Notes about Recipes in this book

• Crispy fried shallots (Hanh phi)

  • Yildiz100 on October 06, 2018

    Excellent technique for crispy shallots, and I like that the oil is strained and kept for a shallot scented seasoning for other dishes in the book, so no waste. At first this looks like too many shallots for the oil/frying pan, but they shrink and it ends up perfect. The slow, one step technique is easy with delicious results.

• Nutty mushroom pâté

  • jenburkholder on February 22, 2023

    Good. I ground it in the food processor after cooking to make the texture a bit finer. Went well on a veggie banh mi.

• Pickled carrots and daikon (Do chua [South] / Dua gop [North])

  • Yildiz100 on October 10, 2018

    This version was a touch sweet as an accompaniment to the book's rice bowl, which has a very sweet dressing. Testing with the bahn mi next to see if it fares better.

• Quick pickled carrots

  • christineakiyoshi on May 12, 2020

    Quick and easy. Delicious!

• Everyday table sauce (Nuoc cham chay)

  • Yildiz100 on October 10, 2018

    A bit sweet for my taste. Don't skimp on the salt either. I would experiment with reducing the sugar a bit.

• Soy chile dipping sauce (Nuoc tuong / Nuoc sieu)

  • christineakiyoshi on May 12, 2020

    I like this very much. Used 4 red Thai chiles for this as I like things on the spicy side.

• Tofu with fresh tomato sauce (Dau phu sot ca chua)

  • Yildiz100 on December 31, 2018

    Easy and reasonably tasty. The grown ups liked but didn't love it. Probably won't repeat, but glad I tried it.

  • jenburkholder on August 12, 2020

    This is a lovely, simple tofu dish that goes with most things. Homey and yummy, what more could you want?

• Tofu with tangy tamarind sauce (Dau phu sot me)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    We used plain firm tofu for this and really enjoyed it. Nice as part of a bowl meal alongside some greens and steamed rice.

• Tofu with tangy lemongrass ginger tamarind sauce

  • Yildiz100 on October 06, 2018

    I used crispy pre-fried (double fried style) cubes of tofu in this which absorbed all the sauce and led to a dry dish. Good flavors though, need to try again with a different tofu as I wasn't crazy about the texture as a dry dish.

• Five-spice-glazed tofu

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    This is okay, upgraded to good if one pan-fries the tofu before braising it. Without frying, it's just a bit mushy and sticky, but once fried it's much more pleasant. It does go very well in a sandwich, as it's chewy and flavorful.

• Lemongrass chile "chicken" strips stir-fry (Ga chay xao xa ot)

  • christineakiyoshi on May 12, 2020

    Made this dish with tofu. The flavors were nice but I prefer a crispier/firmer tofu, so would probably not use tofu in this again. Seitan or mock chicken would probably be a little better.

• Stir-fried tofu with lemongrass and chile (Dau hu xao xa ot)

  • Yildiz100 on May 30, 2019

    Was surprisingly bland for all the flavorful ingredients, but maybe my fault. 2 stalks of lemongrass did not provide the 1/4 cup that the recipe indicated. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until too late that he had also provided a volume measurement. Lemongrass was undetectable.

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    I've made this several times and like it a lot. I've had none of the issues with lack of lemongrass flavor even though I never pay much attention to measurements - perhaps it depends on which type of lemongrass you have access to? Who knows. Anyhow, tasty, healthy, and easy. Make sure the lemongrass is minced really small, though, as otherwise it can get a bit gritty.

• Turmeric tofu with fresh dill and rice noodles (Dau hu cha cha ha noi chay)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    A delicious vegetarian version of cha ca. The sauce is a bit watery as written, so decrease the amount of liquid. I also omit the fermented tofu, as I can't stand it (personal aversion), and I cut the tofu thinner to get more surface area to fry. Other than that, though, it's juicy, chewy, crunchy, and flavorful. Nice in the winter as a bowl of sunshine without too many summery ingredients.

• Cucumber pineapple rolls with coconut soy sauce (Goi cuon dua chuot va dua cham voi nuoc tuong)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    I liked the idea of pineapple in a summer roll, but other than that didn't care for these. The rice crackers were too intensely crunchy, the flavors in the roll didn't mesh well, and the sauce was just bad. I'm honestly not sure how it was so bad with the ingredients included, but... it was. An unfortunate disappointment from one of my favorite books; we won't repeat.

• Taro root mung bean spring rolls (Cha gio chay [South] / Nem ran chay [North])

  • jenburkholder on September 06, 2025

    These were good, if perhaps not worth the futzing about. Very labor-intensive and the filling didn’t stand out enough to warrant it. Happy to have a stash in the freezer but won’t make again.

• Green papaya salad (Nom du du chay)

  • jenburkholder on June 21, 2022

    Tasty. We used the pickled daikon and carrot and liked that better than I think we would have liked the carrot. Flavor didn’t really permeate the strips of papaya - better pounded? Ate with braised tofu and white rice, very satisfying.

• Tart and spicy green mango salad (Goi xoai)

  • jenburkholder on September 29, 2023

    Delicious - sharp and sweet, perfect accompaniment to rice and a rich tofu dish.

• Palate-cleansing pomelo salad

  • Yildiz100 on October 06, 2018

    Very nice, and a hit with the whole family though I did need to make some adjustments. Couldn't get the rice crackers so I omitted them. Omitted cilantro because of personal preference. Used a marinated tofu which I then sliced and fried, wasn't wild about the texture so try a different tofu next time. Maybe pre-fried or just omit. The pomelo was yellow and not super flavorsome . Maybe the variety (honey) or the season. Looking forward to trying this with a really good pomelo and a really green mango, but even with less than perfect ingredients this was exciting to eat.

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    This is an awesome salad. We made almost as written, only substituting jicama for the green mango (as is suggested in the recipe). It's a fair bit of work, but absolutely delicious, spicy, tart, sweet, and crunchy.

• Banana blossom salad (Nom hoa chuoi / Goi bap chuoi)

  • jenburkholder on December 21, 2021

    Made this with cabbage instead of banana blossom (don’t care for them) and omitted the tofu skin chips. It was very good, a refreshing salad full of good Vietnamese flavors. Would make again.

• Cucumber and shredded tofu skin salad (Goi dua chuot dau hu ky)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    Another really great salad, with easier-to-find ingredients than some of the salads in this book. If tofu skin is a pantry ingredient for you like it is for us, the only thing to go hunt down is culantro (which isn't really that hard to find). We sprinkled the top with fried shallots, which is definitely a good idea.

• Cooling bitter melon apple salad

  • Miambe on December 19, 2025

    Sweet, spicy, and refreshing. A great introduction to the flavor of Bitter melon. Delicious

• Star anise cinnamon scented pho noodle soup (Pho bo chay)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    This isn't my favorite vegetarian pho, but it's all right. His broth isn't as good as the one in Lukas Volger's Bowl, and the carrots feel a bit out of place. I do love the tofu skin as an addition, though, as it gives the chewy, meaty texture that's sometimes missing. Will steal ideas from, but won't repeat as written.

• Hot and sour Thai-style noodle soup (Bun Thai chay)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    We kind of butchered this as we forgot to add about half of the ingredients. However, it was still very tasty, so I'm sure the correct version is even better!

• Tasty rice noodle bowl (Bun chay)

  • Yildiz100 on October 10, 2018

    I served this topped with the Tofu with tangy lemongrass ginger tamarind sauce, (instead of the suggested stir fried tofu with lemongrass and chili) - this ended up being far too sweet to go with the sweet sauce. Next time try the suggested topping. Despite this, the recipe was a winner, overall. I will use a different, less sweet topping next time, and switch to a thinner vermicelli - I had a slightly thicker than standard version (and make sure they are very dry). See also notes on the "everyday table sauce."

  • christineakiyoshi on May 12, 2020

    Made this with the stirfried tofu with lemongrass and chile and soy chile dipping sauce. This is a simple recipe to make. I like a tofu that is a little crispier so will make a baked tofu with lime and tamari in the future.

• Vermicelli noodles with fresh turmeric, tofu, and Chinese chives

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    This is very simple and tastes mostly of turmeric. We enjoyed it quite a bit and served along with bok choy for a complete meal.

• Stir-fried noodles with asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, and tofu (Pho/mi xao chay thap cam 1)

  • Yildiz100 on April 02, 2019

    Nice flavor, reminiscent of pad Thai with the tamarind and the peanuts. The noodles only needed 10 mins soaking with my brand of 3mm noodles. The final product turned out a tiny bit gloppy. I think the corn starch in the sauce might be to blame. Why add starch when it is a never ending battle against starchy rice noodles anyway? Also, he never mentions when to add the tofu. I added it at the same time as the noodles. This worked. Would repeat omitting the starch next time, and maybe reducing the water in the sauce a little.

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    This is a nice stir fry that could be made with pretty much any vegetable one had around. We didn't have any issues with gloppiness, but I also can't swear we added cornstarch (made this a while ago, and I'm quite bad at following directions). It would be very nice with an egg fried in as well, I think.

• Crispy rice and mung bean crepes (Banh xeo)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    Tastes like banh xeo ought to. Delicious. We ended up using a bit more than 1/4 cup of batter, as that was not enough to fill the skillet, but that's no big deal. Would follow this recipe again.

  • RachaelN on July 24, 2024

    I thought this was fantastic. Soaked the mung beans overnight. I did add a bit of cabbage, carrots and some pressed (flavored) tofu while the crepes were warm and then some shredded cucumber and the herbs when it cooled a bit. I learned too late that to eat it, you're supposed to tear it up and lift the bits with lettuce leaf with your hands. This is a winner dish. Will make it again for sure.

• Stir-fried water spinach

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    Perfectly nice preparation of water spinach. If you aren't prepared for the vaguely mucilaginous texture of water spinach, though, please prepare yourself. Not everyone in the house was a fan because of this, although that's hardly the fault of the recipe.

• Soy ginger glazed eggplant (Ca tim sot nuoc tuong gung)

  • jenburkholder on August 15, 2020

    One of this eggplant-disliking family's favorite eggplant dishes. I like to sprinkle a bit of Thai basil on top.

• Curried vegetable stew with baguette (Ca ri chay)

  • Yildiz100 on January 03, 2019

    Very nice, but I felt it wasn't ideal served over rice noodles. (One of the suggested ways to serve it and the one we chose.) It was a bit too thick for this. Next time, serve over rice. The kiddo kind of liked it, even though it was a bit spicy for her.

• Hibiscus slushie (Dai qua kho "slushie")

  • Yildiz100 on November 15, 2018

    Delicious, refreshing, and a gorgeous color. Nice rich hibiscus flavor (had whole dried hibiscus flowers and allowed them to steep for 9 hours). Makes a lot of syrup, so try a half recipe next time. Syrup can also be used for cocktails and desserts, so should be able to use it up.

• Summer fruit with coconut milk and condensed milk (Hoa qua dam)

  • Yildiz100 on May 30, 2019

    Very nice dressing for fruit salad. Creamy and sweet, but not too sweet. Wished it was a little thicker, maybe replacing some of the coconut milk with coconut cream would be good.

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