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Title: The Best of Vietnamese & Thai Cooking: Favorite Recipes from Lemon Grass Restaurant and Cafe by Mai Pham ISBN: 0-7615-0016-2 Publisher: Prima Lifestyles Pub. Date: 01 August, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.37 (30 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Authenticity aside, the recipes are good
Comment: As can be gathered from the reviews below, there is some disagreement as to whether the recipes in Mai Pham's cookbook represent "authentic" Thai and/or Vietnamese cooking. I'm neither Thai nor Vietnamese, but my guess would be that the recipes, which come largely from Pham's American restaurant, have been adapted somewhat to appeal to non-native palates (the spice level in the Thai recipes seems low, for example). Those looking for "authentic" Thai or Vietnamese recipes may want to look elsewhere.
That having been said, I sometimes find the authenticity fetish a bit much. If you read Pham's chapter introductions, you discover that she is a woman who has moved around a great deal, and her cooking has been influenced by multiple native traditions. Cooking in America is a real melting pot venture, and while this has led to some deserved ribbing from those whose countries have more developed palates, it has also led to a dynamic, creative treatment of food. I think Pham's work falls on the positive side of this dichotomy. To put it plainly, her recipes taste good, are well written and tested, and combine different cuisines with good results. Her recipes are not fusion, and are not ground-breaking in the way of those of say, Ming Tsai, but they are simple and tasty.
Rating: 5
Summary: Authentic and accessable Vietnamese cuisine!
Comment: I've been using this book for the last year, since returning from Viet Nam, where I spent a month last year. The book is clearly organized and contains helpful sections on basic ingredients and techniques; the recipes themselves are clearly organized and result in stunningly good food that tastes like what I ate in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. I wish Mi Pham had included a recipe for pho ga (chicken soup) in addition to her recipe for pho bo (beef soup)--I had the happiest meal of my life in a little store front restaurant in Hanoi eating huge bowls of pho ga and drinking Tiger Beer. (Most of the dishes included are more representative of south Viet Nam rather than the north, with its smokier and muskier flavors.) Until I can return to Viet Nam, this cookbook will keep my memories fresh.
Rating: 5
Summary: Nouvelle Vietnamese recipes
Comment: The recipes are neither authentic Vietnamese's nor Thai's but they are good recipes that are cookable and nutritious. I admire Mai Pham for her intelligent in creating new versions of cooking great Vietnamese food. Although the recipes are not calling for ingredients found in old style recipes but the outcome/result of the dishes are comparable to the old style and most of all they are healthier and more fit for our new lifestyle, for example -- she uses mayonaise instead of pork fat to make Shrimp paste, that is very brilliant! My grandmother, who was a well known cook in my hometown would not come up with this.
Without the alternative ingredients (mayo in place of pork fat), my friends and I who only consume seafood and vegetable now will never have a chance to taste this dish again. I am thankfull for having the alternative in creating healthier authentic Vietnamese and Thai dishes.
The authentic recipes are always valuable and the alternative, nouvelle recipes are great!
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Title: Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham ISBN: 0060192585 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 01 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $27.50 |
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Title: The Vietnamese Cookbook by Diana My Tran, Diana Tran ISBN: 1892123126 Publisher: Capital Books (VA) Pub. Date: 01 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Authentic Vietnamese Cooking: Food from a Family Table by Corinne Trang ISBN: 0684864444 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 08 December, 1999 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: The Foods of Vietnam by Routhier ISBN: 1556709595 Publisher: Stuart, Tabori and Chang Pub. Date: 11 June, 1999 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Simply Thai Cooking by Wandee Young, Byron Ayanoglu ISBN: 1896503187 Publisher: Robert Rose Pub. Date: 01 March, 1996 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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