taking the heads
off the shrimp there.
Everything's just so vibrant,
alive.
Fresh and kicking.
Incredible.
Freshness is king in Vietnam
and I'm here to meet a woman
whose reputation relies on it.
Mrs Vy? How are you?
Hello.
Nice to see you.
Likewise.
Hi, Gordon.
Yes.
I'm shopping.
You're shopping? Yes.
What an amazing place.
Hello.
How are you.
?
Hello.
(Giggles)
Vy Trinh owns four of the
country's hottest restaurants.
She creates a new menu every day,
using the market for inspiration.
So this is your local market?
Yes.
And how many times a day
do you come? Twice.
The average person in Britain
goes shopping once a week.
We have to shop every day.
Why every day? Because
there are fresh ingredients.
You can see,
everything's still alive.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, ***.
Uh-oh.
(Chuckles)
Bloody hell.
And this is normal
to have the frogs like that
with their legs tied?
If you want to get one,
they will cut it up for you.
So they just Ooh.
Yes.
This is how we buy it.
Just buy them like this?
The whole thing, no waste.
And what are they down there?
Catfish.
But you gotta buy
when everything's still
Whoa, they're strong.
Would you eat them that small,
that tiny? Yeah.
Now, you eat the whole thing -
the whole thing -
you're not wasting anything.
We have no dairy,
so the bone is so important
to get some calcium.
So now dairy and that's why
you eat the bone, the fins
Eat everything.
You're shopping fresher than
a lot of restaurants.
Absolutely.
All this leaping and wriggling
might look the stuff
of nightmares,
but ingredients this fresh
are a chef's dream.
Right.
What are we gonna cook?
Vy's hijacked a stall
to show me how to turn these clams
she's just bought
into a stunning dish.
You can tell how fresh they are
because they're so firm.
It's like trying to get into The
Pentagon - you can't pierce that.
It's incredible.
The more fresh, the more harder.
My God.
Come on.
Yeah.
Then you put about a quarter
of a cup of shallot.
OK.
Spring onions.
We need about a teaspoon
of nuoc mam into it.
So fish sauce?
This is a fish sauce.
So fish sauce crucial
to the ingredient? Mm-hm.
So we need some dressing
onto each clam.
So how long do they take?
I would say about three minutes.
Again, it's all charcoaled, isn't
it, 'cause you don't have ovens?
Everything's just
sort of open-flamed.
Mmm.
That's incredible.
Look how quick that cooked.
See the way they cook?
Oh, getting so smoky.
Love it.
Can't turn the gas down.
Done.
I love Vy's no-fuss approach.
In minutes,
she's turned raw ingredients
into the ultimate fast food.
They smell fantastic, Vy.
Mm-hm.
Right, I'm dying
to eat one of them.
Yep.
We pour that juice on there?
Yeah, pour the sauce on top.
Mmm.
Nice?
Delicious.
Who needs a seafood bar when
you've got a market like this?
My God.
And I'm only here for a week,
so what a great start.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
But I think
one week is not enough -
you should spend longer.
You don't think I can learn enough
in one week?
I think it's too short.
Too short.
I'll come back at the end of the
week and prove to you, Ok?
Alright, I'll wait for that time.
Thank you.
They were delicious.
Good to see you.
Love the hat,
by the way.
(Chuckles) Thank you.
Vy has upped the ante
and now I have a lot to prove.
Vy has a right to doubt me 'cause
it's an insult to her culture
to come here and tell her
I'll be up to her speed
after 31 years cooking that style
of food, within seven days.
But I'm determined to succeed.
So on my one night in Ho Chi Minh,
I'm throwing myself in
at the deep end.
I'm going to a restaurant
famed for its exotic ingredients.
There's a side of Vietnamese food
that I'll have to get used to
in order to get my head around the
style - the real proper style -
of Vietnamese food.
By the sounds of things, on the
back of tonight's experience,
I'll come out a little bit
more knowledgeable.
I've got an invite to join a table
with this hotspot's
most adventurous eaters.
Hey.
How are you?
Sorry, didn't catch your name?
Phat.
Phat?
Yeah.
There's not a fat person
in Vietnam anywhere.
Yeah.
(Laughter)
Right.
Menu?
They don't have menu.
The menu's just over there.
OK.
Vietnamese food,
normally they eat alive,
so when they're alive,
that's more expensive.
What is that?
That is the mountain rat.
You are kidding me, aren't you?
Certain people,
they can't eat this one.
Look at it.
Yeah.
Be careful.
Christ almighty.
What kind of snake is that?
That's a huge cobra.
A cobra.
Be careful because they can
spit out the venom.
Unbelievable.
yeah.
Huge.
And what do the lizards
taste like?
It tastes like
quite similar like a chicken.
You can usually,
like, barbeque it.
(Shudders)
Everything is alive.
When it's dead,
it's not good anymore.
I'm all for trying
fresh ingredients,
but having seen
tonight's specials,
I'm wondering if I've bitten off
more than I can chew.
OK, so what do you fancy -
rat on toast?
How about we try the snake
seven ways?
Seven ways? Fried? Steamed?
Fried, steamed,
stewed and barbeque.
Here we go.
The snake in Vietnam,
people they say it can make you
very healthy and strong.
And food for
For man, good for sex.
Good for sex.
(Laughs)
Mr Phat,
when did you last have sex?
(Laughter)
With a name like that,
I'm surprised you get anything.
In Vietnam, we go
(Speaks in Vietnamese language).
This mean,
'one night, five times'.
Yes, that's it.
You last longer
once you've eaten a snake? Yes.
Who's gonna kill the snake?
Oh, uh the waiter here.
The waiter.
You want to see how
they kill the snake?
Look, there's the snake.
Jesus.
See?
A good 6ft.
Jesus.
The thought of eating that
turns my stomach
What are they doing?
They would take the heart.
.
.
but I can't back out now.
Feel OK? Yeah, I'm fine,
couldn't feel better.
So here we go.
What's that?
Snake heart.
That's the snake heart?
Yeah.
Look, look, look, look.
You see that? It's still
It's still beating.
.
.
beating.
Yeah, wow, *** delicious.
You can feel it going down here.
Oh, come on!
Let's go.
Are you scared?
Don't be scared, it's a power -
it's a one night, five times.
One night, five times.
Unfortunately,
my wife is 1,100 miles away.
(Chuckles) Wow.
Ah, ***!
That's how strong the man is.
(Growls)
Yes.
***!
Jesus.
Hold on, what is that?
This is the bile of the snake.
Look at the colour.
No.
No, no, no, no.
OK, so I've done the heart,
you can do the bile.
No, no, you're going
to try it as well.
Excuse me?
I've just taken the *** heart.
I did so many time already.
Come on, guys,
I've just taken the heart
for God's sake.
What's the matter with you lot?
Cheers.
Whe-hey!
This is the man.
He's not
bashing the head like you.
Yes.
'Oh, my God.
'
OK, here we go.
After the bizarre drinking game,
comes the main course.
and there's a different dish
for each bit of the snake.
Look at the skin.
You can see
the skin that's Vietnamese way -
they like anything
that's very chewy.
Jesus.
After the skin comes the innards.
This one is snake guts.
Snake what?
Snake guts.
Snake guts?
This is good, this is good.
Oh, here we go.
What's that?
That's another dish.
Come on.
Are we seriously gonna eat that?
Why not?
It's like something out of
the *** science museum.
The bone have a lot of calcium,
OK?
It's good? Yeah, I'm feeling
over the *** moon.
(Chuckles)
By midnight, I think I'm gonna
become *** vegetarian.
At last,
my trial by snake is over.
Thank you, gentlemen.
Good to see you.
I have seen a side to Vietnamese
food that I'll never forget.
Well, that
Experience, yeah?
Yeah, I'll say.
Uh that that was gross.
It's hard to understand their
sort of A to Z of eating
because there's no stones
left unturned.
They're *** themselves
'cause, you know, I'm not a man -
I didn't do the bile
nor the blood -
but I'm gonna draw the line
somewhere.
I've escaped to Vietnam
and promised one of the best cooks
in the country
that I'll get to grips
with this unique cuisine
in just a week.
I'm hotfooting it
out of Ho Chi Minh City
and flying 1,500km north
to the capital Hanoi.
It's been a huge learning curve
for me.
It'd be very ignorant
from a chef's point of view,
not to embrace their understanding
of their waste nothing
and eat everything.
Hanoi is a communist stronghold.
Traditionally, this part of the
country has a no-waste culture.
They are experts
in nose-to-tail eating
and one notorious female chef
has made her reputation
cooking just one ingredient.
Now, this lady's a bit of a
hard-***, a bit of a legend.
I'm in Hanoi for two days
and I'm here for inspiration.
I'm gonna get in there, see what
she's up to and hopefully, yeah,
like a magpie, steal some ideas,
what she's doing.
Jesus.
Where's the boss?
Hello.
How are you?
Uh, Gordon.
(Both speak
in Vietnamese language)
Anyone speak English?
What's your name, man?
Luckily for me, a local restaurant
owner has come to my rescue.
Madam Khoi.
Madam 'Quack'?
Khoi.
Khoi.
K-H-O-I.
Oh, Madam Khoi.
I thought
she said 'quack', like the duck.
Quack, quack, quack, quack!
Oh, it is Quack.
And you are?
My name's Rice.
Call me Kwan.
Mr Rice and Mrs Duck.
Yes.
So where's Mr Peking?
(Both laugh)
He's down there.
I don't want to *** her off -
I wanna keep on her good side.
Alright.
Yeah, I heard
she has a ferocious temper.
Alright.
Three cleavers
by the side of her.
(Chuckles)
Very sharp, very sharp.
Yeah.
How many ducks a day
does she sell?
Madam Ngan.
Madam Ngan?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
'Duck Lady' is the name.
She kill about 100 ducks a day -
that's why her name's Duck Lady.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
How many husbands has she killed?
Uh one.
Mrs Duck has spent 30 years
perfecting her menu,
but before I get to taste it,
she wants me to meet
her key ingredient out back.
What are these little babies here?
How old are they?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
They must be days old.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
About ten days old.
And how old are these?
Four or five months.
Four months old.
So which ones will we use first?
This is the oldest one, yeah?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
And this one?
And this one.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
In order to find the plumpest bird,
Mrs Duck has devised
a unique test.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Why are we doing that?
Can you hear the sound?
Yeah.
From the duck to the ground.
Madam Khoi never touch,
just listen to the sound.
Alright.
So she's listening
for a weighted, heavy sound?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
I can't believe I'm doing this
to a duck.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
(Chuckles)
OK.
Lot of meat.
There's a lot of meat, yeah.
That sounds good.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
I'm beginning to think Mrs Duck
is quackers,
but her dish is famous
throughout Hanoi,
so she must be doing
something right.
So this is how she prepares
the duck every day? Yes.
And it's important
to bleed the ducks,
otherwise it'll spoil
the texture of the meat -
I get that -
but why's she cutting it there?
Because here it's to stay away
from the stomach.
You may get bad food from
the stomach into the blood.
Yep.
Yep.
She believes in slaughtering them
just before she starts
cooking them?
So it's done that fresh?
They're always fresh like that.
Just slaughter and then cook it.
So start off with the neck, yes?
Yeah.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Uh take all hairs off.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Yeah, from here.
Yep.
It's a labour of love.
Does she
never get bored, plucking ducks?
Ducks give her everything.
Oh, really?
Yes, houses and everything.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
The duck is the goddess
of her house.
Do it very quick, Gordon.
Anything to keep her happy.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Now the dirty work is over,
Mrs Duck wants to give me a lesson
in nose-to-tail butchery.
Straight down the middle?
Pass the cleaver to her -
she wanna teach you
She wants to teach me
how to sharpen a knife? My God.
Very good.
Right Mrs Duck.
(Chuckles) Yeah.
Straight off? Off.
Yeah.
Neck.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
It's amazing
but I've never actually
slaughtered one in the kitchen,
taken its feathers off
and butchered it from there.
Is there anything of the duck
that she never uses?
You see that?
Oh, the glands.
That's the bile.
The bile.
Very bitter.
If that burst over the duck,
it ruins the texture.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Yeah, smelly.
Very smelly.
I'm enjoying myself and
I'm about to learn Mrs Duck's
sweet and sour sauce,
but all of a sudden,
she's become tight-lipped.
Secret.
So nobody knows this recipe
bar you?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Only her, nobody else.
OK.
This is her life.
So not easy to give her life.
I'm not asking to marry her -
I'm asking for the recipe.
Just you and I.
Look at me, Mrs Duck.
Mrs Duck.
Chillies.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Chilli, yeah.
Lemongrass.
Oyster sauce.
OK.
Yeah.
Dark bean curd? No.
Sugar?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Why are you being
such a hard-***
when I've just plucked your ducks?
She tell you, even her husband
doesn't know about that.
Serious? My God.
You Huh?
You're a one-off, she's unique.
She's like a fine bottle of wine -
they only produce one bottle.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Thank you.
She's amazing,
huge source of inspiration.
More importantly, she's knows
her stuff - I mean, big time.
So she hasn't focused on
she's just focused on
a unique way with duck.
She shows no mercy.
Straight in there.
Nothing squeamish about Mrs Duck,
is there?
I'm a little bit *** scared,
to be honest.
While her signature dish cooks,
I'm gonna sample the rest
of Mrs Duck's menu.
So many different ways
and different sort of styles
of cooking duck - it's amazing.
Try the heart if you want to.
Oh.
Easier.
Nice and tender.
That's good.
That's very good.
That's
a duck stomach.
That's very chewy.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Mm.
That's nice.
It's got
a leathery, liver texture to it.
Now for the main event -
the barbequed duck is ready.
Mixed with a marinade
and then on top of the
charcoal grill? That's right.
And then the fan obviously,
to intensify the heat.
Yeah.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Nice.
That is delicious.
And she's managed
to use everything.
Even there, there's a piece
of the leg, it's amazing.
(Laughs)
Delicious.
OK.
Mission accomplished.
I'm won over.
Tonight's proved to me that the
Vietnamese way of wasting nothing
and eating everything
can be delicious,
and has left me wanting more.
The next day I head south
past Ho Chi Minh City
and into the Mekong Delta.
This fertile region
is criss-crossed
with hundreds of waterways.
It's home to
a floating food market
where I'm heading to learn
a Vietnamese classic
that's essential
to my culinary education.
Inside this market is a lady
who's a bit of a legend -
she has a reputation
for her broths -
and if I'm gonna get up to speed,
quickly, within a week
.
.
about Vietnamese cooking,
the broth is the heartbeat.
The broth queen, Mrs Zi Hai,
is a veteran.
She's been selling her soup
for 40 years
and today I'm rolling up
my sleeves to work with her.
Good morning.
(Both speak
in Vietnamese language)
Chef Luke Nguyen
is here to help too.
So she's a master of broths?
She's the master of broths.
Let's check it out.
The only way
to do it is to do it yourself.
And we're all gonna fit
on that boat?
You are and I am as well.
It's a bit rocky.
Jesus.
You right? Yep.
Zi Hai's boat was the equivalent
of a market cafe
and her soup recipe's
the ultimate in fast food.
And now she's gonna teach me
how to make it.
So, the broth, where did the
original recipe come from -
is it from her mum?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Just from eating.
She eats on the street,
she eats in these little stalls,
and she trains her palate
to make it the best she can
on this floating river here.
Yeah.
What's she putting out there?
Jes
So that is the So we've got
banana blossom there.
Yeah.
Bean sprout and then
shredded water spinach stems.
And throw some vermicelli noodles
behind you.
So here we've just got some
hot water - boiled water.
Just gonna deal out that.
OK, she cooks it
very, very quickly.
Now, in Vietnamese cuisine, the
clearer the broth, the better.
Right.
It looks like
it doesn't have much flavour,
but you sip it and it's just
'wow', very complex.
Zi Hai's trick is to put the dish
together in seconds
to ensure it retains
its Vietnamese crunch.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
She made it so quickly.
Thank you.
Wow, that is delicious.
And the fragrance of the herbs
at the end.
Yes.
Lovely.
Coriander, the sweet basil
The texture, balance of flavour,
lightness -
that's Vietnamese cuisine
in a nutshell there for you.
There's no more time
for me to practise.
Today I take Mrs Zi Hai's place,
serving her regulars.
She needs to sell 60
to break even - 60 bowls.
Yep.
OK.
So roughly,
she'll make around $10 a day.
Incredible.
How much does it go
for? Less than a dollar.
Less than a dollar?
So we're looking at 50 pence.
Christ.
Shall we get to work?
(Chuckles) Yep.
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
What's amazing about Vietnam is
this how she advertises her dish.
She sings it out.
So she's saying both dishes,
but in this melodic tune - it's
quite beautiful to listen to.
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
(Chuckles)
That's what you have to do now.
Oh, *** me.
Half-past-seven in the morning,
singing for your breakfast.
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
I don't think they heard you.
Oh, Jesus.
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
(Both chuckle)
We're gonna do 80 today,
let's make her some money.
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
To great effect.
That was really good actually.
Look at them rushing.
Not one portion sold yet!
(Laughs)
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
Mrs Zi Hai's spent most
of her life working this patch,
but I could ruin her reputation
in just one morning.
(Both speak
in Vietnamese language)
He wants
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
OK, thank God for that -
a customer.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Coming now.
Alright.
Finally, bean sprouts.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
She said a bit more noodles.
A bit more?
Obviously a regular of hers.
Yeah?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
She saying you're doing well.
One or two?
First one of the day.
God,
I love you.
Thank you so much.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Jesus.
Uh?
(Chuckles)
It's incredible the way they work.
This lady behind you wants
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Jesus.
Unreal.
Come on, wake up.
(Chuckles)
***.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
She said it's fantastic.
She's happy?
She's happy.
This is serious grafting
beyond belief.
Incredible.
We haven't even
sold 20 portions yet, and not
.
.
and just the speed
you've gotta work at
and being self-contained
all into one little spot there.
Cooking without moving.
I've never known making soup
to be so difficult.
Zi's broth is a triumph
and I'd like to do it justice.
(Sings in Vietnamese language)
Here we are.
Thank you.
No chilli.
Thank you.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
What do you think?
(Both speak
in Vietnamese language)
She's very quiet.
I think she's seen a customer.
She's gonna gonna rush out.
That's it? Yep.
Hold on.
Someone's called
her over, back to work.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Excuse me, what about my broth?
Madam! Madam!
This is hot, hard work and I only
managed to sell a fraction
of what Zi Hai
serves up every day.
Please enjoy.
Thank you.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
(Chuckles)
Tell her I'm a chef in the UK
and I've never sat still
and had to cook in one place
for so long.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
(Laughs)
She finds that quite funny.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
She said,
do you think it's hard work?
Uh, this?
Yeah, this is beyond hard work.
I've been to lots of Vietnamese
restaurants in London
and the broths and soups,
absolutely fine,
but nowhere near
as delicious as this.
Yes.
You're an amazing lady.
A few days into my adventure
and I've got a brand-new respect
for Vietnamese food.
Vy was right -
mastering this cuisine in a week
is gonna be a tall order.
I'm nervous because
I wasn't blase,
but I thought Vietnamese food
was similar to Thai,
but it's completely different.
So, I think it's gonna
be harder to understand
than any other country
I've ever visited.
I've got just a few days left
to crack Vietnamese cooking.
This country has nearly
.
.
so I'm heading to the pretty
fishing village of Phan Thiet
to see what they do with seafood.
This morning I'm on my way to meet
a bunch of local fishermen
who fish on a nightly basis
for the most amazing squid
off this phenomenal coastline.
I'm hooking up with Duc Tran,
a chef who works wonders
with seafood.
How are you? Good to see you.
I'm very well.
Like everyone else here, Duc likes
his food as fresh as possible
and he's offered
to take me fishing.
They're not really boats though,
are they? Oh, yeah?
Bathtubs, right? Oh, there's tubs,
but there's basket boats.
You're missing
a few more words in there.
Anyone who goes out in them
is a basket case.
What are they?
These are to go fishing,
to bring in squids, shrimps.
And the engine -
where does the engine go?
Oh, he's the engine.
(Both laugh)
I can't believe I'm doing this.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
On there, in the middle?
Yeah.
Jesus.
These bamboo boats have been used
by squid fishermen for generations
and before I go out fishing,
I've got to learn how it's done.
Back and forth, back and forth.
Paddle, push to go forward,
basically.
But it looks effortless,
like he's not even doing anything.
It flows with the water, no?
Get your kung fu stand in.
(Laughs)
*** hell.
Wow! (Chuckles)
Jesus.
God, I feel so stupid.
This is probably the most
difficult rowing I've ever done.
Hey! Hey! (Man speaks
in Vietnamese language)
think I'm getting the hang of it,
though I'm not convinced.
(Cheering)
I'm now a confirmed basket case.
Oh!
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
What he saying?
You're in for a race, dude.
Hold on a minute.
Mr Basket Case, he wants a race.
Can I just at least have
a 5m-head start?
OK, you basket cases!
Basket fishermen,
on your marks, get set, go!
(Cheering)
(Laughter)
It's back to beginner's class
for me.
I'm stuck in reverse.
(Cheering and laughter)
Guys! This way!
(Laughter)
This way!
Wrong way.
Gordon! Gordon!
What the ***? Come on.
Excuse me?
Hello, can I have a lift?
The boat's full of water.
That was hard - bloody hard.
I'm excited about catching
squid
.
.
but not in a ***
wicker basket, no.
The best time to catch squid
is at night
.
.
and as the day ends,
the fleet get down to business.
This is incredible.
They're now getting their
tinny lamps set up.
The idea's to light the mantle,
nice and bright,
turn it round and that'll
start to attract the squid.
That's my boat
and that one there is Duc's.
Show me your squid
in ten minutes.
OK.
Yeah.
Bloody hell.
Duc?
Yes?
What do they do out here
all night?
Rice wines and freshly cooked
squid right on top of here, man.
They cook the squid
on top of the lamps?
Yeah,
they have a party themselves.
Incredible.
Don't their wives miss them?
Their wives miss the squid
more than their husbands.
Jesus.
Come on, baby.
Where are these squids?
After two hours,
I haven't got a bite.
Any pulling? Any squid?
Nothing.
Nothing.
But the pros have landed
some beauties.
Look at that.
That's what
we came for, those babies there.
Beautiful, beautiful.
Doesn't
get any better than that, does it?
I've never seen squid that fresh.
Look at that.
And now they are doomed
for the wok.
We're gonna clean it up now.
Yep.
Now seafood supremo Duc
is going to show me a delicious
Vietnamese favourite -
stuffed squid.
So we basically
'Cause we're gonna use all of it.
This is the little
Beak?
.
.
beak right here.
Vietnamese love it.
It's a tooth.
It's a tooth.
The outside of it,
it's like the membrane
to hold the tooth together,
so it's crunchy.
Oh, nice, OK.
The Vietnamese love textures.
In English,
it's like eating a gum.
There we go.
Yeah, nice.
So from snake bones to gums, yeah?
Oh, holy moly.
(Chuckles)
Squid shooting, man.
Gordon, in Europe, they usually
eat that ink, you know?
Make a black spaghetti
or something like that.
Risotto.
Do you use it here?
No, not yet.
Wow, that's fantastic news.
Don't give them ideas.
That's the first time in Vietnam
that I've found something
you don't eat - squid ink.
I've found something that Brits
eat that the Vietnamese don't,
but for me,
this complex squid dish
beats our deep-fried version
any day.
chopped up, and 50% of the paw.
Right.
With a bit or garlic? Yep.
And a little bit of ginger
as well.
We'll stuff the squids.
And a little bit of fish sauce.
I'm amazed you put that in there.
Well, I mean, if you don't
cook fish sauce in Vietnam,
then you're some sort of, like,
foreigner here, uh?
And start dropping it
in there please.
In.
Now, the base of the sauce is?
Ginger, garlic and onion.
Ginger, garlic and onion?
Nice.
They look fantastic.
Nice touch, Gordon.
I've dressed a few squids
in my time.
Right.
Haven't *** caught many
(Laughs)
.
.
but I've dressed a few.
Well, you tried hard.
Yeah, yeah.
(Laughs)
I can't wait to dig in
and to see if the sea dogs are as
impressed with Duc's dish as I am.
I've the biggest piece of squid
for you.
There we are.
Gordon, my man, right there.
(Men speak in Vietnamese language)
How's the squid?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Ah, he said it's perfect.
Thank you for being so brilliant
and so patient.
Amazing.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
It's a pleasure to see you here
and you're not drunk,
you're not going home tonight.
Is that the same stuff
from his lanterns?
(Giggling)
No?
(Men speak in Vietnamese language)
Here we go.
Oh.
Oh, ***!
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Yeah.
(Speaks indistinctly)
(Laughs)
Congratulations, honestly.
Balls of steel.
It's been an amazing day
Getting out to sea
and cooking the catch
is as simple as it gets, and
I've loved getting back to basics.
I didn't grow up with much money
around the table -
we ate in a very humble way -
but here, even without much money,
you eat in an amazing way,
a very fresh way.
They don't realise to what a great
standard they eat at so cheaply.
Tell him I'm better in the kitchen
than I am at rowing.
Cheers.
Cheers, cheers.
Thank you.
I've got one more stop to make
before I put my neck on the line
to deliver an authentic Vietnamese
menu for culinary mentor Vy.
I'm feeling nervous but excited
and a week is a very short time
to get up to speed with
something so magical.
But where I connect
is with the ingredients,
'cause they're the hero -
understanding them properly
will be a huge advantage
going into a challenge.
I'm heading off the beaten track
into the mountains near Mai Chau,
This is rice padi country
and I'm here to get my hands
on Vietnam's
most important ingredient
and to learn the Rolls Royce
of rice dishes.
To impress Vietnamese people, one
thing you've gotta do first off,
is cook their rice perfectly.
Today the village are celebrating
the end of the rice harvest
with a feast.
Hello.
How are you?
Hello.
Good.
Good to see you.
Sau is the only person in the
village who speaks some English.
That was amazing, honestly.
I felt like Steve McQueen.
Now, I know I'm a little bit
late OK.
.
.
and the harvest is finished.
Yeah, sorry about that.
But I've come in time
for the feast, right?
Yes.
Look at those little
beauties there.
Yes.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello.
This northern hill tribe
not only pick the rice,
they process it too, but there
are no mod cons here.
What's going on there?
That is fascinating.
They cut the rice from the field.
They've taken all the rice grains
off the plant
and then it's all swept into
the middle of the concrete.
Yeah, you can have a chance.
This is incredible.
Yeah.
Not only that, I've never been
on a bike this long in my life.
You can do Tour de France.
Yeah.
I'm sweating like
a Vietnamese pig.
It's what all the ladies do
in the morning? They harvest?
Mmm, yes.
Sometimes the man.
Sometimes the men? Mm.
Christ, I'll look at risottos
in a different way now.
(Chuckles)
What's the old boy laughing at?
Hey, big boy, your turn next.
In this 40-degrees heat,
I'd better stop before I keel over.
Time to put all this rice
to good use
and learn what they do with it.
And what is this they're making?
It's made by rice.
So This is the rice
and it's made with water.
And so it's pounded rice
Yes.
.
.
mixed with water.
Yes.
But not sticky rice.
No.
Not sticky rice.
What is amazing for me is the fact
that we cook rice
one or two different ways
in England.
You guys have got a completely
different meaning on rice.
Yes.
And she puts onions and pork
in the middle?
Pork and the mushroom.
Pork and mushroom?
Incredible.
Thank you.
Lovely.
For me to make these paper-thin
rice cakes,
I'm gonna need to apply
a delicate touch.
Jesus.
Bloody
Whoa!
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow,
wow, wow.
Jes There's a great start.
Are you OK? Yeah, I'm fine.
The chair's ***.
Sorry.
How embarrassing.
Hopefully, I can impress them
with my culinary skills.
I've lost half my mix.
***.
OK.
Oh! No, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Oh.
That is what you call
sticking to ***.
.
.
to a blanket.
Flipping heck.
Thank God I didn't grow up
in Vietnam -
I'd be useless as a chef.
Here we go, one more time.
There's a fine art to this
and I just don't have it.
(Sighs)
No, no, no, come, come
Coming, coming, coming.
Ah, you ***.
***!
I'm not gonna screw up anymore
and do you know what?
I'm in danger
of busting this chair.
It's starting to collapse again.
Mmm.
How do it taste?
Delicious.
Delicious?
Mmm.
Very good.
I'll buy you some new stools.
The entire village have gathered
to celebrate the end
of the rice harvest.
That looks beautiful.
Really a feast.
That is a proper feast.
My failed attempt at rice cakes
won't be on offer,
so I help to serve up instead.
Right, where do we start
with this fabulous feast?
Look at this.
You take the rice
and pass it along, right?
And news of my botched
rice paper-making
has obviously done the rounds.
Mmm.
Ah, what's your job?
My job? What do you think I do?
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
She said that you are actor.
Actor?
Yeah.
No.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
You are a doctor?
A doctor?
I'm a cook.
ALL: Oh!
Oh, we are wrong.
We are wrong.
Good luck
for next year's harvest.
Cheers.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Happy harvest.
Happy harvest.
(Laughter)
I have been useless,
but Sau has honoured my trip with
the gift of rice from the village.
Thank you.
Thank you.
(Cheering and applause)
Wow, look at that.
Lovely.
That's beautiful.
I will do the rice justice, OK?
They treat it like gold,
they show it so much respect.
They have a huge technical ability
to make rice so fantastic
it's at a different level.
Traditional music
It's been an amazing week,
but tomorrow it's crunch time -
I'll be in Hanoi to prove
to restaurateur Vy
that I've cracked
Vietnamese cuisine.
So lots of things bubbling
and festering away now in my mind,
and all I need is to
disappear somewhere quiet
and just start nailing down
those dishes.
I've come to the end of my week
in Vietnam
.
.
and it's been a culinary trip
into the unknown
and the unthinkable.
Ah, ***!
My mentor Vy said one week
would not be enough
to master this cuisine
and I'm about to find out
if she was right.
I'm in Hanoi
to cook a dinner for Vy
and other top tutors
I've met this week.
Mr Rice how are you, sir?
Oh, yeah.
Good to see you.
Gordon, how are you doing?
Well, thank you.
This place looks amazing.
Let me show you around.
Please.
It looks beautiful.
Mrs Duck's friend, Mr Rice,
has given me the use
of his fine-dining restaurant.
Its success is built on
authentic Vietnamese cooking
and so it's a great honour.
The restaurant's beautiful.
Thank you.
Who designed it?
I designed it myself.
Good job.
Worryingly for me,
Mr Rice has invited along
You got a huge, huge challenge
and, you know,
tonight so many people here
just waiting for your cooking.
And I say about six, seven
people - very tough.
Really?
In three hours,
the restaurant will be full
and I need to quickly get used
to these unfamiliar surroundings.
Wow.
This is the kitchen.
This is it.
So everything here
tonight's yours, yeah?
Gas burners and grill.
Um .
.
a completely different
layout of a kitchen.
It's not like working
with gas-ring burner.
Ten times more powerful,
a lot more instant,
so, uh on the fly, yet again.
Tonight my menu will be drawing on
everything I've learnt.
I'm cooking pig seven ways.
So starting with a pork and shrimp
fresh spring roll, yeah?
To be served at room temperature.
Be very careful.
Pig's ear salad.
Blanched
in a nice sort of spicy broth.
Barbequed pork skewer
and it's grilled over charcoal.
Then we're gonna go to
the sweet and sour pork ribs.
OK, after that we've got
the pig's trotter curry.
After that, caramelised pork
belly, finished with fish sauce.
After that, the pork noodle broth.
Let's go.
Bye-bye.
My nose-to-tail menu
is a tall order.
I start with barbequed
pork skewers inspired by Mrs Duck.
The shoulder of pork,
sliced thinly,
marinated and then
cooked on charcoal.
Now, that doesn't look
anywhere near like Mrs Duck's.
It's times like this I wish
she'd give me the recipe properly.
But I think it's secretly because
she had a massive crush on me
and she had visions of her and I
setting up a restaurant together.
Next for my pig feast,
a curry I hope will satisfy the
Vietnamese appetite for texture.
Normally, when we use trotters
at home in the UK,
we bone them out and stuff them,
but these are cooked on the bone
and very gelatinous.
Nice.
Fresh turmeric, little bit
of garlic, ginger, fish sauce
.
.
and a little bit of
fermented rice wine vinegar.
Almost like a sort of
light, spicy curry.
The pressure is on and already
I've made my first mistake.
So this is my broth.
Remember
my singing ordeal down the river?
And I'm just struggling
for that nice sort of
lightly sort of pinkish colour.
I'm beginning to wish
I'd kept things simple.
I've one dish seared
out of *** 400 things to do.
*** hell.
Downstairs,
Hanoi's most-accomplished foodies
have arrived
.
.
along with my mentors
Mrs Duck and Madam Vy,
all here to pass judgement
on my efforts.
I think it's a bit challenging
for him
because it's something
completely new
and very different
to what he have at home.
Vy's premonition is coming true -
I'm having a kitchen nightmare.
Now the broth's gone cloudy.
I turned off the gas and by
rapidly reducing it down
for some strength,
it's gone cloudy.
Here
are the sweet and sour ribs.
I wanna put them in the oven
but they don't have ovens here,
so everything's gotta
be cooked on top.
OK, pork, trotters, broth, ribs.
I think that he's in control -
he's in control now -
because there's no shouting,
no yelling from the kitchen, yes.
Oh, *** hell.
***!
***.
***.
They'd kill me if they saw that.
Watch out please, guys.
Come on,
out the way please everybody -
everybody, the spectators.
By now I should be serving up
but I'm nowhere near ready.
Skewers please! OK
Seven
I need colour on there,
I need colour.
Come on, please? Charcoal, that's
what gives it colour.
Let's go.
It's gone 7:30 and Hanoi's finest
have been waiting to eat
for over half an hour.
I think in 20 minutes,
all the food should be here.
I should run up to the kitchen
and kick him
.
.
kick his ***, huh?
Starving.
I need to eat something.
You know,
I'm waiting for long time.
Skewers, please!
Turn them over, turn them over.
More colour, please.
Come on, yeah?
Finally, my dishes come together.
The broth is nice and clear now,
I've clarified it
with some minced pork and some egg
white to get it nice and clear.
My homage to Mrs Duck
is almost ready to be served.
Fingers crossed,
Madam Duck-style.
Sesame seed.
And at the last minute, I've put
together my pig's ear salad.
Don't take anything until I say.
Don't take anything until
they're *** finished, please.
(Mutters indistinctly)
OK, let's go, please.
Gently, gently, gently, gently.
No, no, no, no, look, look.
No, stop.
That one goes on there.
Right, you come here, stand here.
One bowl, hold the tray tight.
Yep.
And two.
Let's go.
At last dinner is served.
This has been one of the toughest
nights of my cooking career.
Hmmmmmmmmm.
(Woman laughs)
I think what I wanna say
is this is very brave.
That was a nightmare.
Struggled, um
across the whole three hours.
I'd like to think
I've done it justice but
.
.
I left myself a little bit short
to be honest.
How are you? Nice to see you.
(Applause)
But my ordeal isn't over yet.
I need to face my mentors to
find out if I've impressed them.
Oh.
How are you? Didn't
recognise you with no hat on.
How were the pig's trotters?
Um
Um, I'm not fan of that.
Damn.
What a shame.
I think it's a little bit too
much caramel sauce.
Really?
Too sweet for you?
Yeah.
Wow.
I like the pig ear.
Oh, the pig's ear?
Yeah, beautiful texture,
it's so crunchy.
I love that texture.
Chewy, crunchy, crispy,
soft and silky.
You got it.
The pork trotter -
the pig trotter - the perfect.
Pig is the most difficult meat
to cook,
so it's really, really impressive
what you have done with that.
Madam Duck, look at you.
Finally, I want to know what
the doyen of nose-to-tail cooking
thinks of my efforts.
My goodness me, what happened?
Huh? That's amazing.
(Speaks in Vietnamese language)
Happy.
She happy, very pleased.
She liked the best
the grilled shoulder on skewers.
On the charcoal?
On the charcoal.
If it wasn't for you,
this shoulder
wouldn't have tasted
as good as it did.
Trust me.
I'm so glad you like that one.
Good to see you, good to see you.
Mr Rice, as always
Some Vietnamese people
is very hard to please, so
.
.
but tonight Gordon,
I think he does well.
He passes.
For me, one of the most
thrilling seven days
I've ever spent
in my cooking career.
Honestly if you want to eat
well, get rid of your fridge.
It forces you to buy ingredients
twice a day
and cook in a completely
different way.
Challenging week, yet for me,
one of the most inspirational
.
.
big time.
Crispy, crunchy, chewy,
soft and silky.
Right airport.
No macaroni, no fish and chips -
we're in Malaysia, for God's sake.
You try your best
not to get angry.
Mine's gone overcooked.
(Laughs)
It's a part of the cow.
A bull's ***?
This is my Clitoria bush.
(Laughs) Oh, Jes Come on, the
prime minister's waiting for you.
Prime Minister, absolute pleasure.
The boat's filling up with water.
***.
(Chuckles)
Closed Captions by CSI