I received Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen as a gift some time ago, and I must say it is the best Vietnamese cookbook I’ve owned.
The design, layout, and organization are all wonderful. The photography sparkles, and Nguyen herself brings a confident and welcomed voice to the recipes and chapter intros.
It is quite a comprehensive tome, running the gamut from simple sauces to Vietnamese charcuterie. Nguyen provides a slick primer for bringing authenticity to the table, whether by describing various techniques or detailing a taxonomy of Vietnamese herbs complete with accompanying photos, descriptions, and corresponding Vietnamese nomenclature.
Ms. Nguyen also runs her own web site and blog, Viet World Kitchen, that is a great companion to the book. Graham @Noodlepie has recently published a Q&A with this great new voice in Vietnamese-American cuisine.
Hey GC – I really enjoy this book, it is well put together, though I have yet to try any of the recipes.
BTW, I enjoy College BB, but because I was in “food” mode, when I saw the “Oden arrives in PDX” – the first thing I thought about was, well…Oden. As in wow, who’s making oden in PDX! LOL! What a food dork…..
If you’re interested you can check-out “Cellophane Noodles with Crab and Black Pepper” from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen at http://www.projectfoodie.com/spotlights/cookbooks/into-the-vietnamese-kitchen-cellophane-noodles-with-crab-and-black-pepper.html