Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen: Simple Recipes from My Many Mothers has become the latest in her bibliography. In a sentence, it informs readers on Thuy’s personal journeys with Vietnamese home cooking. Inside, you’ll find profiles of Thuy’s family members, excerpts from her most popular novels, descriptions of common herbs and Vietnamese ingredients, and of course, recipes ranging from caramel pork to sweet and sour soup.
Thuy shares more than 50 recipes, an idea she arrived at over a family dinner as a tribute to her aunts. As explained in Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen, emotions are non-verbalized in Vietnamese culture and oftentimes come through the food. The recipes she shares are not upscale restaurant fare. They’re simple recipes any family can make to feed themselves and guests.
Also, the dishes aren’t complicated nor time-consuming and can be something as simple as a rice porridge which only requires two ingredients. Then, there’s vermicelli which is a fresh vegetable and herb platter commonly served next to meaty dishes or which can be used in making spring rolls. Browsing Thuy’s book, you’ll find ingredients you can easily purchase through local Asian supermarkets. There’s nothing too exotic or difficult-to-access in Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen, whether it’s the oven-baked fish in rice paper rolls or the eggplant-pork-shrimp stir fry. Speaking to the CBC recently, the caramel pork recipe from Kim Thuy’s cookbook was shared.
As Vietnamese families have been coming to Canada in the last seventy-five years, more Vietnamese restaurants have opened up and a lot of dishes from the culture are beginning to catch on.
Unlike Japanese, Chinese, or Korean food, Vietnamese cuisine is not as flashy however it packs a heck of a punch in health. One of the most popular Vietnamese dishes is pho, which is similar to soup. Its most basic ingredients are broth, a protein source, noodles of some kind, and a mix of herbs and spices. Pho can be easily customized according to taste and should adhere to the philosophy of all Vietnamese food which is to achieve balance. If you’re interested in cooking from home some Vietnamese, needless to say, Kim Thuy’s cookbook is a great place to start.
For those who don’t want to do the cooking themselves, authentically prepared Vietnamese cuisine awaits at Toronto Pho. The significance of home cooking and food in Vietnamese culture is not lost on us. Find the best pho in Toronto from our Vietnamese restaurant. Visit anytime and be welcomed with a hot bowl of delicious pho.
