Quick and Easy Vietnamese: 75 Everyday Recipes

Description

From the author of Quick and Easy Thai are more than 75 new recipes to bring Vietnamese cooking into your home. Nancie McDermott knows her stuff and, in addition to the recipes, provides a glossary and a source list for finding those more unusual ingredients. From Fresh Spring Rolls with Beef & Basil and Shrimp & Pineapple Soup to Lemongrass Chicken and Tea-Simmered Salmon, not to mention that beloved Vietnamese specialty, Pho (noodle soup), let Nancie show you how to make truely quick and easy - and delicious - Vietnamese.

Nancie McDermott is a food writer and cooking teacher specializing in the cuisines of Southeast Asia. She is the author of Quick & Easy Thai from Chronicle Books and her stories and recipes have appeared in numerous national magazines.

"This snappy workhorse of a cookbook reveals the blend of tropical ingredients, delicate seasonings and French colonial influences that distinguish Vietnamese cooking and offers recipes easy enough to integrate into one's standard recipe roster. McDermott (Quick & Easy Thai ) begins with a primer on elements of Vietnamese cuisine: "Contrasts prevail," "soup is a mainstay" and "[m]eat often stands alone, minimally seasoned." She then revieweds the cuisine's central herbs (Asian basil, cilantro), starches (rice noodles, rice paper wrappers) and other foundations (chili-garlic sauce, coconut milk). Throughout, McDermott delivers the history and food information with a sureness indicative of the years she has spent in southeast Asia. Among the book's many notable dishes are Shaking Beef with Purple Onions and Watercress; Chicken Simmered in Caramel Sauce; Cha Ca Fish with Fresh Dill, Hanoi Style; and, for dessert, Sweet Coconut Ribbons, and Crme Caramel, which, McDermott explains, was adopted by the Vietnamese, who had long enjoyed their own version of steamed custard before the French arrived. Stunning color photographs by Caren Alpert illustrate the distinctiveness of Vietnamese cuisine. " -Publisher's Weekly