Tasting Vietnam

Book excerpt: This beautifully designed guide to Vietnamese home cooking and comfort food goes beyond restaurant fare to explore the vibrant, fresh flavors of a cuisine whose popularity is rising rapidly. Anne-Solenne Hatte presents the mouthwatering recipes for traditional Vietnamese home cooking collected by Bà, her maternal grandmother. This book is an homage to Vietnamese cuisine, with its emphasis on fresh ingredients, bright flavor combinations, zesty sauces, and reputation for healthfulness with vegetables and salads at center stage. These family recipes withstood the test of time—and exile. Staying true to her culinary heritage, Bà learned to work around unavailable items and adapt to new ingredients. These expertly detailed yet accessible recipes are intertwined with the story of Bà’s event-filled life and memories of home. After exploring the cuisine’s base recipes and “mother” sauces, the book explores dishes organized by region. Included are classic variations of pho, quick pickled vegetables, robust salads, grilled and stir-fried meats, and fusion dishes like trendy banh mi sandwiches.