The Culinary Institute of America
Episodes

Monday Jan 12, 2026
Food Stalls at Vietnam’s Ben Thanh Market
Monday Jan 12, 2026
Monday Jan 12, 2026
Explore the best food stalls at Vietnam’s Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Min City with Chef Mai Pham of Lemon Grass Restaurant and Executive Chef Benoit Leloup from Hotel des Arts Saigon. They try bún thịt nướng, or noodles with grilled meat at Xuân Mai as well as shrimp on sugar cane, both served in fresh and aromatic herbs.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Sunday Jan 11, 2026
Fruit at Vietnam’s Ben Thanh Market
Sunday Jan 11, 2026
Sunday Jan 11, 2026
Chef Mai Pham of Lemon Grass Restaurant is joined by Executive Chef Benoit Leloup, Hotel des Arts Saigon to tour Ben Thanh Market in Hồ Chí Minh City in Vietnam. They stop at Xuan Mai for some prawn bun, we see the proper way to enjoy Vietnamese spring rolls, and enjoy some freshly squeezed juices.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Saturday Jan 10, 2026
Vietnamese Herbs at Ben Thanh Market
Saturday Jan 10, 2026
Saturday Jan 10, 2026
The central market of Hồ Chí Minh City in Vietnam, Ben Thanh Market has over 1,500 booths selling items ranging from fresh produce, juices, and food, to apparel and fabric. Chef Mai Pham of Lemon Grass Restaurant is joined by Executive Chef Benoit Leloup, Hotel des Arts Saigon to tour the market’s fresh produce. Chef Mai shows us the specialty herbs of the Vietnamese kitchen, including red perilla, saw tooth herb (also known as culantro), and dill.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Friday Jan 09, 2026
Vietnamese Lemongrass Tofu with Peanuts
Friday Jan 09, 2026
Friday Jan 09, 2026
Vietnamese lemongrass tofu with peanuts is intensely flavorful and harnesses the fresh, citrusy notes of lemongrass. Mai Pham from Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento, CA shows us how she makes this dish, and thinks that whether you love or hate tofu, you will love this dish!
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Gỏi Gá: Vietnamese Chicken Salad with Tofu and Peanuts
Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Wednesday Jan 07, 2026
Chef Mai Pham from Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento, CA, makes a classic Vietnamese dish: Gỏi Gá or Vietnamese chicken salad with tofu and peanuts. With crispy cabbage, herbs, and a tangy dressing, this salad is refreshing and delicious.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Tuesday Jan 06, 2026
Vegetarian Temple Restaurant at Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda
Tuesday Jan 06, 2026
Tuesday Jan 06, 2026
Chef Yen Nguyen serves only vegetarian food at her Temple Restaurant at Buddhist Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda in Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam. She shares some of her most popular dishes with Chef Mai Pham from Lemon Grass Restaurant. Her peanut stir-fry, seaweed fried rice, fried mushrooms, lemongrass tofu, and spring rolls are the biggest hits on her menu.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Monday Jan 05, 2026
Vegetarian Pho with Tofu and Mushrooms
Monday Jan 05, 2026
Monday Jan 05, 2026
Chef Cam Van and Mai Pham show us how to make a vegan version of Vietnamese pho. This deeply flavorful and carefully balanced vegetable broth is made with charred onions and garlic, salted radish, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, coriander, fennel, and cloves. The broth is ladled over fried tofu, oyster mushrooms, vegetarian tofu “sausage,” and rice noodles.
Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van is a household name in Vietnam, and considered Vietnam's "national chef" for her role on her popular cooking show “Kheo Tay Hay Lam.” The famous cooking teacher was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 2019, and she has since focused on teaching vegetarian cooking. The Spice Garden is a cooking school in Củ Chi, a rural district of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam where Cam Van now teaches her cooking classes.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia

Sunday Jan 04, 2026
Vietnamese Clay Pot with Tofu and Peanuts
Sunday Jan 04, 2026
Sunday Jan 04, 2026
Chef Cam Van shows us how to make a classic Vietnamese dish -- Vietnamese clay pot with tofu and peanuts -- which she prepares with Chef Mai Pham from Lemon Grass Restaurant.
Ordained as a Buddhist monk in 2019, Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van has since focused on teaching vegetarian cooking. The Spice Garden is a cooking school in Củ Chi, a rural district of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam where Cam Van now teaches her cooking classes.
Watch the full series at: https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/southeast-asia