Celebrate Mother’s Day, Vietnamese-style: Local Mothers Man the Kitchen at The Anam, Vietnam

Five-star Vietnamese beach resort, The Anam, which celebrated its grand opening in April 2017, is delighted to launch its ‘Mama’s Cooking’ offering just in time for Mother’s Day. The culinary initiative, which is designed to appeal to holiday-makers tired of dining on westernised local cuisine, will see six mothers of the resort’s existing staff serve up a slice of authenticity to guests.

Every Wednesday evening at The Anam, guests can watch the talented local mothers cook traditional Vietnamese delicacies before their eyes. They will learn how each dish is made before indulging in a home-cooked-style feast.

Donning iconic conical hats and tunics in the place of chefs’ whites, the mothers will draw on centuries-old recipes which have been handed down through the generations. They will cook each dish in the traditional way without toning down spice or flavour, just as they would when cooking for their own families.

The dishes, which include bò nướng lá lốt (grilled beef in betel leaf), bún bò Huế (Hue-style beef noodle soup) and bánh xèo (crispy Vietnamese pancakes), are cooked and served at cooking stations. Set against the backdrop of one of the resort’s three swimming pools with views of Vietnam’s ‘Long Beach’, it is the perfect setting for a traditional, gastronomic feast.

“These women didn’t train as cooks,” says The Anam’s founder and owner Pham Van Hien. “They didn’t go to culinary school, and carry no fancy titles. But oh, how they can cook! This is how we Vietnamese eat day-to-day, and we’re thrilled to be sharing the experience with our guests.”

Most Asian resorts serving local cuisine make concessions to the foreign palate, toning down spice and flavour. Mama’s Cooking does not. “It doesn’t get any more authentic than this,” adds Hien.