We loved Andrea Nguyen’s first book, “Vietnamese Food Any
Day.” How does her new release stack up for us? Renee and Sara talk about building block recipes, too-long-descriptions, eating cake until our stomachs hurt and more.

Recipes mentioned in this episode:

• 10-10-10 Perfect Rice (page 65)


• Umami tofu crumbles (page 50)


• Nuoc Cham dipping sauce (page 32)


• Fast-fried shallots (page 46)


• Chicken-vegetable pho (page 161)


• Pressure cooker beef pho (NYT)


• Char siu pulled jackfruit (page 229)


• Baked char siu pulled-jackfruit bao (page 121)


• Gingery vegetable and beef stir fry (page 254)


• Char siu roasted cauliflower (page 227)


• Greens with magical sesame salt (page 201)


• Vietnamese mocha cake (page 266)


• Spice-citrus marble cake (page 269)


• Egg coffee (page 287)

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• David Chang on MSG & umami (YouTube)


• MSG as a misunderstood ingredient (CNN)


• MSG’s bad rap (Five Thirty Eight)

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• Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 2/21/2024): Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child