• RogerP on April 11, 2013

  I've lived in Vietnam and struggled to find a book that would allow me to recreate its flavours until I found this one.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Baguette sandwich (Bánh mì)

  • JoanN on August 31, 2013

    Made these with the Char Siu Pork on page 142 and the Everyday Daikon and Carrot Pickle on page 192 and they were just superb. Try to find Vietnamese baguettes next time; the Tom Cat baguette was fine in a pinch, but just doesn't have the airy lightness and crunch of the Vietnamese version.

  • Wlow on July 15, 2024

    Very good with pan fried tofu and recommended fresh pickles but could use more highly flavored tofu or mushrooms etc.

• Savory meat pastries (Pa-tê sô [Pâtés chaud])

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Quite good!

• Napa cabbage and shrimp soup (Canh cải kim xhi nấu tôm)

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Good - light and shrimpy

• Tomato egg drop soup (Canh cá chua trứng)

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Nice summer soup

  • meggan on March 26, 2018

    simple soup. delicious with rice.

• Rice soup with beef and ginger (Cháo bò)

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Comforting.

• Garlicky oven-roasted chicken (Gà rô-ti)

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Really good.

  • mamacrumbcake on May 06, 2017

    This was good and very easy. Definitely repeat.

• Grilled chicken (Gà nướng)

  • MollyB on April 26, 2022

    One of my all-time favorite grilled chicken recipes. Easy and very tasty. It's great as written with boneless, skin-on thighs, but also works well with bone-in thighs. When made with bone-in thighs, it's quite tasty cold as a road-trip or hiking meal.

• Chicken and ginger simmered in caramel sauce (Gà kho gừng)

  • thekitchenchronicles on November 04, 2014

    http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/04/12/chicken-and-ginger-simmered-in-caramel-sauce/

• Chicken, lemongrass, and potato curry (Cà-ri gà)

  • FJT on May 18, 2019

    I enjoyed this and it was almost like the restaurant curry I wanted to replicate. Not sure about the potatoes though.

  • TrishaCP on June 07, 2019

    I really enjoyed this curry, although for some reason my potatoes did not want to cook. I essentially doubled the cook time for the potatoes alone.

  • mamacrumbcake on September 29, 2020

    This was an easy and very flavorful curry—but you need a food processor. It is very fragrant with lemongrass and ginger. Had a moderate amount of heat, which can be adjusted depending on what curry powder you use. My potatoes, like TrishaCP’s, took longer to cook and I had to keep adding water so the sauce wouldn’t dry out. Remember to factor that 30 minute rest period into your timing.

  • Utenya on July 02, 2023

    I deviated from the actual recipe. Chopped the chicken thigh and leg in half to open the bone and give the broth more flavor. The ankle part of the chicken leg was quite small, next time I'll cut it higher up on the drumstick. Dry rubbed with Madras curry, onion powder, salt, marinated for 1/2 hour. Deep fried potatoes and carrots for 3 minutes until lightly browned. Seared off chicken. Then sauted the paste with the chicken fond, added chicken and veg, bay leaf. Water, simmer until done. Adjust seasoning with salt and sugar. Finished with coco milk. More of a watery curry, not stewy like Japanese curry. Well received by company.

• Chicken meatballs with spicy hoisin-garlic sauce (Nem nướng)

  • ellabee on January 21, 2017

    p.86-88; ends with half page of useful pointers on deep frying.

• Chicken stir-fried with lemongrass and chile (Gà xào xả ớt)

  • aimeehart on June 14, 2011

    Very easy and very good.

• Egg, shrimp, and scallion pancakes (Trứng chiên tôm)

  • mzgourmand on May 06, 2024

    I made this when I saw it highlighted in The Washington Post as easy, quick and deliciousn(I have the cookbook as well). Despite generally loving Andrea Nguyen's recipes, this one felt flat to me - though comfort food is by definition very personal. I only note it because getting really good shrimp is expensive and I ended up tossing out the extra shrimp batter, to my chagrin.

• Pan-seared tuna steaks with gingery dipping sauce (Cá thu chiên)

  • lkgrover on April 10, 2022

    Excellent tuna; the marinade & dipping sauce is a hint of citrus which caramelizes while the tuna cooks. And the whole preparation is quick!

• Fried smelts (Cá tẩm bột chiên dòn)

  • lkgrover on May 24, 2024

    These smelts are coated in batter & fried -- slightly crispy when finished. They would make a good party appetizer, main course, or one component of a Vietnamese meal with several dishes to share.

• Steamed salmon with garlic and ginger (Cá hấp tỏi gừng)

  • lkgrover on June 13, 2022

    Good salmon fillets; love the sauce. Fast preparation.

• Salmon cakes with dill and garlic (Chả cá salmon)

  • rmardel on May 16, 2024

    These ended up being OK but not great. They had the proper texture for a Vietnamese style fish cake, and I like the use of egg whites, which made the fish cake light. I also appreciated that the cakes were steamed before frying or baking, which also contributed to the lightness. However, I felt the seasoning was off. Fish cakes are not meant to be highly seasoned, but these were bland to the point of absence. I'd like to perhaps play with the texture of these cakes and the seasoning in other versions.

• Minced pork with lemongrass and shrimp sauce (Thịt heo xào mắm ruốc)

  • thekitchenchronicles on September 22, 2013

    Delicious! Was worried when I opened the jar of shrimp sauce and the smell blew me away but when it cooks into the dish everything just comes together perfectly. This is sweet, salty and hot- and the flavor just explodes. Serve with the cucumbers, they are a great side to cut the intensity.

• Char siu pork (Thịt xả xíu)

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    grilled

  • stockholm28 on September 15, 2013

    Delicious and very simple.

• Pork riblets simmered in caramel sauce (Sườn kho)

  • thekitchenchronicles on July 25, 2017

    Recipe worked according to plan but I didn't love the flavors in this - much preferred the similar chicken recipe from this book.

• Asparagus and shiitake mushroom stir-fry (Măng tây xào nấm hương)

  • chawkins on October 29, 2018

    Simple and delicious. I added julienned pieces of pork, just to add some protein to the dish.

  • stepharama1 on June 10, 2022

    Excellent! I didn't change a thing except add a bit of fresh ginger.

• Russian beet, potato, and carrot salad (Rau củ trộn [Salade Russe])

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    okay.

• Panfried stuffed tofu with fresh tomato sauce (Đậu hũ nhồi thịt xốt cá)

  • chawkins on September 18, 2020

    Tofu and tomato, a new combination to me. This was quite tasty but I am more familiar with the Chinese style of stuffed tofu, this will need some getting used to.

• Tangy mixed vegetable pickle (Dưa góp)

  • PennyG on November 10, 2024

    These are nice. Not as … pickly? as I expected, but very tasty. I used poblano peppers from my garden rather than the red bell and Lindera Farms Paw Paw Vinegar.

• Grilled pork with rice noodles and herbs (Bún chả)

  • stockholm28 on September 02, 2013

    Delicious and very simple.

• Panfried rice noodles with beef and vegetables (Phở xào dòn)

  • Bessp on May 11, 2024

    This was pretty good. I used thin sliced tritip instead of flank steak because it was cheaper. The chewy texture of the panfried noodles was quite nice, but I don't know if it's worth the extra steps to do regularly. The flavor of the sauce was great, I added a bit more vegetable because we prefer a vegetable-heavy stir-fry.

• Garlicky noodles with Maggi and butter (Nui xào Maggi)

  • okcook on July 29, 2014

    So simple but really flavourful. I didn't have the right noodle so used spaghetti from the box and it worked ok. However, as the author suggests, I think this would be much better with fresh pasta....next time.

  • Gio on April 21, 2016

    Pg. 234. Great recipe. Garlicky is certainly correct in the very best way. We loved every bite. I substituted Bragg's aminos for Maggi, and ghee for the butter, fettuccine as directed. As suggested I included shrimp, topping off each serving with roasted shrimp and chopped parsley. What a seriously delicious plate of food.

  • mamacrumbcake on July 22, 2017

    This could not be easier and it is so tasty! I made the recipe as written to accompany garlicky roast chicken from the same cookbook. I can see adding some vegetables and some leftover meat or chicken to make an easy, complete meal. PS, I am loving this cookbook.

• Rice noodles with Chinese chives, shrimp, and pork (Bánh phở xào hẹ)

  • derektrudeau on December 17, 2013

    Made with cooked split mung beans instead of the ground pork and green onions instead of the chives. It was very tasty!

• Cellophane noodles with crab and black pepper (Miến xào cua)

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Quite good!!!

• Chicken and vegetable clay pot rice (Cơm gà)

  • IsaSim on February 09, 2014

    Delicious mild tasting comfort food. Doubled the vegetables (including mushrooms). Used AllClad DO. Forgot to soak the mushrooms overnight as suggested by author in bookend note: simmered them for about 45 minutes and this was good, maybe not velvety but quite edible!

• Banana cake (Bánh chuối)

  • thekitchenchronicles on November 04, 2014

    http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2014/09/15/vietnamese-banana-cake-banh-chuoi/

• Food52 by Celia Sack

  Andrea teaches the essentials of Vietnamese cooking in a totally accessible way, with easy substitutions in case ingredients, like crab tomalley, are hard to find.

  Full review