We were very lucky to earn a trip to Vietnam & the Thermomix part lasted for me for 5 days – 3 nights in Hoi Chi Minh City (Saigon) and 2 Nights in Hoi An – I extended with my Thermo friends another 4 days in Hoi An & 4 days in Hanoi & Cat Ba Island (south of Halong Bay). The food was amazing!! I need to get some more of it into my life because 2 weeks was just not enough time to devour it all.
I can’t put my favourite foods in any sort of order, they were all so tasty. Most mornings I loved having Beef Pho (google the pronunciation please, it’s not said how you think it would be) I became addicted to the Vietnamese Iced Coffee served with condensed milk & there was also an egg coffee & a coconut coffee too!! I ate many Banh Mi’s as well, including my favourite Crab one in Hanoi YUM!! Drank heaps of young coconuts & cocktails too!! I just loved the fresh Passionfruit Mojito. And I had a gorgeous chicken & rice with green mango salad twice in the same day!!
Anyway I will attempt to bring to you my favourite recipes from my recent travels & recreate them using the Thermomix of course. I will do as many live video recipes as I can too on my Facebook page. YUM!! I can’t wait!!
Chicken & Rice with Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce)Thinly sliced partially frozen beef gets cooked when the hot broth is poured overBeef PhoPork Banh Mi ( I didn’t make the baguettes myself this time)Chicken Rice and Green Papaya SaladMy version of a Vietnamese Passion Fruit MojitoGreen Papaya SaladBlack Sticky Rice with taro & blue matcha ice cream – recipe by Luke Nguyen (We watched him make this recipe at Thermofest)
Another awesome cookbook put together by Dani Valent. Here are the yummy recipes I have made from this amazing cookbook so far….
Spiced Tuna Tartare with Yuzu Custard – recipe by Daniel WilsonDuck Breast with Pistachio Freekeh and Fennel Salad (unfortunately I slightly over cooked my duck)Salted Caramel MacaronsChicken Curry Bunny ChowCafé de Paris ButterRed Wine Cheese SliceChicken Skin ButterCauliflower Soup
We had the most amazing time away for 2 weeks in Vietnam and I am very grateful to Thermomix in Australia for this unforgettable experience. it is not a country I had on “the list” to go to but I feel very fortunate to have had this experience.
The Thermofest part of the Trip was 3 Days in Hoi Chi Minh City with around 200 Thermomix Consultants and Team Leaders and Managers.
We had a welcome dinner the first night and some fun dancing too!! The First day we had a full day conference including seeing the new model 6 Thermomix, motivational speaker, news of new books etc coming out & awards. My most favourite part of the day was when we had Chef Nguyen chat with us & present a cooking segment hosted by Nico Moretti. To hear Luke to tell story of his family and how they came to live in Australia & everything he has been through to make his dreams a reality was truly inspirational. He has a great sense of humour too. The icing on the cake was watching Luke make 3 of his recipes using the Thermomix & then very briefly meeting him afterwards. That night we had a dinner cruise on the river with more dancing (you have to work off all the delicious food some how right?)
Day 2 a small group of us met Nico Moretti early & went to the street markets Luke had told us about and this was a very fun experience, so busy and so much to see. Words can’t do it justice. We sat down on small plastic chairs for a pancake and then at another place for a broth with noodles such a wonderful experience even if something didn’t sit quite right only a few hours later!! We then had a team bonding activity which was an amazing race style fun with random groups so you got to met some new people, it was great nice and relaxed & not too competitive. The highlight for me was doing Tai Chi in the park. Then we got to meet the children from the orphanage that we had all donated toys to and there was not a dry eye in the room. Thermomix also donated some money and gave them some Aussie soft toys and the looks on their faces of pure joy was priceless.
We choose to have our lunch at Luke Nguyen’s restaurant Vietnam House which was amazing and so relaxing. We had a massage & got ready for the the final event of Thermofest – the Gala Dinner. I never get too dressed up normally or have my hair & make up done but my friends wanted to do it so I joined in the fun. That was the best hair wash I had ever had!! My face was washed too and I even got an arm & hand massage too!! WOW it took a long time to get our make up & hair done so we literally had to run back to the venue to get get changed just in time for the gala dinner missing the welcome drinks and canapes!! It was a good night & I even got to go up on stage & collect my certificate for having 500 Thermomix sales along with some of my other Thermomix consultant friends. They announced the location for next years Thermofest and it’s going to be in China!!
The next part of the Thermomix trip was in Hoi An for 20 consultants with Nico Moretti as our guide. I will be updating this post with our amazing 2 days of adventures soon.
You know I love a challenge & this new one is so great for this time of year healthy delicious easy recipes made in the Thermomix – yes please!! You can sign up for the challenge here & download the free ebook. You can do the challenge no matter which Thermomix you have, so no excuses – just do it, do it!! Why wouldn’t you want to try new delicious recipes & become confident using cookidoo & your cook-key if you have one.
Day 1: Mixed Nut & Seed Spread Day 1: Orange Sesame Chicken with Broccoli and NoodlesDay 2: Hearty Seven Vegetable SoupDay 3: Superfood Salmon Salad Day 4: Chicken Broad Bean & Snow Pea Salad – recipe by Tim Robards Day 5: Anti-inflammatory Pineapple and Turmeric Smoothie – recipe by Jo Whitton/Quirky CookingDay 6: Curry LaksaDay 7: Fresh Fennel SaladDay 8: Rice Crisp Bars Day 9: Feta, Spinach and Potato FrittataDay 10: “Spaghetti” with Spinach & Mint PestoDay 11: Tandoori Chicken Wraps (I made my own wraps too & added snow peas to the filling)Day 11: Peri Peri Sweet Potato FriesDay 12: Frozen Breakfast Yoghurt Pops Day 13: Beef Ragu served with Cauliflower MashDay 14: Rye Loaf with Berry Chia JamDay 15: Acai Berry BowlDay 16: FalafelDay 16: Zucchini Banana LoafDay 17: Steamed Fish ParcelsDay 18: Turkey Taco Salad BowlDay 19: Asian Beef Salad with Peanut DressingDay 20: Lemon and Herb Salmon Burgers with Zucchini FriesDay 21: Steamed Omelette ( I used my own recipe with feta & dill & smoked salmon)Day 22: Pumpkin and Turmeric Loaf with Quark and Herb Spread ( I also made my own quark)Day 22: SauerkrautDay 23: Eggs with Coconut Curry SauceDay 24: Pea and Ginger Soup and Salmon with Broccoli ( I used zucchini & cauliflower)
Day 25: Paprika Chicken With Creamy Paprika SauceDay 26: Sauerkraut SaladDay 27: Warming Amaranth Porridge Day 28: Raw Carrot Cake
Yotam Ottolenghi is coming to Hobart on the 2nd of February, so I have decided to make as many of his recipes as I can until his Q & A session, where I can finally meet him. I was lucky enough to spend my birthday brunch at one of the Ottolenghi cafes last year when I visited London & was given a signed Sweet cookbook for my birthday, then for my last dinner in London I dined at Nopi, It was a very delicious & memorable experience so I bought the signed cookbook to bring home too.
Saffron, Orange & Honey Madeleines from the Sweet cookbookCustard Yo-Yos with Roasted Rhubarb Icing from the Sweet cookbookTake Home Chocolate Cake – Also known as The World’s Best Chocolate Cake from the Sweet cookbook.Pizza Bianca with Potato, Anchovy & Sage from the Simple cookbook.Seeded Chicken Schnitzel from the Simple cookbook.Tomato Carpaccio with Spring Onion & Ginger Salsa from the Simple cookbook.Cauliflower, Pomegranate and Pistachio Salad from the Simple cookbook.Oven Chips with Oregano and Feta from the Simple cookbook.Roasted Asparagus with Almonds, Capers and Dill from the Simple cookbook.Tomato and Bread Salad with Anchovies and Capers from the Simple cookbook. Lamb Bake with Tahini Sauce and Tomatoes – Recipe from the Simple cookbook.Spiced Apple Cake from the Simple cookbook.Courgette & Ciabatta Frittata from the Simple cookbookChargrilled Asparagus with Romesco Sauce & Apple Balsamic from the Nopi cookbook.Burnt Spring Onion Dip with Kale (from my garden) from the Nopi cookbook.Harissa from the Plenty cookbookBridget Jones’s Pan-fried Salmon with Pine Nut Salsa from the Simple cookbookBanana Date and Walnut Loaf from the Sweet cookbook.Pork with Ginger, Spring Onion & Aubergine from the Simple cookbookCoriander & Ginger Martini from the Nopi cookbook was the perfect way to start our Ottolenghi lunch I hosted for 6 of my friends on the 31st Jan.Baked Blue Cheesecakes with pickled beetroot & honey from the Nopi cookbook – it was the favourite dish for the lunch and just as yummy as I remember it from eating it at Nopi.Chilled Cucumber, Cauliflower & Ginger Soup (made by Sue & styled by Natalie) from the Simple cookbook.Butterbean Mash with Muhammara (made by Rosey) from the Simple cookbook.Roasted aubergine with black garlic pine nuts & basil from the Nopi cookbookLamb & Feta Meatballs from the Simple cookbookRice Noodle Salad with Cucumber & Poppy Seeds (made by Rita) Chicken with Miso Ginger & Lime from the Simple cookbookRoasted Whole Cauliflower with Green Tahini Sauce from the Simple cookbook.Cornbread with Cheddar, Feta & Jalapeño from the Simple cookbook.Honey & Yoghurt Set Cheesecake (made by Rosey) from the Simple cookbook. Amaretti (made by Christine) Seared Scallops with Pickled Daikon and Chilli Jam from the Nopi cookbook.Roasted Aubergine with Curried Yoghurt from the Simple cookbook.Iranian Herb Fritters from the Simple cookbook.Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble Cake from the Sweet cookbook.Choc Coated Ruby Red Grapefruit PeelCampari & Grapefruit Sorbet
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