During more than 40 years of research and teaching, culinary artist Bui Thi Suong has continuously participated in activities to promote Vietnamese cuisine to the world , thereby enhancing the position of the national culinary culture on the international culinary map. She is also the author of 4 books: Pho and Soups (4th edition), Book of 3 regions, Go Cong - Tien Giang Cuisine, 3-region spring rolls (co-authored with Bui Thi Minh Thuy - colleague at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education). She is also one of the founding members of the Saigon Professional Chefs Association and a judge of many national cooking programs and competitions.
In 2017, she was honored as one of the three leading culinary artists in Vietnam at the Tourism Awards Ceremony, and was also awarded the title of Vietnamese Culinary Culture Ambassador. Her two important research works: Specialty dishes of three regions and Standards for ranking Vietnamese culinary and baking techniques have laid the foundation for university teaching and standardization of criteria in the culinary industry.
Artisan Bui Thi Suong during a baking tutorial with a Canadian chef at Saigontourist College of Tourism and Hospitality (HCMC)
PHOTO: NVCC
Western man queued up 3 times to eat 3 bowls of pho.
During her many years of culinary promotion, Ms. Bui Thi Suong often chooses familiar, simple dishes that contain the essence of Vietnamese people such as pho, spring rolls, banh xeo, or simply a bowl of southern sour soup. She not only cooks for her friends from other countries to enjoy, but also tells the story of the origin of the dish, about the people and the land where it was born.
"Perhaps the dish most loved by foreigners is still pho. They are surprised that a seemingly simple dish consisting of only broth, rice noodles, beef, and herbs has such a delicate and complex flavor. Once I went to Sweden to participate in introducing Vietnamese cuisine, although there were many dishes introduced, people stood in long lines waiting to enjoy pho. There was a Western man whose face I felt very familiar with, as if I had seen him somewhere, so when I made pho for him, I asked: Why do I look so familiar to you, he smiled and said: This is the third bowl. It turns out he lined up three times to eat three bowls of Vietnamese pho! In addition, spring rolls are also very popular, both delicious and healthy, with lots of green vegetables and little oil. A foreign guest told me that eating a spring roll is like holding the whole Vietnamese vegetable garden in your hand," Ms. Suong said.
Ms. Suong is also a culinary consultant for many events.
PHOTO: NVCC
Ms. Suong has also traveled to many countries and enjoyed many dishes, and then fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine even more. "I think the most outstanding feature of Vietnamese cuisine is harmony. We always know how to balance between yin and yang, between sweet - sour - spicy - salty - bitter. Each dish is not too heavy on any one flavor, but blends to create a pleasant feeling. In addition, Vietnamese cuisine is associated with community culture: family meals, reunion meals, or the habit of "eating together, sharing with each other". That is the soul, the unique feature that makes Vietnamese cuisine different from the world", she said.
Always keep your taste buds "clean" and delicate
When asked "What makes a good dish?", artisan Bui Thi Suong shared that, for her, a perfect dish must always achieve a balance between flavor and texture.
According to her, quality, color and flavor account for 50% of a dish's success. "In terms of flavor, especially with traditional Vietnamese dishes, it is important to find balance and follow the system of the main ingredients," she affirmed.
Book cover Pho and soups
PHOTO: NVCC
Ms. Suong always emphasizes that for chefs, the tongue is a "tool for making a living". The delicate sense of taste helps them season accurately, creating perfect harmony for each dish. Therefore, she always advises young chefs to preserve this important "weapon". According to her, chefs should absolutely not use alcohol and tobacco, because they reduce the ability to perceive flavors, causing the chef to lose his inherent sensitivity. Keeping the sense of taste "clean" and delicate is the way chefs protect their profession, while respecting the dishes they create.
Few people know that she is also the one who inspires and gives topics to her student chefs in creating unique desserts, combining traditional ingredients that seem unrelated to sweet cuisine, such as: Go Cong sour shrimp paste ice cream and An Giang linh fish sauce ice cream, bringing diners a completely new and interesting experience.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nghe-nhan-bui-thi-suong-gin-giu-va-lan-toa-tinh-hoa-am-thuc-viet-18525082320111712.htm
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