Trending worldwide, Vietnamese cooking has won a lot of attention for healthy, broth-based dishes like pho as well as for having philosophies prioritizing balance over oils, meats, or otherwise. For beginners in Vietnamese cooking or Torontonians who have recently fallen in love with Vietnamese from a restaurant outing, you can easily prepare some of the cooking on your own at home with the right guidance.
The rise in popularity of Vietnamese cuisine has meant a half-dozen very highly rated cookbook coming to market. These cookbooks are written by experienced Vietnamese chefs and usually focus on one of two approaches – either sharing traditional family recipes or adapting some Vietnamese classics to modern family kitchens in North America. From TorontoPHO, the best Vietnamese restaurant in the GTA, here are some of our favourites.
Vietnamese Food Any Day – Andrea Nguyen
Andrea Nguyen’s Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors is a recommended read for any dedicated starting Vietnamese chef. The New York Times featured cookbook contains 80 easy Vietnamese recipes that hinge on both tradition as well as cooking hacks. Andrea Nguyen is one of the world’s most critically acclaimed Vietnamese chef authors and in this arguable masterpiece, you will find takes on banh mi, rice paper rolls, classic Vietnamese pho, honey-glazed pork riblets, garlic chicken wings, turmeric coconut ice, and more.
Vietnamese Home Cooking – Charles Phan
Vietnamese Home Cooking is the first cookbook from award-winning Vietnamese chef Charles Phan. This cookbook shares fundamental techniques and ingredients in Vietnamese cuisine, inspired by traditional Vietnamese cooking. For home cooks, this is a fine exploration of robustly flavored, authentically prepared, and nuanced meals. Some of what you’ll find in Vietnamese Home Cooking includes crispy rolls, steamed dumplings, delicately flavored whole fish, and lemongrass beef stew.
Vietnamese Food with Helen’s Recipes – Helen Le
Helen Le’s Vietnamese Food with Helen’s Recipes builds on the author’s growing YouTube channel. A lot of beginners in Vietnamese cooking enjoy using Helen Le’s cookbook as it delves into authentic Vietnamese home cooking recipes, shares step-by-step photo instructions, and even connects you with links to video demonstrations of the recipes. If you’re really unsure of where to start with a meal and/or if you don’t know whether something’s turning out like it should, this is a highly recommended starting point.
The Food of Vietnam – Luke Nguyen
Luke Nguyen’s The Food of Vietnam is a cookbook but is also an exploration into the author’s cultural and culinary background, taking you through the regions of Vietnam. Very exploratory, you’ll find recipes from north to south, taken from marketplaces and family kitchens. Classic recipes are brought to life with revitalized approaches, including pho, banh mi, and more. Nguyen’s Vietnamese cookbook may not be as well known as the others on this list but in our opinion, it warrants inclusion.
If you don’t want to make these recipes at home or want to give a certain dish a try, come to TorontoPHO. Be our guest! Serving authentically prepared Vietnamese food, have a taste of all sorts of dishes done right. Pulling from Vietnam’s five fundamental tastes, enjoy classics like pho, fish sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, and all with hints from our cabinet of lemongrass, ginger, mint, long coriander, cinnamon, lime, and Thai basil. Visit TorontoPHO today.
