Photo credit: www.eater.com
This season has brought forth a wave of captivating cookbooks that spotlight the diverse culinary artistry of Vietnamese American chefs. These works reflect various regional influences—from the culinary traditions of New Orleans to the cultural blends found in Oakland—as well as the vibrant adaptation of Vietnamese cuisine for platforms like TikTok, fostering a wider appreciation among home cooks.
Cooking Vietnamese food at home has become increasingly accessible. As Andrea Nguyen noted in the Washington Post, the process “once required a trip to an Asian market,” but today, thanks to demographic shifts and a burgeoning interest from younger generations, essential ingredients such as fish sauce, rice paper, and lemongrass are now commonplace in supermarkets across the country.
The latest cookbooks celebrate this newfound familiarity with Vietnamese cooking and the opportunities it provides to explore individual narratives and family histories. Together, these books weave a narrative of a dynamic diaspora that respects its heritage while embracing change.
Nini Nguyen with Sarah Zorn
Knopf, out now
Nini Nguyen’s debut cookbook, Đặc Biệt, offers a vibrant, colorful array of recipes that prioritize taste and creativity. The term Đặc biệt connotes something special or distinctive, which is evident in her approach to cooking. Her dishes often come with suggestions for enhancing the flavors, such as topping stuffed squid with caviar or infusing crab into classic recipes like bún riêu. While staples like phở ga are featured as well, Nguyen’s culinary perspective shines through in innovative creations like her Southeast Asian jambalaya, which substitutes lemongrass for traditional celery, and her Viet Cajun seafood boil. She ties her identity into her food, noting that her fried shrimp bánh mì embodies her multicultural influences.
Đặc Biệt showcases a strong connection to the seafood industry, deeply rooted in the Vietnamese community along the Gulf Coast. Nguyen highlights her family heritage in this sector, emphasizing the importance of Vietnamese labor in American seafood markets, all while celebrating the vibrant community of the American South in the book.
Tu David Phu and Soleil Ho
4 Color Books, September 10
Tu David Phu’s upbringing is interwoven with the narratives of his Vietnamese parents who sought a new life in the Bay Area. His debut cookbook, co-authored with Soleil Ho, reflects on preserving cultural memories through culinary practices. Phu’s upbringing was marked by a lack of open dialogue about his family’s history until he discovered that food became a safe way to reconnect with his roots.
Organized thematically, Phu’s recipes span seafood from Phú Quoc, dishes embodying resilience, and personal favorites from his journey. His approach emphasizes sustainability, often utilizing less conventional seafood cuts and encouraging home cooks to delve deeper into the cooking process. Recipes such as stir-fried bitter melon and extravagant dishes like stuffed egg shells highlight the cookbook’s range, balancing simplicity with complexity.
The collaboration between Phu and Ho results in a powerful narrative in The Memory of Taste. The book goes beyond recipes, delving into rich storytelling that acknowledges the struggles and triumphs inherent in Vietnamese history. Phu captures the essence of survival, finding joy amidst hardships and celebrating the resilience of the Vietnamese spirit.
Tuệ Nguyen
Simon Element, September 17
Tuệ Nguyen, known as @twaydabae, has aimed to bridge the gap between traditional Vietnamese cuisine and modern cooking enthusiasts through her engaging TikTok content. Her debut cookbook, Di An, caters to novice cooks and aims to simplify the process of making authentic Vietnamese dishes. Nguyen emphasizes that the recipes maintain the bold flavors characteristic of her cultural background.
Di An features a collection of popular recipes that have garnered attention online, alongside those prepared during her cooking pop-ups. Nguyen shares her personal journey, detailing her path from emigration to culinary school, and her rise to prominence on social media. The cookbook balances intricate dishes like bò kho “birria” tacos with simpler recipes, ensuring that it is practical for weeknight cooking.
Di An exemplifies the transformation in culinary communication today, where social media allows for the rapid dissemination of cultural cuisine. Nguyen’s foray into published cookbooks illustrates a challenging yet rewarding journey to educate a broader audience about the richness of Vietnamese cooking, highlighting the growing interest in diverse culinary traditions.
Source
www.eater.com