Gordon's Great Escape (2010) s02e01 Episode Script
Vietnam
1 I'm on a great escape Shit! 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, shit! 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 fuck.
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, shit.
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, fucking 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, shit! That's how strong the man is.
(Growls) Yes.
Shit! 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 fucking 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.
1-2-3 (Chuckles) 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 fucking science museum.
The bone have a lot of calcium, OK? It's good? Yeah, I'm feeling over the fucking moon.
(Chuckles) By midnight, I think I'm gonna become fucking 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 pissing 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-arse, 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 piss 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-arse 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 25-30 dishes - 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 fucking 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.
80 bowls to make some money.
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, fuck 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) 60 portions a day minimum? 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! 80 to go! (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) Fuck.
(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 3,000km of coastline .
.
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) Fucking 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) 40 minutes later they seem to 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 fuck? 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 fucking 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.
50/50, yeah? Tentacles, 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 fucking 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, fuck! (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, 130km from Hanoi.
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 fucked.
Sorry.
How embarrassing.
Hopefully, I can impress them with my culinary skills.
I've lost half my mix.
Shit.
OK.
Oh! No, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Oh.
That is what you call sticking to Shit.
.
.
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 fuck.
Fuck! 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, shit! 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 30 discerning diners.
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 fucking 400 things to do.
Fucking 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, fucking hell.
Shit! Bollocks.
Shit.
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 ass, 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 fucking 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 penis? 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.
Fuck.
(Chuckles) Closed Captions by CSI
.
.
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, shit! 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 fuck.
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, shit.
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, fucking 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, shit! That's how strong the man is.
(Growls) Yes.
Shit! 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 fucking 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.
1-2-3 (Chuckles) 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 fucking science museum.
The bone have a lot of calcium, OK? It's good? Yeah, I'm feeling over the fucking moon.
(Chuckles) By midnight, I think I'm gonna become fucking 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 pissing 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-arse, 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 piss 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-arse 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 25-30 dishes - 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 fucking 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.
80 bowls to make some money.
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, fuck 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) 60 portions a day minimum? 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! 80 to go! (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) Fuck.
(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 3,000km of coastline .
.
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) Fucking 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) 40 minutes later they seem to 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 fuck? 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 fucking 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.
50/50, yeah? Tentacles, 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 fucking 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, fuck! (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, 130km from Hanoi.
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 fucked.
Sorry.
How embarrassing.
Hopefully, I can impress them with my culinary skills.
I've lost half my mix.
Shit.
OK.
Oh! No, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Oh.
That is what you call sticking to Shit.
.
.
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 fuck.
Fuck! 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, shit! 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 30 discerning diners.
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 fucking 400 things to do.
Fucking 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, fucking hell.
Shit! Bollocks.
Shit.
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 ass, 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 fucking 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 penis? 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.
Fuck.
(Chuckles) Closed Captions by CSI