The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook
Beloved Recipes from the Family Behind the Purest Fish Sauce
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
The official cookbook of 100 recipes from the cult favorite and top chef lauded fish sauce brand, Red Boat Fish Sauce
You wouldn't expect a condiment made of anchovies to gain cult status—but that's exactly what Red Boat Fish Sauce did, earning praise from food titans like David Chang, Andrea Nguyen, and Ruth Reichl. But what's even more incredible is the story behind its success and founder, Cuong Pham. After a year-long journey to America from Vietnam after the war, he found himself working for Steve Jobs at Apple in 1984. But, all the while, he missed the tastes of his childhood—what the grocery store had just wasn't it—and set out to find what he and his family remembered so acutely.
With this collection of 100 recipes, learn how to punch up flavor in Vietnamese classics like Bún Chà and Sugarcane Shrimp—but also in favorites like Chicken Wings and Pork Roast. With behind-the-scenes stories in every chapter spanning from breakfast, dinner, snacks, desserts, and holiday celebrations, this book encompasses a true American story and is the perfect guide to using this incredible pantry staple.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this satisfying debut, Pham, founder of the Red Boat Fish Sauce brand, celebrates the versatility of this savory ingredient in a variety of Vietnamese dishes. He starts by sharing the product's fascinating history: after emigrating from Vietnam in 1979, it took him nine months, including a stint at a refugee camp in Malaysia, to arrive in the United States. Dissatisfied with the "one dimensional" American fish sauce he had to cook with for nearly three decades, he founded his own brand in 2011. Fish sauce appears in several recipes inspired by his mother's cooking, such as thit ba roi cuon (pork roast) and bò kho (beef stew), as well as in Vietnamese staples like bacon and egg breakfast bánh mì and rau muong xao (morning glory greens with garlic). Pham also demonstrates how fish sauce can work in Western cuisines, particularly in dishes like pasta marinara ("The fish sauce gives it that extra oomph of flavor") and chicken tinga. While some of these recipes require a considerable amount of time and ingredients not common to many American kitchens (lotus root, sawtooth herb), others can easily be prepared on weeknights, such as shrimp and green beans. This is excellent for umami-heads as well as home cooks looking for a gateway into Vietnamese cooking.
