Vietnamese Home Cooking

In his eagerly awaited first cookbook, award-winning chef Charles Phan from San Francisco's Slanted Door restaurant introduces traditional Vietnamese cooking to home cooks by focusing on fundamental techniques and ingredients.

Now people can enjoy the bold, spicy, fresh flavors of Vietnamese food at home with this authoritative reference from celebrated chef Charles Phan. Organized around the major techniques — frying, steaming, braising and stir-frying — Vietnamese Home Cooking includes 125 recipes such as Gulf Shrimp and Baby Bok Choy Stir-Fry, Crispy Stuffed Quail with Glass Noodles, and Green Papaya Salad, plus master recipes for stocks and sauces, a photo ID guide to ingredients, and a chapter on Vietnamese Street food. Infused with the author's stories and experience, from his early days as a refugee to his current culinary success, Vietnamese Home Cooking is a personal and accessible guide to authentic Vietnamese cuisine.

"Charles Phan's Vietnamese Home Cooking captures the very heart of Vietnamese food: fresh, pure, full of life, and vibrant with flavor. His beautiful pictures, stories, and recipes make it completely irresistible." Alice Waters, chef, author, and proprietor of Chez Panisse

"The great appeal of Charles Phan's cooking at The Slanted Door has always been its vivid purity of flavor. It isn't necessarily simple food, but there's not a soupçon of trickery or gratuitous filigree involved. In his long-awaited, warmly written first cookbook, Phan reveals the secrets of his approach to the great and varied food of his native Vietnam." Colman Andrews, editorial director of TheDailyMeal.com

"A truly magical and illuminating journey into the cooking of Vietnam, with recipes so thoroughly brilliant they will not only allow you to better understand the cuisine of that country, but they will also make you a better cook, Asian or otherwise." James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur, author of Cradle of Flavor

"Like the best cooking is, Charles Phan's food is deceivingly complex. With this book, Charles shows you how to unravel that code and make delicious Vietnamese food at home." David Chang, chef/owner of Momofuku

Charles Phan is the executive chef and owner of The Slanted Door family of restaurants. He received the James Beard Award for Best Chef California in 2004, and in 2011 was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s list of Who’s Who of Food in America. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and their three children.

Preface

Introduction

Soup

Pork Stock

Chicken Stock

Beef Stock

Pho Gá: Chicken Noodle Soup

Pho Bò: Beef Noodle Soup

Wonton Noodle Soup

Bún Bò Hue

Bánh Canh: Pig’s Knuckle Soup

Cháo: Chicken Rice Porridge

Simple Fish Soup

Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

Crab and Corn Soup

Street Food

Green Papaya Salad with Rau Ram, Peanuts, and Crispy Shallots

Beef Jerky

Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls

Chinese Doughnuts

Bánh Mì

Mama’s Meatballs

Lemongrass Pork

Halibut Vermicelli with Dill and Pineapple-Anchovy Sauce

Bánh Xèo: Crepe with Pork and Shrimp

Bánh Bèo: Steamed Rice Cakes with Mung Beans and Shrimp

Bánh Cuón: Rice Crepes with Pork and Mushrooms

Steaming

Daikon Rice Cake with Spicy Soy

Black Bean–Glazed Pork Spareribs

Bánh Nam: Banana Leaf–Wrapped Rice Dumplings

Black Cod with Lily Buds and Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Chicken Steamed Buns

Vegetarian Steamed Buns

Pork Steamed Buns

Ground Pork with Salted Fish

Hue Rice Dumplings

Lotus Leaf–Wrapped Sticky Rice

Steamed Whole Fish with Ginger, Scallions, and Soy

Braising

Chicken with Lily Buds and Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Chicken Curry

Duck Legs with Bamboo, Virginia Ham, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Soy-Braised Pork Belly with Ginger and Star Anise

Catfish Clay Pot

Pork Clay Pot with Young Coconut Juice

Lo Soi Braised Pork

Lemongrass Beef Stew

Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp

Braised Branzino with Tomatoes and Pickled Mustard Greens

Yuba Dumplings with Miso Broth

Stir-Frying

Broccoli with Beech Mushrooms and Roasted Chile Paste

Bok Choy with Baby Shiitake Mushrooms

Spinach with Caramelized Shallots

Gulf Shrimp and Sing Qua Stir-Fry

Squid with Tomato and Pickled Mustard Greens

Black Bass with Yellow Chives and Bean Sprouts

Scrambled Eggs and Pork

Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste

Lemongrass Chicken

Bo Luc Lac: Shaking Beef

Beef Bavette with Tomatoes and Thick-Cut Potatoes

Fried Rice

Wok-Fried Noodles with Beef and Bok Choy

Crispy Egg Noodles with Seafood

Mix-and-Match Wok-Fried Noodles

Grilling

Grilled Pork Chops with Sweet Lemongrass Marinade

Pork-Stuffed Squid with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Clams with Crispy Pork Belly and Thai Basil

Grilled Whole Fish

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Grilled Five-Spice Chicken with Tamarind Sauce

Spicy Mango Salad

Pomelo Salad

Rice Clay Pot with Chicken and Chinese Sausage

Roasted Eggplant and Leek Salad

Vermicelli (Bun) Bowls

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Cilantro, Scallions, and Lime

Simple Grilled Shrimp

Frying

Imperial Rolls

Sweet Potato and Shrimp Fritters

Squid with Pineapple and Toasted Garlic

Fragrant Crispy Duck with Watercress

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

Lacquered Quail with Sichuan Cucumber Pickles

Hoi An Wontons with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Sweet and Sour Fish

Turmeric-and-Beer-Battered Soft-Shell Crab

Glossary

Ingredients

Condiments

Acknowledgements

Conversion Chart

Index