Vietnamese food is such a vibrant cuisine. It is one of my favourites. It is homey and comfortable; yet, it can be so complex. Sometimes, it is hard to think outside of a bowl of pho noodles. Kim Thuy’s cookbook Secrets of my Vietnamese Kitchen shares beautiful storytelling with simple and wonderful recipes that are full of flavour and easy to make. Reading her cookbook is like reading the Joy Luck Club all over again.

Contents

• Fundamentals
• Soups
• Bowls and Stir-Fries
• Vegetables
• Grilled and Fried
• Slow Cooking
• Desserts and Snacks
• Vietnamese Food-Wine Pairings
• Vietnamese Food-Music Pairings

Recipes

There are over 50 delicious easy to make recipes to choose from in Secrets From My Vietnamese Kitchen. Every meal is an opportunity to show how and to be grateful for those who sit down and eat with us.

My favourite recipes that I’ve bookmarked include:

• Garlic Beef Stir Fry – Bo Xao
• Caramel Pork – Thit Ram
• Stuffed Squash Soup – Canh Bau
• Soursop Smoothie – Sinh To Mang Cau
• Vietnamese Meatloaf – Thit Chung Trung
• Fried Lemongrass Fish – Ca Chien Sa
• Salmon Steaks two-ay – Ca Chien
• Nathalie’s Matcha Tea Cookies

Tested Recipes

A hot bowl of soup always seems fitting no matter the season. A hot bowl of soup is warming in the winter. While a bowl of sweet and sour soup is cooling in the summer. The longer you let the flavours infuse, the better the soup is.

SECRETS FROM MY VIETNAMESE KITCHEN BY KIM THUY | COOKBOOK REVIEW

• Author: Kim Thuy
• Prep Time: 20
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
• Category: Soup
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Vietnamese

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Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp (75 g) tamarind paste 3/4 cup (180 mL) boiling water 6 cups (1.5 L) water
• 3 Tbsp (45 mL) fish sauce
• 11/4 lb (560 g) tilapia fillets (or another
• firm-fleshed fish)
• 1/4 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters 8 to 10 fresh okra, sliced
• 1 stalk taro, peeled and sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 11/2 cups (150 g) bean sprouts
• 1 bunch rice paddy herbs, coarsely chopped 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped Fried onions or garlic, to taste
• Bird’s eye chili, thinly sliced, for serving Fish sauce dressing, for serving (p. 23)

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Instructions

1. Spoon the tamarind paste into a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Pour the 6 cups (1.5 L) water into a stockpot, then add the fish sauce.
3. Pour the tamarind paste and water mixture through a sieve into the stockpot. With a spoon, press down on the tamarind flesh to extract as much pulp as possible. Discard the seeds and residual pulp.
4. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
5. Add the fish fillets to the broth and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the fish and reserve.
6. Slice the pineapple lengthwise, then cut each piece into 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) thick slices.
7. Add the pineapple and tomatoes to the broth and bring back to a boil.
8. Add the okra and taro, lightly season with salt and pepper, and keep cooking for 2 minutes.
9. Add the fish back to the pot, then stir in the bean sprouts, rice paddy herbs and cilantro. Bring back to a simmer, then remove from heat.
10. Serve piping hot, sprinkled with fried onions or garlic, with bowls of bird’s eye chili and fish sauce dressing to dip the fish in.

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Notes

• The longer you let the flavours infuse, the better the soup is. You can prepare it hours in advance and reheat it when you’re ready to serve.
• Garnish with reserved cilantro and green onions just before serving.

 

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Acknowledgement

Excerpted from Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen: Simple Recipes from My Many Mothers by Kim Thuy. Copyright © 2017 Editions Libre Expression. Translated from the French by Sheila Fischman. Recipes translated by Marie Asselin. Appetite by Random House edition published in 2019. Food Photography by Sarah Scott. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Bookshelf Worthy?

This cookbook is a gem and every meal is so homey and comforting. Although some recipes take time to digest and perfect, but I would recommend this to anyone looking to bring more flavours to their kitchen.

Where to Purchase?

Amazon

From The Official Press Release

In this unique and inviting introduction to a vibrant cuisine, Secrets from My Vietnamese Kitchen offers more than 50 easy-to-make recipes from bestselling novelist and former restaurateur Kim Thúy. Seven extraordinary women, Kim joined by her mother and five aunts, share their stories and their culinary secrets, accompanied by stunning photographs, charming descriptions and evocative extracts from Kim’s novels.

Between careers as a lawyer and an acclaimed novelist, Kim Thúy ran a celebrated restaurant called Ru de Nam in Montreal. Now, in her first cookbook, Kim combines her beautiful storytelling style with simple and wonderful recipes that are full of flavour: surprising yet comforting, and easy enough for every day. Welcoming us into her close-knit circle, she introduces us to her mother and five aunts, each with her story, each with her secrets, told through the food of the country they had to leave, Vietnam.

Starting with easily-prepared base ingredients of sauces, quick pickled vegetables and toasted rice flour, we move on to soups, sautés, vegetables, grilled foods, desserts and more. Sample recipes include Stuffed Squash Soup; Vermicelli Bowls; Caramel Pork; Calamari, Pork and Pineapple Stir-fry; Fried Lemongrass Fish; and Vietnamese Tapioca and Banana. Also, in collaboration with sommelier Michelle Bouffard, Kim suggests wine pairings for these Vietnamese dishes.

Kim says that Vietnamese often display their affection more easily with food than with words. This exquisite book deliciously demonstrates that every meal is an opportunity to show love, and to be grateful for those who sit down to eat with us.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 
Born in Saigon in 1968, KIM THÚY left Vietnam with the boat people at the age of ten and settled with her family in Quebec. A graduate in translation and law, she has worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer, restaurant owner, and commentator on radio and television. She lives in Montreal and devotes herself to writing. SHEILA FISCHMAN is the award-winning translator of some 150 contemporary novels from Quebec. In 2008 she was awarded the Molson Prize in the Arts. She is a Member of the Order of Canada and a chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec. She lives in Montreal. MARIE ASSELIN is a food writer, translator, recipe developer, stylist, and culinary teacher who is based in Montreal.

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Modern Lunch totally has me rethinking about lunch! With over 100 recipes for assembling the midday meal, Lunch has become our favourite meal of the day! Allison has so many mouth-watering recipes and vibrant photographs that even just flipping thru the pages has me salivating! Most of all, I love her vegetable-forward meals that won’t weigh you down! I’m so thankful for Penguin Random House Canada sending me Allison’s new cookbook for a review!

Contents

• Lunch to go: meals in jars, soups and stews
• Lunch at home: plates and bowls; salads and substances
• Sharing lunch on the weekend: platters, brunch for lunch; picnic baskets
• Make lunch special: modern lunch club, lunchbox treasures,
• Lunch Larder: modern meal prep stables, gear guide,

Recipes

There are over 100 delicious recipes to choose from. They are short little love notes, concise and non-fussy. I love the bright and vivid food photography that makes you WANT it, like,  now!

My favourite recipes that I’ve bookmarked include:

• Turkish Poached Eggs
• Cold Noodle Salad
• Just-Add-Water Miso, Sweet Potato, and Soba Ramen
• Sweet Potato, Chard, and Smoked Cheddar Frittata
• Meze
• Farro, Beet, Asparagus, and Watercress Picnic Salad

Tested Recipes

One my of favourite food things I discovered on one of my many trips to Portland, was the deliciously of a well-created. well-nourished lunch bowl. Like Allison, it became my “Happy Place” and an “expression of modern healthy eating that I believe anyone can get behind.”

California Lunch Bowl Recipe

• Author: Allison Day
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: lunch bowl
• Method: lunch bowl
• Cuisine: pacific northwest

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While writing this book, I finally ventured to California, and it became a new “happy place” for me. Gjusta, a bakery and restaurant in Venice Beach, California, has a grain bowl that played with temperature, texture, and flavour in a way I’d never experienced before and needed to recreate immediately upon my return home. The soft egg in this bowl, like the one I enjoyed at Gjusta, marries with the lightest, clearest dressing for an expression of modern healthy eating that I believe anyone can get behind.

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Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cooked brown rice (page 241) or quinoa (page 242), preferably warm
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1⁄4 bulb fennel, shaved
• 1 avocado, halved, peeled, and sliced
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar Salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 tsp minced fresh red Thai chili
• 2 Tbsp dukkah (page 168)
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

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Instructions

1. For the poached eggs, fill a small skillet two-thirds full of water. Add the white vinegar, bring the water to a boil, and crack in the eggs. Immediately remove from the heat and cover for 7 minutes. If you are taking this to go, use a hard-boiled egg (page 238) instead of a poached egg.
2. To assemble, to serving bowls, add the rice, romaine, fennel, and avocado. Season with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and chili. Top with the dukkah and cilantro. Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon, draining as much water as possible; place on top of the rice. Toss, allowing the yolk to become part of the dressing, and enjoy. If you are packing this to go, assemble your bowl in a container replacing the poached egg with a peeled hard-boiled egg. Seal and refrigerate until you are ready to take it with you, and keep it refrigerated at work or chilled with a cooler pack until you are ready to eat.

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Notes

KEEP SLICED AVOCADO FRESH
To keep avocado from browning, concentrate the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the avocado flesh, and then sprinkle dukkah over top to cover. This assembly trick keeps oxidation to a minimum.

Keywords: california, lunch bowl, avocado, soft egg, healthy, rice bowl, vegetarian bowl, buddha bowl

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Acknowledgement

Excerpted from Modern Lunch: +100 Recipes for Assembling the New Midday Meal by Allison Day. Copyright © 2019 Allison Day. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Bookshelf Worthy?

Absolutely! The no fuss, healthy recipes are easy to make. I love there is more than one way to meal-prep your lunch (which can also easily be used for dinner). There are lots of helpful tips to help you save time too!

Where to Purchase?

Amazon

Title:Modern Lunch: +100 Recipes For Assembling The New Midday MealFormat:HardcoverDimensions:264 pages, 9.28 × 7.7 × 0.97 inPublished:March 5, 2019Publisher:Appetite by Random HouseLanguage:English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

ISBN – 10:0147531004

ISBN – 13:9780147531001

From The Official Press Release

From acclaimed cookbook author and award-winning blogger Allison Day comes Modern Lunch, a collection of 100 recipes that celebrate the midday meal.

Modern Lunch is the new lunchtime hero for time-strapped, budget-conscious, and salad-fatigued people everywhere. Focusing on healthy, quick–and, yes, Instagrammable–recipes, Allison takes readers on a feasting journey inspired by fresh flavors and ingredients, her travels, and minimal effort. Meals in jars and adult-appropriate lunchboxes will actually make you look forward to lunch now, especially when recipes like Chicken and Cucumber Ribbon Salad with Peanut Butter Vinaigrette, Tomato Sourdough Soup with Cacio e Pepe Socca Triangles, and Walnut-Crusted Avocado, Feta, and Eggs with Pesto Rice are waiting for you. Find inspiration for delicious lunches to eat at home, too, like Greek Chopped Salad with Crispy Peppercorn Salmon, and a new take on the classic ploughman’s lunch. Spend weekends with friends gathered around easy-to-assemble platters and picnic baskets, and enjoy homemade brunches that rival any restaurant’s. And, if you’re someone who likes to improvise, Allison shares her staple recipes and tried-and-tested strategies for mastering meal prep, as well as ideas and combinations for quick, on-the-fly lunches that encourage creativity but promise satisfaction–even if you have to dine at your desk.

With dazzling recipes and photography, and smart tips on hacking the lunchtime game, Modern Lunch proves that a delicious, exciting, and inventive lunch can be achievable for any appetite, wallet, and busy schedule–and maybe even spark a little office envy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 
ALLISON DAY is a cookbook author, writer, editor, food stylist, and creator of the Taste Canada award-winning food blog Yummy Beet. Allison’s third cookbook, Modern Lunch (Appetite, Penguin Random House Canada) will be released in the spring of 2019. Her first cookbook, Whole Bowls, and single-subject second cookbook, Purely Pumpkin, are both out now. She’s contributed to and been featured in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Vegetarian Times, Food Network Canada, SHAPE, FLARE, and more. Allison lives in Ontario, Canada and London, United Kingdom

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Eat At Home is a pleasant surprise. This is a recent favourite cookbook of mine. It includes a selection of easy DIY blends, spices, marmalade, sauces in addition to easy recipes for soups, salads, main dishes (like fall off the bone ribs), sides, desserts and more. Voula Halliday‘s tasty meals are not very complicated and doesn’t take too long to make.

Contents

• I Want To Do It All
• Pantry
• Flavour Fixes – spice blends, pastes, sauces
• Breakfast
• Soups
• Salads
• Mains
• Sides
• Baked Goods and Treats

Recipes

EAT AT HOME contains over 150 recipes that show how easy it is to cook fresh, healthy, tasty meals every day of the week, including how to buy only what you will use, use everything you have on hand, swap ingredients without sweating it, and transform extras into Loveable Leftovers so you waste nothing.

My favourite recipes that I’ve bookmarked include:

• Citrus Burst Energy Bars
• Super Seedy Fattoush Salad
• Finger Licking Ribs in a Flash
• Meatless Zucchini Bolognese
• Savoury Cheesecake with Crumbled Bacon Sour Cream Topping

Tested Recipes

The first thing I made was Voula’s Finger Licking Ribs in a Flash. I love this recipe because I can make it in my Instant Pot in 15 minutes! If you are still thinking about getting an Instant Pot, you should! It’s so easy to use and you can make so many amazing meals in a blink of an eye!

Acknowledgement

Excerpted from Eat At Home © 2017 Voula Halliday. Published byCast Iron Press®. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Bookshelf Worthy?

Absolutely!

Plenty of healthy recipes to help you jump start your diet. Make juice cleanses at home and tips on how to maintain a balanced yet healthy diet. Recipes can be easily modified to work with kitchen sink ingredients.

Where to Purchase?

Amazon

Eat From Home by Voula Halliday
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Cast Iron Press; 1st edition (2017)
Parcel Dimensions: 20.6 x 15.8 x 3 cm
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

• ISBN-10: 0987839306
  ISBN-13: 978-0987839305

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1. Post a comment on this blog post and tell us which recipe you would make first. One entry per person.
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4. Instagram double tap, tag a friend and comment on @Instanomss. Look for the image above!

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About Voula Halliday

Voula Halliday is a chef, writer, and artist with diverse and extensive experience in the food industry. A proud graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, she has presented her work on morning television and radio shows, and was one of the chef experts on CBC Television’s award-winning daytime show Steven and Chris. Most recently, she appeared on CTV’s Your Morning to whip up her yummy Apple Cheddar Chicken Muffins and Bacon and Cheddar Quinoa Fritters. 

Voula’s first appearance on Steven and Chris came about after she was discovered by one of the producers who was volunteering at a Public School where Voula served as the executive chef and program coordinator. She brought Voula onto the show after being taken by her warm personality and the way in which she transformed the usually mundane and unhealthy school lunches into fresh, nutritious and delicious meals for the students and faculty. Voula’s work has appeared in print and digital formats in a variety of publications, including Chatelaine, National Post, Reader’s Digest, and Bon Appétit.

Yogurt is one of my daily essentials. Especially Greek yogurt! That’s why I am so excited when I was sent a copy of Yogurt Every Day by Hubert Cormier. Yogurt itself is awesome. It is great for your gut health with its probiotic properties. Yogurt isn’t just a breakfast item – I can eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Yogurt Every Day cookbook includes 75 delicious recipes. It even teaches you to make your own yogurt (dairy and plant-based) at home! For now I will stick to store bought Greek yogurt…

Contents

• Quick history of yogurt – it’s always fascinating learning about history. It dates back to 2000BC in Persia and India where yogurt was used as a preservative for milk.
• Health benefits of yogurt – proteins, fats and substitutes.
• How to make you own yogurt – without a yogurt maker, with a slow cooker
• Recipes – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts. This includes dips and spreads.

Recipes

There are 75 delicious recipes to choose from. They are well written. Short and concise. I like how the recipes gets to the point without the bullshit. I like the delicious food photography of mouthwatering healthy meals. Most importantly, nutritional value is included with every recipe. If you are meal planning, it makes meal prepping much easier.

My favourite recipes that I’ve bookmarked include:

• Coconut Yogurt
• Soft Boiled Eggs and Green Pea Salad
• Healthy Exotic Bowl with Dragon Fruit and Lychee
• Wafflewich
• Dips – Baba Ghanoush, Beet Hummus, Edamame Dip
• Stuff Potatoes
• Amaretto and Espresso Cake
• Banana, Walnut, and Toblerone Bread

Tested Recipes

For those that know me, knows that I love a good avocado toast. Who doesn’t like an avocuddle every now and then? When I first saw the Edamame Dip recipe, I had to make it ASAP!

Edamame Dip

• Author: Hubert Cormier
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 5
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 cup 1x
• Category: Dips, Spreads
• Method: Blender
• Cuisine: Raw Food

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Description

Move over avocado, this Edamame Dip makes a great Edamame Toast or as a snack with chips!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (375 mL) edamame beans
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup (60 mL) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) minced garlic
• ½ cup (125 mL) tahini (sesame butter)
• ¼ cup (60 mL) lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Fresh cilantro leaves Edamame beans for garnish
• Sesame seeds

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Instructions

1. In a food processor, add all the ingredients except the salt and pepper, and process until smooth.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish as desired.

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Equipment

Vitamix

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Vitamix Under Blade Scraper

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Vitamix personal cup adapter

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extra virgin olive oil

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large mixing bowl

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Keywords: Edamame Dip, Hubert Cormier, Yogurt Every Day, Health Food, Healthy Dips and Spreads, Edemame Toast

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Acknowledgement

Excerpted from Yogurt Every Day Hubert Cormier. Copyright © 2017 Hubert Cormier. Food photography by Catherine Côté. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.

Bookshelf Worthy?

Absolutely! The no fuss recipes are easy to make. Recipes can be easily modified to work with kitchen sink ingredients. There are lots of helpful tips to help you save time too!

Where to Purchase?

Chapters | Amazon

Yogurt Every Day: Healthy And Delicious Recipes For Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner And Dessert
Format: Paperback
Dimensions: 208 pages, 10 × 8.5 × 0.6 in
Published: May 30, 2017
Publisher: Appetite by Random House
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:

• ISBN – 10: 0147530423
• ISBN – 13: 9780147530424