No comments about Vietnamese Home Cooking (Essential Asian Kitchen).

5 comments about The Book of Vietnamese Cooking (Book of...).

1. Deh-Ta Hsiung should stay with the Cantonese cooking instead venturing into unknown areas. A nice and colorful book does not make a cook book.



2. This book looks like one that would be reasonably straightforward and easy to use. Unfortunately, I found it to contain CHINESE recipes and it seemed rather unauthentic.



3. This book is decorative in a certain way -- in a kitchen that is not serious in its function nor pursuit of excellence.

   There are much better books on the market for Vietnamese cuisine to be found on the American book market (Trang, Pham or Routhier). The steps illustrated are very short-cut in the way they are prepared and the final result is not Vietnamese food that is bold but something that hints at but does not accomplish authenticity.

   On par with the Periplus series or even the little cookbooks this is not a book for those building, or researching a library on the flavors of Viet Nam nor its more sublte flavor cultures. If you want a beautiful cookbook for your table try _Hot, Sour, Sweet and Salt_ . But if you want a cookbook that works than try Trang, Pham or Routhier.

   Do not get this book unless it is on the remainder table and only on a lark.




4. In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes.
   
   While the series' individual parts can generally be counted on to provide an excellent (even if not all-encompassing) introduction to the unique flavors of the respective cuisine they portray, this particular installment, the Book of Vietnamese Cooking, has been criticized for containing Chinese (or more specifically Cantonese) rather than Vietnamese recipes. And indeed, some of the dishes presented here seem to fit better onto the menu of a Chinese restaurant - or even a Thai or Indian eatery. (Satays, curries, hot and sour soup, Mongolian style lamb, sweet and sour recipes, spring rolls ... you get the picture.) Nevertheless, while I admit that I only know the Vietnamese cuisine from cook books and restaurants, not (yet!) from a visit to the country, there are enough recipes here which I do indeed associate with the notion of eating Vietnamese food; such as chicken, shrimp and pork with lemon grass, fish sauce, spicy chicken salad and to some extent, hot pots (not exclusive to the Vietnamese cuisine, but part of this as well as other Asian cuisines). The book also contains a brief introduction into the basics of the Vietnamese cuisine, the necessary equipment and utensils and a glossary of ingredients, and a number of unique dishes such as green papaya salad, papaya and pork soup, lychee sorbet, sesame shrimp toasts and shrimp paste on sugar cane.
   
   From aromatic duck to zucchini with ginger, this collection of recipes, while not as representative of the cuisine portrayed as the series' other installments, still provides a decent introduction to Vietnamese cooking; even if you won't achieve mastery in the subtleties of this particular cuisine based on this book alone. Also recommended for fans of Asian cooking: this series' books on Thai, Japanese and Chinese Cooking, on Stir-Fries, and on Curries and Indian Foods.
   
   Also recommended:
   Around the World Cookbook
   Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day
   Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery)
   Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World
   On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only
   Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006



5. I can't wait to make dishes that I've eaten before but did not know how to make

No comments about Vietnamese Cooking (Master Chefs Classics).

5 comments about Lemongrass and Lime: New Vietnamese Cooking.

1. Lovely as a coffeetable book or to get your tastbuds going, but don't try to actually use any of the recipes.

   In a casual review of recipes, I found numerous editing mistakes. For example, one recipe gives you detailed directions for baking and mashing a potato. It then moves on to the next ingredients and never tells you what to do with the perfectly mashed potato! Similarly, there are references to ingredients not previously mentioned and inane instructions like refrigerating fresh fish for a MAXIMUM of one hour.

   Overall, it feels like the book was rushed to market and/or published by cookbook neophites. Disappointing as the title, pictures, and dish descriptions are all quite mouth-watering.




2. I will give a fair warning and say that the following review is quite harsh, but I will try to be as fair as possible.

   Okay, on the plus side this book has beautiful photos almost too beautiful to have in a working kitchen. Some of the pictures are so artful one asks the question of what is the picture's purpose? For many of the photos are not instructional photos that show techniques or states of the food except as finished product.

   Design --

   It is a outsized volume that is perfect for the coffee table but maybe a bit unwieldy in a book holder. The size I am sure, was determined by the photo layout and not the recipes for they occupy very little space.

   The layout is of ingredients listed way on the bottom with instructions for the recipe not quite center with the use of a lot of white space and very artistic photos of something that may not be related to the dish. All thisdone on glossy paper.

   Problems --

   Poorly edited: The book forgets steps in the use of ingredients and has the unique distinction of having an editor who did not bother providing temperature setting equivalents for UK oven markings. So it is not geared for the American kitchen at all. What does Mark # mean for your temperature specific oven? Good guessing is required or a reference. The writer or editor might have tried to do the simple modification of providing both English and degree settings for the recipes. It shows a lack of care.

   The Recipes --

   I will grant that this is supposed to be 'NEW' Vietnamese cuisine but I find the book making way too many changes and tradeoffs to have it termed Vietnamese except in the broadest sense. An example is the use of butter in recipes e.g., beef and chicken stock. Also, the recipes may require more than what your average thrifty Vietnamese grandma might use such as, veal bones and 10 egg whites to clarify the stock.

   The chicken broth/stock was pretty thin in the making just the use of chicken wings which creates a thinner less full broth which may shortchange the strength of broth based dishes. More traditional recipes would actually use a whole chicken to provide fuller flavor and maximize the thriftiness of having a chicken cooked at the same time for another dish.

   Vietnamese cooking already has French influences and has chosen and discarded based on what is appropriate so I found it a bit disconcerting that some recipes seem to go very French in technique and then shift to what I term, (fast) cooking where trade-offs are made for unclear reasons. I guess what I am saying is that the vision of the book and its recipes were unclear.

   The recipes seem to be a marriage of alot of French technique with some Vietnamese spicing. But is it THE torch of a new direction in Vietnamese cuisine? I hope not because it would be robbed of a depth of flavor and boldness of vision.

   My recommendation is do not get this book if you are a serious cook or even a novice for the recipes are more complicated than the novice needs while the serious cook will gain nothing useful from the volume in either background, technique or flavor that is not already in their repetoire.




3. As a Vietnamese-American, I want to learn more about preparing and cooking Vietnamese cuisines. Along with Mai Pham's "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table," I bought this book because of its beautiful images of Vietnamese food. These images evoke childhood memories.
   As soon as I finished skimming through the book, I was quite devastated that I didn't recognize anything as Vietnamese cuisines. All these recipes are practically French, New Age, or fusion hosh-posh. Yes! I am a purist when it comes to international cuisines.
   Furthermore, the recipes are so difficult to follow. It seems that Mr. Read is so obessesive over the glossy photos that he forgets include complete instructions.
   I donated the book to the local public library.



4. Although I agree with some of the criticisms raised about this cookbook, I think the harsh reviews are excessive. Indeed, the ingredient lay-out (in a line at the bottom of the page) is poor, and there are some errors in editing. And I can't say anything about its Vietnamese authenticity (I will trust those who wrote earlier reviews--that it is poor). However, all of the dishes I have tried so far have been wonderfully easy to make and absolutely delicious to eat. I'll admit I haven't made even a quarter of the recipes included (yet!), but I have enjoyed and expect I will continue to enjoy cooking from this book and being inspired to do so by its interesting dishes and beautful visual pictures.



5. I am usually wary when westerners write Vietnamese cookbooks and this book is the reason why. Get Mai Pham's book if you're looking for Vietnamese food. I don't know what this stuff is.

No comments about Cooks and Bakers.

No comments about Edible Wild Plants of Vietnam: The Bountiful Garden.

No comments about Food Lovers Vietnamese: A Culinary Journey of Discovery.

1 comments about Easy Vietnamese Style Cookery: Australian Women's Weekly Home Library (With measurement conversions for British and North American readers).

1. I bought this book when my husband was working in Vietnam and said how good the food was there. So imagine how impressed I was when his response to the first thing I cooked was "tastes just like up there". That was chilli beef and noodles, and has become a staple meal in our family, along with the mild beef curry and the chicken with green beans and noodles. While the recipes sometimes seem to call for a lot of ingredients, once you have bought the basics (and some you may already have, like soy sauce and fish sauce) you probably won't have to make many one off visits to the shops for emergency supplies. The recipes make very generous serves, especially anything with rice and noodles. And I am finding that now that I live in Burma, the recipes are particularly useful for the sort of vegetables I can get cheaply and easily here as well.

3 comments about Cooking the Vietnamese Way: Revised and Expanded to Include New Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks).

1. Just right after receiving the book, I took a look and was very disappointed immediately: "Is this all ?"The book is thin and carry almost of half for unnessary general introduction. There are not much especial and interesting recipes which you can find from the other practical and attentive book .
   Perhaps because of the price so is that all we can get for what we pay?
   For really really really beginner that may work.



2. This was definately sparse on the recipes. It is very basic (and I was a bit surprised to see that in the publication info at the front of the book, it's also listed under "juvenile literature"). There is good info on Vietnam, it's customs, people, etc., but a full half of the book concentrated on that and a few silly things like describing the term "boil". Definately not enough recipes. A grand total of 24 recipes, including how to cook rice and recipes for simple sauces. I'm disappointed with this (and the book "Cooking the Thai Way" which I ordered with it) but hate to return things so I'll just have to make the dozen or so recipes that interest me. Then get a nice, comprehensive Vietnamese cookbook where I can preview it before buying! This was my first online book purchase...



3. This book is very disappointing! Very few recipes and a lot of pages wasted on things such as warning the reader to be careful while cooking. Is it really necessary to include a recipe on how to make steamed rice? This book also claimed to include vegetarian recipes, but very few were provided. Some of recipes look promissing, but really not worth buying because there are too few recipes and too many page fillers.

No comments about Eating (English-Vietnamese) (Small World series).