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Monday, October 12 2026
Monday, October 12 2026
TEACHING ASSIGNMENT : Chefs Nguyα»
n VΔn ThΓ΄ng and Nguyα»
n Nam Lα»c with Sri Lanka colleagues at ASEAN Food Festival in Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo
MONETABRIEF β Two chefs from Vietnam, who travelled to Sri Lanka for an ASEAN food festival showcased traditional dishes while training colleagues in Sri Lanka in Vietnamese cooking techniques and the use of local ingredients.
The festival, held in Sri Lanka in August, featured cuisine from Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia as part of activities marking ASEANβs 59th anniversary.
Vietnamese cuisine varies significantly across the countryβs three main regions β the North, Central Vietnam and the South β and the dishes presented at the festival reflected the diversity.
One of the countryβs best-known dishes is Phα» BΓ², or beef noodle soup, from northern Vietnam.
"I also prepared BΓΊn ChαΊ£ CΓ‘ from Nha Trang in Central Vietnam and Gα»i Cuα»n from the South," said Nguyα» n VΔn ThΓ΄ng, an award-winning Vietnamese Culinary Culture Artisan and Vice President of the Vietnam Young Chefs Association.
"We made Hanoi-style fried spring rolls, Nem RΓ‘n, and Saigon-style ChαΊ£ GiΓ² with prawns. We served them with two kinds of sauce β sweet-and-sour fish sauce for Vietnamese tastes and cocktail sauce for international guests."
ThΓ΄ng was joined by Nguyα» n Nam Lα»c, a culinary instructor specialising in food preparation techniques at Saigontourist Hospitality College.
The two chefs trained colleagues at Cinnamon Lakeside Hotel in Colombo on Vietnamese cooking techniques.
They brought mainly dried staples from Vietnam, including dried phα» noodles, wheat noodles and bΓΊn rice vermicelli, while sourcing most fresh ingredients locally in Sri Lanka.
ThΓ΄ng and Lα»c shared techniques in ingredient selection, preparation and flavour balancing, helping local chefs learn how to reproduce Vietnamese dishes using ingredients available in Sri Lanka.
One example was ChαΊ£ CΓ‘, or Vietnamese fish cake, prepared using locally sourced Sri Lankan sailfish, known in Vietnamese as cΓ‘ cα».
"This fish is very good. It is very similar to the fish we have in Vietnam," ThΓ΄ng said.
The chefs also prepared vegetarian dishes after recognising strong local interest in such foods. (Colombo/Aug26/2026)
| 3 month bill | 9.25% | 5bp β² |
| 12-m bill | 9.95% | 2bp β² |
| Gold (Ounce) | $4602 | - - |
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