While some culinary may be known for modern dishes and innovative culinary skills, Vietnam is always best known for its age-old recipes that are all about the balance of fresh ingredients, intense flavors, and ease of cooking and preparation.
These recipes are handed down through generations to generations of families and communities and now become daily staples. As a result, this article will introduce 10 Traditional Vietnamese cookbooks to you.
Lemongrass, Ginger and Mint Vietnamese Cookbook: Classic Vietnamese Street Food Made at Home
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“I’m Vietnamese and I find the recipes very authentic. I also love the cultural and personal stories in this book. Highly recommend!” – Thanh Tuyen
Drawing on her childhood growing up experiencing meals in a small northern village, author Linh Nguyen provides a comprehensive, easy-to-use Vietnamese cookbook and teaches readers about the unique place that food contains Vietnamese culture.
The Lemongrass, Ginger and Mint Vietnamese Cookbook is a complete guide to preparing traditional Vietnamese street food at home.
Split into eight chapters with each dedicated to one type of food, this handbook makes it simple for anyone to master Vietnamese street cuisine.
In this book, you will find 75 mouth-watering age-old recipes at the heart of Vietnam cuisine, accompanied by the historical story hidden behind each method.
Moreover, the complete guide for herb selection, storage, handy tools easy-to-prepare tips for traditional Vietnamese delights at home is also mentioned.
About the Author: The author of this cookbook is Linh Nguyen, who is the creator of the Vietnamese cooking blog IndieChine.com.
Born and raised in a small village in the North of Vietnam, Linh’s recipes are inspired by her favorite childhood meals and closeness to nature, inspiring her cooking motto: “Let the fresh ingredients speak for themselves.”
She is a Fulbright Scholar and graduated from Columbia University. Besides the popular blog, Linh also has a food channel on YouTube, which has been featured by Yahoo!, Mashable, Design Sponge, and numerous Vietnamese magazines.
Now she is pursuing photography in New York City, where she lives with her husband.
Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich Guide: Essential Recipe Handbook for the Authentic Craft of Delicious Mouthwatering Homemade Vietnamese Culture (Banh Mi Sandwiches) (Volume 1)
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“This book opened up vistas of taste exploration for me with easy to follow recipes that gave me sandwiches which taste like those at the market stall I have travel 30 minutes to reach normally.” – M. Brown
Once enjoying Banh mi, you absolutely want to add this traditional Vietnamese sandwich to your food collection and make it at home for your family.
More than that, what could be greater than bring authentic Vietnamese flavor without having to fly to Vietnam. The answer lies in the recipes of Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich Guide.
In this brilliantly written handbook, Nancy Nguyen does an excellent job of explaining each aspect of the dish and the separate ingredients.
The recipes are written in a clear way that is easy to follow, and the chapters are organized by section based on the type of meat that the method uses.
One of the strong points of this book is how the author explains the texture of the dish during the cooking that allows you to make sure you are going the right direction.
Besides, the author also tells the story behind each significant ingredient.
About the author: The author of this cookbook is Nancy Nguyen. The “Banh Mi Vietnamese Sandwich Guide” by Nancy Nguyen is evaluated as a good dive into the many beautiful variations you can make for this famous kind of Vietnamese sandwich by readers.
Vietnamese Food with Helen’s Recipes
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“Should Be in your Vietnamese cuisine collection” – trublue943
As a YouTuber on a channel specialized in Vietnamese cooking, Helen brings along beloved recipes into Vietnamese Food with Helen’s Recipes.
This cookbook features authentic Vietnamese home cooking recipes that cover all local’s favorites.
From appetizers, main dishes to the cherished desserts such as Savory Banh (Banh man), and Sweet Banh (Banh ngot) found in the local market; readers could immerse themselves in the diverse traditional cuisine world of Vietnam.
Besides that, Helen is so thoughtful when pointing out the herb directory, which is a signature of Vietnamese food that makes the book become a helpful assistant for everyone.
In this cookbook, recipes are accompanied with step-by-step photo instructions and QR code that link to video demonstrations on Youtube. The recipes have been tested by thousands of viewers of Helen’s Recipes Channel on Youtube with excellent results.
About the author: The author of this cookbook is Helen Le, who is the founder and host of the most famous Vietnamese Cooking Channel on Youtube.
Through this platform, she has shared recipes of delicious authentic Vietnamese food that both Vietnamese and foreign cooks loved and helped them to prepare in the easiest and fastest way.
Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table: Recipes and Reminiscences from Vietnam’s Best Market Kitchens, Street Cafes, and Home Cooks
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“Practical but heartfelt, easy but comprehensive” – Philmore East
According to author Mai Pham, though Vietnamese cuisine is influenced by China, India, and some countries, gourmets can still realize its own traditional flavors.
Born and raised in Saigon before emigrating to the United States, Mai has usually gone back to hometown to learn the secrets of authentic Vietnamese cooking, from family, friends, home cooks, street vendors, and master chefs.
Traveling from region to region, she has gathered the simple, classic recipes that define Vietnamese food today, including local markets food or street cafes.
With more than 100 recipes, readers can easily pick up recipes of savory but healthy dishes to cook in the home kitchen. Inside the book is not only recipes but also enchanting stories and stirring black-and-white photos of life in Vietnam. All draw up an enduring culture and its irresistible cuisine.
About the Author: The author of this cookbook is Mai Pham, who was born in Vietnam but grew up in both Vietnam and Thailand.
She works as a chef/owner of the famous Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento, California, and the legendary La Bou Bakery and Cafe group in Northern California.
Besides, Mai also is a food reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle, a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times, and a regular guest chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of America.
Her first book is The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking, which was published in 1996.
Vietnamese Home Cooking: [A Cookbook]
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“Great intro to Vietnamese cooking” – Kat A
As ever a refugee and now an acclaimed chef, Charles Phan always determines to introduce American diners to a new world of traditional Vietnamese food with local ingredients and entirely approachable.
With the same spirit, Phan has brought a collection of central techniques and fundamental elements into Vietnamese Home Cooking.
Inspired with the author’s stories and experiences, Vietnamese Home Cooking is a personal and accessible guide to real Vietnamese cuisine.
The restaurant’s food does not mean that it is complicated and unable to self-make.
With dimensional instruction and encouraging guidance, readers could correctly apply and cook several authentic Vietnamese meals from crispy imperial rolls, tender steamed dumplings to meaty lemongrass beef stew.
Besides main dishes, sauces recipes and tips on choosing kitchen devices such as a pan or a clay pot that usually stick together are also included.
Each detail technique and equipment are all attached with abundant photography, which some of them were taken on Vietnam for more inspiration.
About the Author: The author of this cookbook is Charles Phan, the executive chef/owner of The Slanted Door family of restaurants.
Besides, he also is the author of Vietnamese Home Cooking, which won the IACP award. With these successes, he received the James Beard Award for Best Chef California and was taken into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food in America.
Now he lives in San Francisco with his wife and their three children.
The Food of Vietnam
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“Impressive – one of the nicest Vietnamese cookbooks and in Kindle too!!!” – TnT
Luke Nguyen is a famous chef that both cooks and even people who interest in cooking all know. Intending to bring real experiences from watching the show, Luke has traveled from the North to the South and through every market and kitchen of strangers.
By meeting and talking with people on the ways, he filtered and recorded the best recipes that he supposes to be most traditional and classic to offer.
This cookbook is a highly personal culinary and cultural journey through the diverse regions of Vietnam.
This guidebook is a must-have item that will be treasured for years to come with heartwarming stories, breathtaking location shots, and mouth-watering food photography.
About the Author: The author of this cookbook is Luke Nguyen. He is an acclaimed Vietnamese-Australian chef and most famous for his television series Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam and Greater Mekong. His shows have been broadcasted throughout the world.
Raised in Sydney’s vibrant and accessible Vietnamese quarter with the open of a local Vietnamese restaurant by his parents, Luke Nguyen’s passion for food has been first inspired since then.
After learning the basics from his parents, Luke trained with several well-respected Sydney chefs before opening The Red Lantern restaurant with his sister.
Not Just Pho Vietnamese Cookbook: The Abundance of Vietnamese Cuisine
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“This book makes me open my eyes” – Hannah
In terms of Vietnamese cooking, the first thing people notice before tasting it is the aroma. The heavenly scent is so pleasant that mainly due to the traditional herbs and spices included in most dishes.
From investigating and trying, the author figured out that what really stands out about Vietnamese cuisine is the flavor pairs such as sweet and salty, sweet and sour, refreshingly cool and comfortably warm.
As shown in the name, everybody knows that there is a wide range of traditional Vietnamese dishes waiting for you to enjoy besides the typical, Pho.
The instructions are thoughtfully presented with detailed steps, so no obstacle could prevent you from making those delights.
About the author: The author of this cookbook is Martha Stone, who is a chef and also a cookbook writer. Born and raised in Idaho, she is taught how to appreciate and use fresh ingredients in her cooking, which later turned into a passion for cuisine.
Martha loves to teach others how to cook, including her two kids, and she loves every aspect of the cooking, from preparing the dish to smelling it cooking and sharing it with friends.
Hence, she decides to write a cookbook for sharing her experience for everyone. Now she is a full-time mother living in California.
Eat Real Vietnamese Food: A Step by Step Guide to the Classic Cuisine of Vietnam
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“A practical and meaningful Vietnamese cuisine cookbook” – Jean Frederic Viret
Among Vietnam’s long, restless history, the 20th century was particularly chaotic. In those years, many Vietnamese people emigrated from the North and settled in the South, bringing different ways of cooking and eating.
Later, Vietnamese cuisine sharply changed and was influenced by the appearance of French and American.
Inherited traditional recipes from her mother living in those ages, the author suppose that this refined cuisine worth to be preserved and had collected to this Eat Real Vietnamese Food.
With 90 recipes that may not be available elsewhere, this cookbook covers all classic Vietnamese dishes.
Presented under the format of “storyboard”, the historical information is put on the left page while the detailed, illustrated step-by-step instructions appear on the right.
Each recipe is divided into two parts: the complete sauces/accompaniments for the dishes preparation section and various needed utensils and ingredients.
About the author: The author of this cookbook is Lien Nguyen, a Vietnamese born in Paris. She is trained as an electrical engineer (X-Telecom) in France.
After retiring from a career in Silicon Valley, she starts with her passion for food. Lien Nguyen is the author of numerous cookbooks that blend culinary topics with culture, history, and science.
Now she lives in California with her husband and a variable number of family members.
Pho Cookbook: Simple, delicious and authentic Vietnamese Pho recipes for your family
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“I really liked this book, the recipes are easy to follow. I think I will probably simplify some of the steps by using an instant pot.
Reading this you get the feeling that your Vietnamese grandma is telling you how to make Pho, I found that very charming.” – Caroline Sottile
From a lifelong love with Pho result from the first experience even before this noodle soup became popular in the US, Linda Nguyen has written this cookbook to share simple, delicious recipes for the family.
Since Pho is about both tradition and change, Vietnamese chefs always identify something new that they can do with Pho while beef pho and chicken pho remain the favorite.
In this book, the options range from awesome recipes that can be consumed over the weekend or simple weeknight cheats that you can whip up at any time.
It will help you make this comforting Vietnamese delicacy your very own with in-depth historical knowledge and a thorough guide to the technique and ingredients.
About the author: The author of this cookbook is Linda Nguyen, who is also the author of Ramen Noodles Cookbook: The top 50 delicious Ramen recipes to cook at home and some books for kids.
