Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors | Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen | amazing book- even for a non vietnamese

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Into the Vietnames...

	Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors Andrea Quynhgiao Nguyen Ten Speed Press, 2006 - 344 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

When author Andrea Nguyen's family was airlifted out of Saigon in 1975, one of the few belongings that her mother hurriedly packed for the journey was her small orange notebook of recipes. Thirty years later, Nguyen has written her own intimate collection of recipes, INTO THE VIETNAMESE KITCHEN, an ambitious debut cookbook that chronicles the food traditions of her native country. Robustly flavored yet delicate, sophisticated yet simple, the recipes include steamy pho noodle soups infused with the aromas of fresh herbs and lime; rich clay-pot preparations of catfish, chicken, and pork; classic bánh mì sandwiches; and an array of Vietnamese charcuterie. Nguyen helps readers shop for essential ingredients, master core cooking techniques, and prepare and serve satisfying meals, whether for two on a weeknight or 12 on a weekend.

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Excellent for replicating that great Vietnames food.

I was just mentioning to someone that what I like about this cookbook is that it has recipes in it for everyday type of food. Not fancy. Easy ingredients, and very good. Too often cookbooks only have those recipes that would be intended for banquets or special occasions and take hours to make with lots of ingredients. This cookbook has an excellent assortment of easy/good vietnamese food with some good descriptive reading to go along with it. I'd recommend it to anyone.

amazing book- even for a non vietnamese

When I got this book I had very limited knowledge on Vietnamese food. There is a striking difference in ingredients, spices and herbs used in the Vietnamese cuisine compared to western cooking and the author takes the time to explain all the different ingredients used, how and where to purchase them and how to store them. I found that very helpful! All the recipes in the book are explained in detail and often take more than one page. The ingredients are also very well listed and the dishes are very well organized in chapters.The recipes are very easy to follow and I have been really satisfied from everything I have cooked until now! The author also tells a few words about each dish and its origin and characteristics making the book a true journey into the Vietnamese kitchen (and culinary culture) rather than a mere cookbook. I have a much better understanding and appreciation of Vietnamese food now and a lot of it is due to Andrea Nguen's book.

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Vietnamese American writing her first book review because it's just that good!

I'm American-born Vietnamese, and my parents came to the U.S. in 1975 at the tailend of the war. I have been searching for a thorough Vietnamese cookbook for quite some time. My mom sifted through the book in great detail and compared it to her set of Vietnamese recipes that have been passed down through generations. She kept commenting how thorough the recipes were and how authentic.

What I love about this book is:
1. Vietnamese cooking is difficult, meticulous, and takes patience. What I love what the author does is simplifies these recipes to make them adaptable to American kitchen equipment, while still keeping authentic flavor. Yes, you may have gotten there differently, but you end up in the same place.

2. The intro and appendix chapters to teach you about the foundations of Vietnamese cooking and explaining the different ingredients (how to store them, how to cut them, where to find them)

3. The equivalent Vietnamese names and pictures help me associate the dishes to the botched English translations. Any Vietnamese person will say that the English translations do not translate directly to what the author has named them in this book, but having the exact Vietnamese name helps me recall what the recipe is...and for anyone else, helps you recognize it on a menu to order at a restaurant later!

4. The group of recipes provided really encompass end-to-end Vietnamese cuisine that consist of classic dishes and "Dac Biet" dishes (fancy dishes usually saved for special occasions). From crab asparagus soup to Moon Cakes, each dish brings back all of my childhood memories of my favorite dishes that my mom is now too tired to cook herself.

Bottom line, the recipes are simplified - it's no 30-minute meal - but instead of brewing pho broth for a full day, she gives alternatives of how to shorten it....but also still providing the recipe for the all-day broth.

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What a wonderful cookbook!

Andrea Nguyen has written a wonderful, easy to use cookbook on Vietnamese cooking. We just returned from Vietnam in April (2008) and Ms Nguyen has put together a wonderful, comprehensive book that sums up the wonderful cuisine of Vietnam. We traveled from Hanoi to Saigon and never had a bad meal. Ms Nguyen recreated our experience 100 times!!! She recounts the evacuation of her family from Saigon in 1975 and relocation in San Jose. How her family became accustomed to their new life, but continued to cook wonderful Vietnamese food. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Vietnamese cooking...I have made a number of the recipes and they have turned out fabulously. Every dish I make reminds me of our wonderful trip to Vietnam.

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Adaptable

The book is wonderful. I used the book as a basic principles and adapt it to the way I want it to taste.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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