Vietnamese Food Any Day

October 15, 2018
The author of six cookbooks over the past 12 years (most recently, the Pho Cookbook), Nguyen presents 80 excellent, simple Vietnamese recipes. Her “any day” preparation means that the microwave oven and the Instant Pot are in, and deep fryers are out. In terms of ingredients, Nguyen surveyed all the large grocery chains to ensure that the components of her dishes can be easily found without a trip to a specialty store. She uses a simply mixed pomegranate molasses to add tang to pomegranate sriracha shrimp, as well as to her spicy sweet pomegranate tofu. There are numerous chicken and pork entrees (chicken, lemongrass, and sweet potato curry; pork and eggs in caramel coconut sauce), as well as options that show an international flair, such as smoked turkey pho, which employs turkey thighs that come fully cooked, and mushroom pâté puffs that call for ordinary frozen puff pastry sheets. Green vegetables get a makeover in sides like charred brussels sprouts with coconut, and easy soy sauce-glazed zucchini. Use-it-up fried rice combines any and all leftovers with a beaten egg and some fish sauce for a dinner. Nguyen’s newest is as utilitarian as it is innovative.

February 1, 2019

Nguyen (The Pho Cookbook; Into the Vietnamese Kitchen) has written another excellent cookbook about Vietnamese cuisine. From her vast knowledge and easy-to-understand instructions, readers will get a fantastic education into preparing and delivering delicious food. To start, the author lists the essential ingredients needed to prepare each dish, along with tips on where to find them. Suggestions on menu planning encourage readers to be creative. Chapters are broken down by meals, proteins, starches, and vegetables, ending with a section on desserts and coffee. The first chapter is extremely useful in its offering of several sauces essential to Vietnamese dishes, such as Caramel sauce and Nuoc Cham. Recipes such as banh mi, smoked turkey pho, chicken, lemongrass, sweet potato curry, and shaking beef will also interest home cooks. In many of the recipes, Nguyen gives notes on substitutions to make them vegetarian friendly. Beautiful photographs are a bonus. VERDICT A solid resource for cooks of all levels, especially beginners.--Holly Skir, Broward Cty. Lib., FL

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