Viet World Kitchen

Ever-Green Vietnamese Cookbook Preview & FAQ!

March 4, 2023 By Andrea Nguyen

Vietnamese food isn't all about beef pho and meaty banh mi. It's about agriculture. My new cookbook, Ever-Green Vietnamese, is a jam-packed, stunner that explores timeless foodways and presents my modern interpretations of traditional Vietnamese plant-based eating and cooking. It offers the best of many worlds! Incredible news! Ever-Green Vietnamese was named among the best cookbooks of 2023 by major newspapers, magazines and radio programs. I hope you agree. Content ...

How is your mom doing?

May 13, 2024 By Andrea Nguyen Leave a Comment

Many of us are living in a phase of life where we’re in between. Our elders, and sometimes our friends, are passing. We sense our own eventual precarity. Whenever I catch up with close friends, we ask each other, “How’s your mom [dad]?” Hopefully, things are alright. When they are not, we say a little prayer and/or send our regards. We may never get to meet our friend’s parents but feel like we know them because we know our friends. For mother's day, here’s an update on my mom. For most ...

Ever-Green Vietnamese is a 2024 Beard Nominee!

April 30, 2024 By Andrea Nguyen Leave a Comment

Gadzooks! I did not foresee this. I hoped and did not think the book would be a super contender for a prestigious James Beard Foundation award. But it is. And this is how I feel: I've had the fortune of being nominated before but I never take these things for granted. There are only 12 categories for books and only 3 finalists in each. If you don't have a copy of Ever-Green Vietnamese, learn more about the book here. If you have the book, please give it a nice shout wherever you ...

How to Read a Tofu Label like a Bean Curd Boss

April 28, 2024 By Andrea Nguyen Leave a Comment

I've been professionally writing about tofu and developing tofu recipes since 2010. It a wondrous Asian ingredient but communicating how to shop for it isn't easy. How to read a tofu label? It's hard! There's so much information. Add to that, a recipe in a book or online can only contain so much information. You -- the cook, have a certain attention span. But, if you know about (1) tofu textures, (2) coagulants and (3) package weight, you'll be able to read a tofu label like a bean curd boss. ...

Tofu FAQs: What is tofu? Is tofu Healthy? How to cook tofu well?

March 29, 2024 By Andrea Nguyen Leave a Comment

Tofu is a gentle food that has oddly generated both fear and confusion. Since writing my Asian Tofu cookbook, I’ve fielded lots of tofu queries. People typically need clarification about: (1) What is tofu? Is tofu a processed food? Is tofu fermented? Tofu is made from 3 ingredients — dried mature soybeans (not immature edamame!), water, and coagulant. With a very high protein content, soybeans are the vegetable that’s closest to being like an animal! Tofu is prepared like ...

The Mediterranean Diet Needs a New Name. Here's why.

March 23, 2024 By Andrea Nguyen Leave a Comment

Yes, there are reasons why the revered Mediterranean Diet needs a new name. It started with the Sunday New York Times. My husband set aside this special section pullout for me to peruse: Assembled by Well, the Times’ health and wellness department, the pullout aims to be a handy guide to cooking and eating the Mediterranean diet for a healthier life. Unless you have super keen vision, you’ll need help with the subtitle: "How the time-tested Mediterranean diet can offer real benefits, ...