I’ve been wanting to write this book for years because one of my not-so-secret life missions is this: Help people make great Vietnamese food part of their regular rotation. The book title isn’t telling you to make Viet food everyday. Heck, I don’t eat Vietnamese food daily. But rather, Vietnamese Food Any Day will equip you with knowledge, recipes, and confidence so you can cook up Viet dishes whenever you want.
This book aims to inform, inspire, and unleash your culinary awesome-ness! Here’s a peek at what’s inside. Since publication in 2019, the book has earned a lot of praise from many home cooks and folks. Thank you!
IACP AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The New York Times • Washington Post • Eater • Food52 • Epicurious • Christian Science Monitor • Library Journal
Easy Ways to Find Ingredients
Sourcing ingredients for making Asian food is one of the biggest obstacles for cooks. To minimize effort and lower the intimidation factor, the book’s recipes employ ingredients sold at regular supermarkets, natural food stores, and other mainstream retailers. No Asian market shopping is required.
If you’re skeptical, check out the Asian section at a regular supermarket. It’s remarkably well stocked these days. For Vietnamese Food Any Day, I surveyed supermarkets wherever I’ve traveled in recent years, including Cleveland, Atlanta, Montgomery (Alabama), Pittsburgh, and Boston. It wasn't scientific but I quickly determined that an amazing range of traditional and modern dishes can be prepared from grocery store ingredients.
That said, you want to be a smart grocery shopper, which is why the book includes a section on shopping strategies. I organized the ingredient discussion according to the various sections of a supermarket so you may find things. People often ask me about which brands to buy and how to select the best one so I've included that kind of information in this book, too.
Deliciously Doable Recipes
Whipping up a Viet meal is a fun weekend project but you can take a casual path to Viet tastiness on the weekdays too! Vietnamese Food Any Day includes over 80 easy-going, versatile recipes plus a bunch of variations. Over the years, many cooks suggested or inquired about ingredient substitutions or workarounds because they may not have the exact ingredient featured in the main recipe, or they may have dietary preferences or needs. Given that, wherever there was space, I slid in extra tips and workarounds.
Check each recipe’s headnote (introduction) and “Notes” section for things like advance prep and reheating information. Additionally, there are time estimates for each recipe for you to gauge your commitment.
To keep things simple without compromising results, I kept ingredient lists as short as possible. Additionally, I often offered ingredient swaps, such as “1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce, soy sauce, Bragg Liquid Aminos, or Maggi Seasoning sauce”. And as you’re working through the book, look for extra cooking and shopping tips.
How do you know the recipes work?
For every cookbook that I write, I conceive, draft, test, and taste each recipe many times to obtain results and instructions that I’m happy with. I’ll ask my family and friends to weigh in, too. After I’m satisfied with a recipe, it is then cross tested by at least one other person from my team of volunteer testers. The tester(s) works through the recipe and sends honest feedback.
My testers comprise a tough and smart group of home cooks:
Linh Bui, Diane Carlson, Alex Ciepley, Jay Dietrich, Alyce Gershenson, Candy Grover, Doug Grover, Paulina Haduong, Colin Hart, Cary Hart, Kate Leahy, Laura McCarthy, Hugh McElroy, Cate McGuire, Rosemary Metzger, Josie Nevitt, Daniel Nguyen, Jenny Sager, Karen Shinto, Terri Tanaka, Catherine Thome, Maki Tsuzuki, Tina Ujlaki, and Dave Weinstein.
I’m incredibly lucky that many of the testers have stuck with me over the years, and that they include colleagues as well as friends. For Vietnamese Food Any Day, my sister, brother, niece and her boyfriend and his mom pitched in, too.
Gorgeous Images to prime your appetite
Each cookbook I make carries a unique message. For this one, I went for a look that is lovely-and-light filled but also practical.
We had the best, all-women team to make the book's stunning photos: Photographer Aubrie Pick and her assistant Bessma Khalaf; my steadfast food stylist Karen Shinto was assisted by cookbook author extraordinaire Kate Leahy; and prop stylist Claire Mack. My long-time art director and designer Betsy Stromberg was on hand for the five-day shoot, and my editor Kelly Snowden regularly checked in to make sure we on the mark and didn’t goof off too much.
Along with the beauty shots of the dishes, we also made process (how-to) shots of potentially tricky instructions, such as the ones for making Viet caramel sauce below.
With each set of shots, Aubrie, Betsy and I strategized on the best angles and props to create not only beautiful images but also ones that will tell a story and help cooks succeed.
What people are saying
After rounds of editing and design, my publisher Ten Speed Press sent the book out for review. Phew(!) -- it received sensational feedback:
"Nguyen’s newest is as utilitarian as it is innovative."
—Publishers Weekly
“Packed with bold new recipes and expert advice, Vietnamese Food Any Day opens up a world of exciting flavors to cooks at any level. Within hours of getting my hands on this book, I charged into the kitchen to make Shaking Beef and Easy Soy Sauce-Glazed Zucchini. Both winners! I’ll be adding these and many more of Andrea Nguyen’s thoughtfully crafted recipes to my weeknight repertoire.”
—Molly Stevens, author of All About Roasting and All About Braising
“Andrea Nguyen is a masterful and irrepressible guide to Vietnam’s cuisine and culture. Vietnamese Food Any Day delivers big, bold flavors translated for the American kitchen. It’s exotic simplicity at its best.”
—Christopher Kimball, founder of Milk Street
“From beginners to more experienced cooks, everyone will benefit from Vietnamese Food Any Day, which demystifies ingredients and techniques so anyone can make extraordinary, authentic Vietnamese food at home. I’ve been using Andrea’s recipes for years and each one has been a sure-fire hit. I’m thrilled to have this collection of favorites that are easy to master, from snacks and soups, to shaking beef and spicy sweet tofu!”
—David Lebovitz, author of My Paris Kitchen and The Perfect Scoop
Media Coverage and Reviews
Food & Wine, Washington Post, Bon Appetit Best Spring Books, Epicurious (1), Hallmark's Home and Family, Milk Street, Amazon Best Books of Feb 2019, San Francisco Magazine, London Times, NYT Front Burner, Fine Cooking, KCRW Good Food, San Jose Mercury News, Epoch Times, Splendid Table, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dinner Sisters, Food Gal, San Diego Tribune, Good Appetite (NY Times), Codeswitch (National Public Radio), Appetites (Minnesota Public Radio), KUOW (Seattle Public Radio), Saveur, Wall Street Journal, Salt and Spine, Epicurious (2), Food52 Genius Recipes, Bon Appetit Basically
Among the Best 2019 Cookbooks Chosen by
The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Eater (1), Epicurious (1), Amazon, Christian Science Monitor, Eater (2), Epicurious (3), Washington Post, Here and Now, Library Journal, Food52, NPR
2020 IACP AWARD FINALIST
(Parentheses indicate different articles from the same media outlet.)
Thank you for all the reviews at Amazon and elsewhere!!!
Vietnamese Food Any Day on Sale Now
Leading up to the February 5 release, you can pre-order the book wherever books are sold. Consider local independent bookshops by checking Indiebound.org. If you’re a cookbook fanatic, support a cookbook bookshop, such as:
- Book Larder (Seattle)
- Kitchen Arts and Letters (NYC)
- Now Serving (Los Angeles)
- Omnivore Books (SF)
- Read it and Eat (Chicago)
Also check in with cookware shops with solid cookbook inventories, such as Cooks of Crocus Hill in Minnesota. Outside of the U.S., Books for Cooks in Melbourne is among my favorites. Eslite in Taiwan has an amazing cookbook selection.
If online retailers are for you, Vietnamese Food Any Day is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart and many others.
Thanks for your enthusiastic interest! I hope you’ll love the book and look forward to your feedback.
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(If you’ve signed up for the weekly or monthly newsletters, you’ll hear about the book news too.)
Laura M says
Congratulations! It looks like another winner for you!
Andrea Nguyen says
Thank you so much. She's a beaut and I hope you like her lots!
Thuy says
I just preordered the book. I love reading your monthly newsletters. Thank you!
Andrea Nguyen says
Cam on, Thuy! So grateful to have your support.
Andrea Nguyen says
Yay, Thuy! Thanks for pre-ordering!
Chris Galvin Nguyen says
Congrats, Andrea! Looks great! Love the light-filled photos.
Andrea Nguyen says
Thank you, Chris. Viet food deserves to be put in the best glowing light.
Elizabeth Andoh says
WOW and WONDERFUL! It is just what is needed (long awaited) to nudge people past that hurdle of "exotic" food. Thank you, Andrea, for creating this thoughtful, beautiful, useful guide. Now anyone can make, enjoy (and share the joy with others) terrific Vietnamese food!
Andrea Nguyen says
Elizabeth, you're so incredibly gracious. I'm waiting for the day when katsuobushi and kombu are carried at American supermarkets! We have to keep the faith.
Punam Paul says
WONDERFUL! Am going to try Vietnamese Food first time. Found this book interesting can you ship this India.
Andrea Nguyen says
You may order from Amazon! Or, purchase the digital book from Kobo, Amazon, Google Play -- wherever digital books are sold. Thanks for asking.
Kim Vu says
Andrea, I have every single one of your books, and I have admired you for a very long time. I am a Vietnamese American chef in Los Angeles with a New Vietnamese restaurant, and I have pored over your books in the extensive research I have done in crafting my dishes. Thank you for your scholarly attention to detail, your gorgeous photography, and fantastic direction. You do great service to the cuisine of our home country. I commend you!
Andrea Nguyen says
Thank you so much, Kim! I'm looking forward to seeing what you cook up from this one. It's liberating in many ways. February 5 is coming!
Monique Llamas says
Just placed my order, can't wait!!
Andrea Nguyen says
Greatly appreciate that, Monique. Look forward to seeing what you cook up!
Marion Rollings says
Just bought my kindle edition. Another outstanding and accessible, beautiful book that I will be cooking my way through.
Andrea Nguyen says
Fantastic, Marion! Thank you! Hope you enjoy the book and find it useful.
Tim says
What a great idea this cookbook. I can't wait to try the recipes. Your other cookbooks are of exceptional quality, so i guess this one will be excellent as well. It can be bothersome to source ethnic ingredients, so this comes in very handy for people like me who don't cook Asian food all the time.
Andrea Nguyen says
Thank you Tim! I hope the book satisfies you. There are many ways to master a cuisine and to help it to evolve. This book sets foundations and liberates at the same time. It's been fun to see what people cook from its recipes.
You're already familiar with Asian ingredients and shopping at Asian markets so that's terrific! Indeed, inventories have changed so much over the years. Nowadays, I'm astounded at the vibrant, lovely flavors that may be produced from mainstream supermarket ingredients. At the same time, Asian markets are increasingly stocking a greater variety of ingredients to sell to their diverse customer base. The grocery store is where we may bridge cultural divides!
Andi says
First of all, I'm a fan. I'm glad you're an ambassador for Viet food. It's great to see first generation Vietnamese-Americans like you making a difference.
I just listened to the Milk Street podcast episode 101: Good Morning Vietnam. I agree with you that a lot of Vietnamese cookbooks or blogs focus on Vietnamese food "greatest hits" or complicated party foods, which might scare casual cooks and isn't representative of the simple, classic meals Vietnamese people actually eat daily. I disagree, however, that ingredients like "hanh kho" (deep fried shallots) are ridiculous and are like "bacon bits." My mom doesn't add it to everything, but she always has some available in the kitchen. When they are used in a dish, it's an essential flavor or a highlight that brings everything together.
I hope you don't dismiss other ingredients like the different wonderful fresh herbs in your book. Yeah, you could use cilantro in a lot of dishes, but that would gloss over what makes Vietnamese food fresh and flavorful. At least I think I see cilantro and mint on the book cover.
Anyways, I haven't listened to your most recent appearance on the podcast or gotten this latest book yet. I am looking forward to it. Congrats on the continued success.
Andrea Nguyen says
Hi Andi,
I think you're talking about hanh phi and your mom sounds like a restrained, careful cook. Unfortunately, they're often used without restraint at restaurants and in recipes. Each cook is different and you're lucky to have someone like your mom to learn from!
Check the book out of the library to see if it's something you want permanently. Also, look into my other works, such as Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Keep on cooking!
Fiona Manoon says
Not bought it yet and now going to order one.
It seems to be a great and helpful recipe book.
Dave Orobosa says
Thank you very much for providing this, great idea for cookbook. Will definitely try these recipes. Asian foods are always good. Thanks again!
Mahidua says
This is very really unique helpful information.I learn so much from you as well! Thank you so much for sharing your helpful information. Keep it up.
Ed says
Are the recipes or the table of contents listed anywhere viewable?
Andrea Nguyen says
I do not control access to my work on that level. That is up to my publisher, Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House. You can check out the introduction via the Kindle version of the book. Hope that helps!
Dennis Edward says
Nice blog.I loved your blog.Keep on posting.
Melody Furtado Lema says
It is 4:17 am, and I am not asleep yet. I have tried but then I see your beautiful pictures from "Vietnamese Food Everyday" are floating in front of my eyes. This has been one of my favorite cookbooks I have ever read. I will be making Ginger-Garlic Fish Parcels for dinner, along with some rich, and coffee ice cream for dessert. I will be cheating a little on the ice cream, I am going to make it in my Kitchen Aide Ice cream maker.
This is not only a beautiful book, but an informative one also. I learned so much in this book, about the cuisine and the spices and just everything. Thank you for writing it.
Andrea Nguyen says
My book is keeping you up at night (or waking you up early?)! Thank you for taking time to read, cook and write such a kind message. You made my day!