Notes about Recipes in this book

• Any day Viet pickle

  • southerncooker on March 03, 2019

    These are delicious as a snack or on a Banh Mi sandwich. I can't find daikon around here but can usually find purple top turnips but no luck this time so I just did carrots and not a combination.

  • wcassity on February 23, 2020

    My first time making myself. Delicious, quick, straightforward. Used baby carrots and radishes.

  • Skamper on August 22, 2019

    Makes a good basic pickle. I used a combination of daikon, purple top turnips, red radish, and carrots.

  • excurvatus on July 27, 2019

    This is a bit of a fridge standard for me since making it from Andrea's banh mi book - it's excellent.

• Nuoc cham dipping sauce

  • excurvatus on July 27, 2019

    The vegetarian variation is SO good, it tastes pretty much identical to the fish version.

  • wcassity on February 23, 2020

    Delicious. Had to keep tinkering to get the right balance.

  • seherhussain on March 31, 2019

    I made this with lemons instead of limes, and turned out great. I appreciated the instructions on how to make this sauce more/less assertive.

  • mzgourmand on July 28, 2019

    Delicious & so easy.

• Caramel sauce

  • mzgourmand on July 28, 2019

    This sauce adds a particular note of complexity, bitter/sweet/smoky that really adds depth to the dish. I followed her instructions to the letter & it came out perfectly.

  • imaluckyducky on November 15, 2019

    Adding another raving view of this recipe! The beautiful thing about Andrea's recipes is that she does such an excellent job vividly describing what's you're looking/smelling/hearing for during the cooking process, and includes key pictures of the process. She ensures that there are no surprises during the cook. That said, this sauce is complex and lends itself well to making in larger batches.

  • lholtzman on September 15, 2020

    This took significantly longer than 2 minutes to come to the color of dark tea. It did taste a bit bitter, but that bitterness did not come across in the recipe I used this in.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    Andrea makes this so easy to do, something I otherwise would never have tried. I think it's worth making ingredient for other dishes to get the real flavor you're looking for.

• Pomegranate molasses

  • Mtetpon on March 04, 2020

    This took over an hour to reduce but the results were so much better than I have been buying.

  • EmilyR on March 11, 2019

    I would have said this feels like a filler recipe of sorts, but seeing as the grocery I went to no longer carries pomegranate molasses I made this and it worked nicely. It took a little time to reduce, but the results were good. I probably won't replace purchasing it at the store for ease, but I'm glad this is a fall back.

• Chile garlic chicken wings

  • sharpcatherine on November 20, 2020

    Quick, easy and a big hit.

• Roasted cauliflower “wings”

  • EmilyR on March 11, 2019

    I made this twice and had varying degrees of success. The breading and rice flour was slightly challenging because the consistency was different both times (once a bit smoother / thin and the other time slightly thicker and not coating as well). It's a bit fool proof as they tasted the same. One of my favorite aspects of this book is the author's encouragement to make it your own. I like the idea of this, but it was just OK.

• Streetside corn and chile

  • seherhussain on March 31, 2019

    This was an easy way to cook a few ears of corn. Surprisingly the paprika & fish sauce combo works great and adds deep savory flavor. Would make again.

  • southerncooker on September 11, 2020

    I used a jalapeno and sushi nori. It was really good and simple to make. I would make again.

• Mushroom pâté puffs

  • damjih on October 27, 2020

    These are really good, was worried about the cost of dried mushrooms, I never buy em, but dried shitake are super cheap from the H Mart

  • Riya08 on November 28, 2020

    This was really good. I used to make ahead directions per the book, and it turned out wonderfully. I will keep this as an easy app idea for the future!

• Banh mi sandwich

  • southerncooker on March 03, 2019

    I used the Char Siu chicken recipe from this book to put on the sandwiches. From the list of options I used cucumbers, any day Vietnamese quick Pickled carrots, mayonaise and instead of hot peppers Sriracha on a hand span of Baguette. Yum! There are several options to choose from and I'm sure I'll be trying more.

• Jicama and sausage rice paper rolls

  • lholtzman on October 11, 2020

    Use char sui tofu to make vegetarian. Excellent.

• Versatile vegetable soup

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    This was fine. It had flavor but nothing special, I would only make again if craving something super simple.

• Roast chicken noodle soup

  • dbruijn on August 17, 2020

    Didn’t have bok choi at the store so I used Napa cabbage successfully. Yummy.

• Char siu chicken

  • damjih on October 27, 2020

    Had the same cast iron issues, was really good in banh mi, which I ate for 3 straight lunches ~

  • southerncooker on March 03, 2019

    I'm so proud of myself. I got a great deal on bone in chicken thighs so I went online and watched several videos of how to debone them and that's what I did for this recipe. Used the bones and skin along with more chicken to make some stock. The chicken was delicious. We used some to make the Banh Mi Sandwiches from the pick and choose options in the book. Only thing was my cast iron grill pan was a mess to clean after cooking this chicken with the glaze. Worth the taste though.

  • IvyManning on April 30, 2019

    Too sticky sweet for me by itself. Maybe it's really meant for bahn mi? Made for a very hard to clean grill pan, had to soak for 2 days and scrub like crazy to detach the burnt sugar from my pan.

  • lizbot2000 on October 07, 2019

    Very sweet, so you need something sour to go with it. Tastes great cold in lunchboxes. It is an enormous pain if you try to cook it inside, but it does pretty well on an outdoor grill. Kid approved after I told them it had ketchup in it, haha.

• Grilled slashed chicken

  • cdglamontagne on November 24, 2019

    Another amazing and easy recipe that tastes like a Vietnamese restaurant. Marinated the chicken overnight and served at a BBQ with friends the next day, everyone wanted the details. Our chicken legs were not small as the recipe calls for, so we had to finish them in the oven after being on the grill awhile, but that worked fine for a few mins at 325.

• Coconut-kissed chicken and chile

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    This was pretty good, but I felt needed more than just jalapeno to zip it up. I served with a green salad using the Vietnamese vinaigrette in the later chapter, but next time I'll mix in some herbs and lime with the chicken when adding the jalapeno.

  • stockholm28 on October 24, 2019

    I liked this. This is a quick dish (assuming you make the caramel sauce in advance). The flavors are good and I enjoyed this over rice.

• Chicken, lemongrass, and sweet potato curry

  • bernalgirl on September 15, 2020

    Good although not as complex as we would have liked, that balance of sharply defined flavors was missing even after finishing the dish with a dash of fish sauce and a squeeze of lime

• Shrimp in coconut caramel sauce

  • IvyManning on October 31, 2019

    Too sweet for me.

  • southerncooker on March 23, 2019

    I served the shrimp and Brussels sprouts from page 170 over brown rice. Mixed all together it was enjoyable, but the shrimp by itself was a little too sweet and salty for me. I didn't add any extra salt to the shrimp so was probably from the fish sauce. I didn't make the caramel sauce but used the option of adding molasses instead. Hubby didn't care for either the shrimp or the B sprouts. Daughter said she liked everything mixed together with a big bite of rice included.

  • hirsheys on October 17, 2019

    I found the dish tasty, but not nearly coconut-y enough given its name. My issue was with the coconut oil - I don't keep any in my house, and naively thought that it could be replaced easily with a neutral oil. And refined oil *can*, without any difference. But in this case, Nyugen calls for virgin (unrefined) oil, which actually is very coconut-y, apparently. Since the coconut water is pretty flavorless (as saragema mentions), it doesn't add much in terms of taste. Anyway, I made the caramel as described in the book. The rest of this dish was very simple, other than peeling the shrimp. My only other change was using very thinly sliced yellow onion instead of the shallot (mine had gone bad). I am contemplating stirring in a small spoonful of coconut cream to the leftovers to get some of the coconut flavor I'm craving, but honestly, it's a pretty good dish even without it.

  • imaluckyducky on November 15, 2019

    Enthusiastic 5 stars. This recipe really benefits from making the caramel sauce in the book - molasses will be far too sweet for the dish. Start low with the fish sauce and add until it tastes full of umami without being overly fishy or salty. Longest part of the whole recipe was peeling and de-veining the shrimp. 4yo approved with rice and bites of the charred Brussels sprouts from this book all together in one bite.

  • Lepa on November 18, 2019

    We liked this. A large amount of black pepper (as recommended in the recipe) made it even better. Next time I will take better care to avoid overcooking the shrimp.

  • stockholm28 on May 09, 2020

    I liked this and if you have made the caramel sauce in advance, the most time consuming part is peeling the shrimp. This was better the day made than as leftovers. I felt it needed a little kick (maybe more red pepper flakes or ginger or extra black pepper).

  • mzgourmand on July 28, 2019

    This dish is fantastic! And easy! I did make it witrh the homemade caramel sauce as recommended, but subbed butter & coconut cream (from top of coconut milk) in lieu of coconut oil b/c I didn't have any. The dish was incredibly flavorful - my spouse went back for thirds! I served it with rice and her soy glazed zucchini, which was also a really excellent easy dish.

  • cdglamontagne on November 11, 2019

    Really tasty shrimp recipe! I added a few jalapeno slices to the sauce as it was cooking down. Will be a repeat.

  • lholtzman on September 15, 2020

    Absolutely delicious. I slightly overcooked the shrimp, but still good. Serve over rice to sop up the sauce.

• Ginger-garlic fish parcels

  • stockholm28 on March 09, 2019

    This is a good weeknight meal as it is about 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes in the oven. It was pretty flavorful for the effort ... ginger, garlic, soy, and oyster sauce. The leaves of the bok choy were a little overcooked for my preference. I used salmon and cut the recipe down to a single portion

• Crispy lemongrass salmon

  • wcassity on February 23, 2020

    Quick, tasty. Served with the rice noodle salad.

• Panfried pork cutlets

  • chawkins on January 05, 2021

    Quick and easy dinner. The pork was quite flavorful with just a 30- minute marinade, while you prepared the side dishes.

  • bernalgirl on November 20, 2020

    Absolutely fantastic, the seasonings accent the pork beautifully and the cooking instructions yield chops that are just the right combination of tender and crispy.

• Grilled lemongrass pork chops

  • FJT on May 15, 2020

    Very nice; will likely make this again.

  • chawkins on June 01, 2020

    These were seriously good, much better than Grace Young’s version in The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. I halved the recipe and marinated for an hour.

  • julesamomof2 on April 26, 2020

    Lemongrass makes this marinade special - used paste which makes it easier. Will be repeated.

  • cdglamontagne on May 09, 2020

    Looove this and will be using the marinade again and again. Made exactly as written and it tastes just like a restaurant. Can't recommend this one enough!

  • Skamper on April 05, 2019

    I made the full amount of marinade and used it instead on a pork tenderloin, letting it marinate for about 27 hours, then grilled. Delicious! Will definitely try with pork chops. Edit: now that I've made this with pork chops, we prefer it with pork tenderloin.

• Crispy caramelized pork crumbles

  • patioweather on August 31, 2020

    I cooked this with ground Beyond Meat. I thought it was alright and not salty at all. I am not sure it was worth the effort of making the caramel sauce though.

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    YUM. these are suuuper good and come together really easily. I think the caramel sauce is key here to get the flavor you recognize from restaurants. Great on noodle bowls!

  • hirsheys on November 01, 2019

    I found this to be too salty on its own - I think it definitely needs pickles to balance it.

  • bernalgirl on September 17, 2020

    A little sweet for my taste

  • bernalgirl on September 17, 2020

    This would be great in a bun bowl where there are lots of other flavors and textures, while I did not find this too salty, it is one-dimensionally sweet with the full amount of caramel sauce

• Shaking beef

  • Mollyh on June 15, 2020

    Easy, versatile, light and delicious. I accidentally let it marinate for 48 hours and it was still good. I added lime juice and cucumbers and put the salad on top of rice noodles. Even the kids ate it!

  • julesamomof2 on April 27, 2020

    I've made this recipe twice - it's the perfect balance of salty, acidic, sweet, crunchy, all in one dish. We used filet mignon for the meat which is pricey - but could try less expensive cuts.

  • KaraCooks on October 07, 2020

    I just made this with flank steak and OMG so awesome and came together so quickly. I will be playing with this for sure.

  • Apepin on June 02, 2020

    I used New York strip steak, it was terrific. The watercress is important.

• Curry-scented grilled beef lettuce wraps

  • Riya08 on October 07, 2020

    I made these and I really didn't care for them. I think there are much more interesting and easier lettuce wrap recipes out there. For me the brand of curry powder may have something to do with it, and also the beef was a tad dry.

  • KaraCooks on October 07, 2020

    I had high hopes for these but the meat just didn't have enough flavour. I love the idea of turning them into a bowl for a subsequent meal. I will work on this because it is a great light meal.

  • seherhussain on March 31, 2019

    I made the rice bowls version of this and my meatballs turned out dry. It could have just been the kind of ground beef I used (too lean). I halved the spices & seasoning to fit the quantity of meat I had, but it definitely needed more oomph. If i make it again, I would keep the spices to the full amount specified.

  • mziech on January 02, 2021

    I used minced meat (combination pork/beef) and really loved this recipe. Flavor combinations really worked. Also, I was generous with the spices and seasonings (no exact measurements) so no lack of flavor.

• Herby oven-steamed eggs

  • lholtzman on September 15, 2020

    So yummy and love the texture. Made the vegetarian version with mushrooms.

• Shaking tofu

  • lholtzman on September 15, 2020

    Flavor is excellent and even better the next day. This makes a great lunch or dinner.

  • excurvatus on January 11, 2020

    What can I say? I made this three hours ago and can't stop thinking about it. I used a mix of watercress, radicchio, and a "bright herb" salad mix, as well as mint. It was a little bit bitter, but not a complaint at all. The dressing shouldn't be as amazing as it is. Regular rotation bound.

  • cdglamontagne on July 11, 2019

    Love this recipe! I have never ever been able to cook tofu right before, and this is SO good and comes together quickly. One of many favorites from this book.

  • Skamper on May 31, 2019

    This was a delicious and easy weeknight dinner. The recipe serves 2-3 but the two of us gobbled up the full amount! I used 1 T soy sauce and 1/2 T maggi seasoning, red onions, arugula, and a mix of basil and mint.

  • chawkins on July 12, 2019

    I used Maggi seasoning sauce and a mix of arugula, basil and shallot for the salad. the drained tofu absorbed the sauce and went well with the slightly wilted (by the heat of the tofu and the sauce) salad.

  • Lepa on July 17, 2019

    I thought this was a very flavorful and easy dish. The greens and herbs tasted so fresh. This was a perfect summer main! Like others, I used Maggi and also used a mix of baby asian greens for the salad.

  • stockholm28 on October 06, 2020

    I thought this was solid, but didn’t find it all that special. I used soy sauce (a suggested substitute for the Braggs liquid aminos).

• Sriracha tofu

  • lizbot2000 on February 17, 2019

    I threw these in the air fryer, and they turned out amazing. I was popping them like candy.

  • excurvatus on August 05, 2019

    this recipe works! i don't have a non-stick skillet, so i used my enameled cast iron. it worked, with a bit of cleanup necessary. i used this as a banh mi filling - it was great! i would add it to my rotation of tofu preparations, for sure. mostly a note to myself, but i'd definitely prefer to use extra firm.

• Spicy sweet pomegranate tofu

  • Lepa on February 21, 2020

    I made this as written but omitted the chile because I didn't want it to be too hot for the children. Adults ate it with additional Sriracha on top. This was delicious - a hit with everyone. It was especially good with the turmeric coconut rice and coconut Brussels sprouts!

  • TrishaCP on March 20, 2020

    We loved this recipe too. I used a red jalapeño (what I had) and it wasn’t too spicy.

• Lemongrass tempeh crumbles

  • lholtzman on September 29, 2020

    These were fabulous. Served with rice and tortillas like tacos.

  • lholtzman on September 29, 2020

    Used the crumbles, cucumbers, rice, and sriracha as filling for tortillas.

  • patioweather on October 07, 2020

    This was great but the lemongrass was actually my least favorite part. This is going to be my standby tempeh recipe, minus the lemongrass.

• Smacked cucumber and shrimp salad

  • cdglamontagne on May 26, 2019

    Easy and delicious. We made this with cucumber only as a side, didn't have chili sauce so we subbed sriracha and it was very tasty.

  • bernalgirl on September 12, 2020

    Great salad with or without the shrimp

• Zesty lime-chile vinaigrette

  • patioweather on September 08, 2020

    I enjoyed this! Not my favorite salad dressing in the world, but worth keeping in the regular lineup.

• Quick slaw

  • lizbot2000 on October 07, 2019

    Easy and delicious. Goes really well with the char siu chicken and some rice. This is going to be a standard in my lunchbox rotation for sure.

  • cjxn on March 24, 2019

    Easy recipe. Clean favors. We made it as a side for Korean Fried Chicken. The acidity and tartness of the lime dressing cut through the chicken’s gochujang sauce.

• Charred Brussels sprouts with coconut

  • patioweather on September 28, 2020

    These are easy enough that I could cook then daily, and my family would probably be fine with that!

  • Lepa on September 12, 2019

    These were so easy and delicious! My seven year old asked for seconds. This is a great recipe.

  • imaluckyducky on July 18, 2019

    The longest part of this recipe is preparing the b. sprouts, which isn't that intensive. Merely slicing them in half. I added more fish sauce at the end than required, and the fish sauce is balanced nicely by the faint sweetness of the coconut water (used a can with pulp) and the smokiness from charring the b. sprouts. Very easy. Served with the coconut ginger meatballs from smitten kitchen.

  • southerncooker on March 23, 2019

    Made to go with the caramelized shrimp and brown rice. Mixed all together it was good.

  • Skamper on August 19, 2019

    Made the cabbage variation to serve with lemongrass marinated pork tenderloin. Not all of the wedges stayed together, but it was tasty.

• Blistered green beans and bacon

  • Lepa on March 27, 2020

    This was quick and delicious!!

• Baby kale stir-fried with garlic

  • lizbot2000 on February 17, 2019

    Tasty and easy! I added the sugar and a little soy sauce.

  • bernalgirl on September 12, 2020

    Very quick, excellent with water spinach/ong choy

  • Skamper on October 28, 2020

    Made a half recipe with 5 oz baby kale and it yielded 2 quite light portions.

• Easy soy sauce-glazed zucchini

  • vickster on September 15, 2020

    Maybe my new favorite way to cook zucchini!

  • patioweather on August 31, 2020

    A good zucchini recipe is hard to find. This was easy and we liked it so it's entering the permanent lineup.

• Eggplant with smoky green onion oil

  • bernalgirl on September 12, 2020

    Great flavors, very easy

  • Skamper on October 31, 2020

    Tasty and easy. Made a half batch but used the full amount of smoked paprika because I love it.

• Crab and coconut fried rice

  • Lepa on July 17, 2019

    This is so simple, easy and delicious! It was, however, barely enough to feed our family of four as a side. I recommend scaling up.

  • patioweather on March 08, 2020

    Extremely easy and tastes like crab fried rice. Win!!

• Vibrant turmeric coconut rice

  • Lepa on February 21, 2020

    I have made rice with coconut milk before but this is made with coconut water and it has a lovely taste, silky texture and beautiful color from the turmeric. Definitely a repeat!

  • TrishaCP on March 20, 2020

    The texture of this rice made with coconut water is far superior to any that I have made with coconut milk. This recipe is a keeper for sure.

  • bernalgirl on September 12, 2020

    Be sure to use unrefined coconut oil for best flavor, and a less sweet coconut water (no sugar added for sure). This is a beautiful dish to serve along side the lemongrass pork chops from the same cookbook

• Sizzling rice crepes

  • Riya08 on October 06, 2020

    This is delicious and her recipe is perfect. The key is to make sure to use a good non-stick skillet. Also, make sure all the ingredients are ready to go when you're ready to start cooking.

• Umami garlic noodles with shiitake mushroom

  • Skamper on April 05, 2019

    This was delicious. I used a 6 oz package of chuka soba so eyeballed the rest of the ingredients proportionately (including the cooking water). I used granulated splenda instead of sugar, and used MSG.

  • patioweather on September 22, 2020

    These were outstanding. The sauce is what really punches up the dish, so it would be equally good if you need to sub other veggies for the shiitake.

  • lholtzman on September 20, 2020

    A definite favorite. I used mushroom bullion base instead of MSG/nutritional yeast/chicken bouillon base. I also used Irish butter instead of European butter since it was not stocked at my grocery store.

  • Jviney on August 13, 2020

    I thought this was so so good. I used 1/2 tsp chicken boullion in place of the MSG and added shrimp. Japanese ramen noodles were great although I overcooked them. Everyone at the table had seconds.

  • vickster on March 31, 2019

    Really good! I love the sauce, and will definitely make this again. The butter seems to mellow out the usual Asian flavors.

  • meggan on October 18, 2020

    Good flavor - I would use more mushrooms or add some greens next time.

  • julesamomof2 on April 27, 2020

    I didn't love this dish, but it could have been the noodles I bought as 'wheat noodles' as called for in the recipe were too nondescript for me to find. Either way, it was a little bland for us and will not be repeated.

  • KaraCooks on October 07, 2020

    This is was so tasty and easy peasy. I will certainly keep some ramen on hand for this in the winter for a quick weeknight meal. I would add lots of heat to it next time.

  • Lepa on February 11, 2020

    These noodles were so much better than I expected. My local market didn't have MSG so I used chicken soup base/bullion, as recommended in the recipe. I also used fresh lo mein noodles. Definitely a repeat!

• Rice noodle salad bowl

  • wcassity on February 23, 2020

    Delicious! Like a Vietnamese restaurant dish. Lots of work - made the quick pickle, nuoc nam, lemongrass grilled salmon, the noodles, and chopping of all of the veggies and herbs.

  • excurvatus on July 27, 2019

    This was incredible, but i really took it in my own direction as a kind of "use up CSA vegetables" dinner. i topped it with some pre-made marinated tofu from the grocery store instead of the meat options, used vegetarian nuoc cham (from earlier in the book), and for vegetables I seared/sauteed some hakurei turnips, cabbage, and radishes.

• Hanoi-style bacon and grilled pork rice noodle bowls

  • Skamper on August 22, 2019

    Made a use-up-leftovers version of this with pork tenderloin in lemongrass marinade on p. 131, rice noodles, green lettuce, basil, chopped green onions, pickle on p. 29 and nuoc cham sauce on p. 30. We both really liked it.

• No-churn Vietnamese coffee ice cream

  • southerncooker on March 10, 2019

    Daughter and I love Vietnamese iced coffee and this ice cream has many of those flavors. It was delicious. She also gives an option of adding some fine chopped chocolate to the mixture before freezing and I think next time I'll try that.

• Silken tofu and mandarin oranges in ginger syrup

  • kitchen_chick on March 20, 2019

    I didn’t have mandarin oranges, but I supremed some oranges and that worked quite well.

• Matcha “pandan” waffles

  • EmilyR on February 17, 2019

    I doubled this recipe and there were none left over. The flavors are excellent. I should note I did use a bit less sugar than called for and mixed it in a kitchen aid. The kids loved the taiyaki and “pretzels”.

• Food52

  Andrea’s dishes...are all authentically Vietnamese, American, Vietnamese-American, whichever—and none require a trip to the Asian market.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  ...is truly supportive, walking cooks through things like fish sauce and fresh herbs, and even how to make the perfect pot of rice. Plus, the recipes are fresh, beautiful, and weeknight easy.

  Full review