Ever-Green Vietnamese: Super-Fresh Recipes, Starring Plants from Land and Sea [A Plant-Based Cookbook]

by Andrea Nguyen, Aubrie Pick (Photographer)

Overview

Plant-based cooking meets the dynamic flavors of Vietnamese cuisine in these 125+ recipes and variations—from the James Beard Award–winning author of Vietnamese Food Every Day

A BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Food Network, Good Housekeeping, San Francisco Chronicle, Epicurious

Although many people think of Vietnamese cooking as beefy pho and meat-filled sandwiches, traditional Vietnamese cooking has always involved a lot of plants and seafood and a little meat. In Ever-Green Vietnamese, Andrea Nguyen details how cooks in her home country draw on their natural resourcefulness and Buddhist traditions to showcase a wide array of herbs and vegetables in flavorful, comforting recipes.

Filled with the brilliant advice and exceptional teaching Nguyen is known for, the book offers recipes for flavor-boosting condiments and sauces (her incredible DIY vegan fish sauce), exciting ways to enjoy tofu, and dozens of vegetable-driven sides and mains, including a few that incorporate a bit of meat (many with vegetarian or vegan options). Home cooks will revel in Nguyen's ingenious recipes for:

• favorite snacks, like Smoky Tofu-Nori Wontons and Steamed Veggie Bao
• Vietnamese classics, like Fast Vegetarian Pho and Banh Mi with Vegan Mayonnaise and Bologna
• simple sides, like Nuoc Cham Cabbage Stir-Fry and Green Mango, Beet, and Herb Salad
• wholesome hacks, like Sweet Potato and Shrimp Fritters and Oven-Fried Crispy Shiitake Imperial Rolls

Full of cultural context, loads of instruction, and practical cooking tips, Ever-Green Vietnamese is perfect for anyone looking to incorporate plant-based Vietnamese cooking into their busy lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781984859853
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	04/25/2023
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	72,617
Product dimensions:	8.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Andrea Nguyen is an author, teacher, podcaster, and consultant based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born in Vietnam, she came to the United States at the age of six. She has written six acclaimed books, including The Pho Cookbook, which won a James Beard Award. Epicurious named her one of the top 100 greatest home cooks of all time. A former contributing editor at Saveur and columnist at Cooking Light, Nguyen has written articles and recipes for Food & Wine, EatingWell, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Los Angeles Times.

Read an Excerpt

Coming Full Circle

In the late summer of 2019, I hit a wall. I felt cruddy after years of eating everything that I wanted, all in the name of professional research. A strange bulge in my lower abdomen sent me to the doctor, who suggested that I had a hernia, then ordered an ultrasound and referred me to a surgeon. That took several weeks, during which my anxiety level rose as I consulted “Dr. Google” and my family. The bulge subsided by the time I met with the surgeon, but I still didn’t feel great. He reviewed the ultrasound, examined me, and said, “You don’t have a hernia. Tell me what’s been going on.”

Verging on tears of relief and in an outpouring of what probably sounded like gibberish, I explained my career and stress level, the result of a busy work life filled with traveling and consuming too much and too many foods not meant to be eaten together. Wherever and whenever, I ate out of curiosity, obligation, and pleasure. Also, my fifty-year-old body was going through perimenopause. Hormonal shifts were wildly driving the bus. “I think I need to slow down, rest up, and change my diet,” I blurted as he nodded. The emotional unloading cleansed me like a terrific shower.

Up to that point, my omnivorous meals included some whole grains and decent amounts of vegetables. Evaluating my options, I ruled out overly regimented diets because I’m not a virtuous eater every day (rice and sweetened condensed milk are wonderful). Raised Catholic, I always went without meat during Lent, but even then, when I refrained from it, I enjoyed plenty of fish and didn’t gravitate toward exclusively plant-based foods. However, decades of cooking had taught me how a little fish sauce, chicken, or pork can turn a meh dish into a wow one. My problem was that I didn’t cook and eat that way enough. What if I simply prepared food with less meat and upped my vegetable intake?

I re-visited and re-imagined favorite Vietnamese dishes to spotlight members of the vegetable kingdom. Regardless of whether the dish was vegan, vegetarian, or vegetable-forward with some meat, my overarching goal was to build savory depth and fun experiences, respectively described as đậm đà and hấp dẫn, Viet terms that refer to tastiness. I had a blast veganizing fish sauce, noodle soups, and other popular dishes as well as devising recipes to celebrate Vietnamese ways with produce and grains. Sometimes I created a new dish, such as Char Siu Roasted Cauliflower (page 227), which you may stuff into steamed buns (see page 117) or banh mi (see page 128).

I also reached back to my high school days, when, after my four siblings had left for college, my parents and I shared many low-meat meals. I thought those were anomalous, but, in retrospect, the meals embodied my parents’ cultural food pleasures, which were homey, comforting, and humble. Recipes such as Peppery Caramel Pork and Daikon (page 249), Creamy Turmeric Eggplant with Shiso (page 203), and Greens with Magical Sesame Salt (page 201) offer my modern takes on enduring savors.

I realized that I didn’t have to give up foods that I love, but rather needed to better respect and cultivate the exciting flavors, textures, and colors in plants. Compared to what I had cooked in the past, the new dishes were lighter and more refreshing. They tasted delicious, and I felt good without feeling deprived. Choosing more plants over animals seemed natural, a cinch. I was so proud of myself. I checked in with my mother, pitching my life-changing ideas about Vietnamese low-meat and vegetarian cooking. She was happy that I felt well but also said, “Meat was expensive in Vietnam. We cooked with mostly seafood and vegetables. That’s how it was. We ate more meat after we came to America because here, meat is more affordable than seafood.”

I was six years old in 1975 when we fled Vietnam and resettled in the United States. My early memories of food spanned the Pacific—from the open-air markets of Saigon to the supermarkets of Southern California. I wasn’t aware of the shift in my mother’s cooking as I delighted in her rotation of roast chicken, beefsteak, grilled pork, and other meaty delights. Veggies were on the table but, as it turned out, not as much as they traditionally would have been. My siblings and I also reveled in having greater access to soda pop, potato chips, butter, and sugar. We had changed our eating habits. I had gotten derailed, taken a decades-long detour, and finally returned home at the table, so to speak. Switching to a plant-forward diet in midlife basically brought me back to my cultural food roots.

Of course, Vietnamese cuisine is not all about beef-laden bowls of pho and meaty stuffed sandwiches. Viet culinary culture has been and continues to be shaped by scrappy cooks who make the most of limited resources, the majority of which are harvested from the earth. The cuisine—with its inherent customization, rich Buddhist traditions, and emphasis on vegetables, herbs, fruits, and plant-based proteins—is a natural mechanism for cutting back on meat and developing a greener approach to living.

I’m not alone in adopting a pro-produce lifestyle. Plant-based foods have been trending upward for years, and more Americans are moderating meat consumption but not giving it up altogether. Buddhism has historically guided Viet vegetarianism, but in Vietnam, some people are choosing it for health and environmental reasons; organizations such as Green Monday Vietnam plug into the global Meatless Monday campaign.

Curious about how such trends aligned with my online community, I surveyed folks. Of the more than 1,500 respondents, nearly one-fourth were flexitarian, and two-thirds were omnivores. More than half saw themselves eating less animal protein in the future and, increasingly, people were diversifying their cooking to welcome diners with mixed dietary restrictions or preferences. More than three-fourths said they would be interested in a vegetable-forward cookbook. Their many thoughtful suggestions matched my lifestyle and culinary philosophy of balancing new and old concepts in meaningful, practical ways.

Enthusiasm for vegetable-centric cooking seeded and fueled this book’s creation. I made this for you, me, and others for whom we’ve yet to cook. You don’t have to be Viet to identify with Ever-Green Vietnamese. You just need to explore the potential of vegetables from land and sea and, if you’re open to it, occasionally leverage the power of animal protein. That lies at the heart of my undogmatic plant-focused kitchen, which dovetails with the flexibility found in much of Viet cooking.

In Vietnamese, chay means “vegetarian.” This book isn’t 100 percent vegetarian, but the word appears often. When attached to a food term, chay signals a plant-based iteration. For example, nước mắm chay and phở chay indicate vegetarian or vegan fish sauce and pho, respectively. Vegetarian eateries are nhà hàng chay (a formal restaurant) or quán chay (a casual joint). Vegetarianism isn’t marginalized in Vietnam. People who ăn chay (eat vegetarian) may be full-time, part-time, or occasional vegetarians. They may abstain from eating animal protein for religious, health, or ecological reasons. They may eat mostly veggies along with some seafood. Or, they may tinker with vegetarian cooking to create trompe l’oeil dishes that make people do double takes. And, if there’s an agenda in promoting Viet vegetarianism, its approach isn’t moralistic but rather focused on gentle persuasion. Cue Buddhist vegetarian restaurants and temples that generously offer tantalizing fare to anyone interested. Perhaps they’ll coax people into leading kinder lives? Chay foodways welcome everyone into the kitchen and to the table. That open spirit guides this book. As a non-extremist who can’t stop loving food and cooking, I share this with you: A plant-forward diet has helped me better negotiate midlife physiological changes and perimenopausal symptoms. I also shed about fifteen pounds in the process.

Editorial Reviews

04/03/2023

In this enticing cookbook, James Beard Award winner Nguyen (Vietnamese Food Every Day) enticingly reimagines traditional Vietnamese dishes with a heavy focus on plant-based ingredients. When health concerns caused her to rethink her diet, Nguyen decided to incorporate more vegetables and less meat into her repertoire. The resulting mostly (but not entirely) vegetarian twists on Vietnamese recipes are sure to please. Her broad approach encompasses rice dishes, snacks, soups, salads, and more—all appetizing and accessible—but the real gems are in her chapters on banh mi, “mains without meat,” “veggie-packed mains,” and desserts. Her “grand slam banh mi breakfast combo,” with fried eggs, vegan bologna, and sautéed onion, and deconstructed vegan meatball banh mi are inventive and appealing. Home cooks will find her tofu-mushroom curry and spicy sate tofu crumbles easy and quick enough for a weeknight meal. Vietnamese mocha cake and coconut-coffee pops round out the sweet end of a delicious array of healthful offerings. Nguyen also offers useful advice on Vietnamese herbs, pantry staples such as nori dust and chile-garlic sauce, and techniques for making crepes and rice-paper rolls. For those looking to enhance and expand their plant-based repertoire, Nguyen proves a skillful and creative guide. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Those new to Vietnamese cooking will find a teacher ready to hold their hand through each step of the unfamiliar, while the more experienced will benefit from Nguyen’s rigorous insights. Ever-Green Vietnamese is poised to be an essential resource for any cook interested in Vietnamese cuisine, not just the vegetarian ones.”—Eater

“Nguyen is a beloved source in Vietnamese food writing and cookbooks, and her latest is another example of her unfussy yet thoughtful approach to reimagining the traditional recipes of Vietnam.”—Simply Recipes

“As someone who is always trying to incorporate more plant-focused meals into my diet, I found Nguyen’s book refreshing.”—Bon Appétit

“The icon who is Andrea Nguyen has written yet another cookbook that will inevitably become stained from all the recipes I will cook from it. Nguyen shows us how to bring a range of highly delicious, vegetable-forward Vietnamese flavors into our own kitchens.”—Andy Baraghani, author, The Cook You Want to Be

“As many of us try to navigate how to introduce more greens into our lives without compromising our preferences and nostalgia, [this book] is an invitation to confidently move in this direction. Colorful, rich, and inviting, Nguyen shows us yet again why she is one of the preeminent culinary educators in the United States.”—Stephen Satterfield, founder, Whetstone Media, and Peabody Award–winning host

“If I feel like cooking Vietnamese food, Andrea Nguyen is the person I turn to. Through her cookbooks, she has been a presence in my kitchen for years.”—Diana Henry, James Beard Award–winning cookbook author and journalist

“I consider all of Nguyen’s books on Vietnamese cuisine to be my guiding lights when it comes to cooking the cuisine of my family’s home country. And this latest book . . . provides wonderful validation for vegetarians and vegans who want to maintain a soul connection to Vietnamese food and culture.”—Soleil Ho, critic-at-large, San Francisco Chronicle

“If you’re looking for a modern, plant-centric take on Vietnamese cooking, Nguyen delivers. I’ve cooked more from this book than any other this year. This is a masterful resource rooted in tradition, brimming with fresh inspiration.”—Heidi Swanson, James Beard Award–winning author, Super Natural Every Day and Super Natural Simple

“Andrea Nguyen['s] techniques are simple and smart, and I know eating more plants will be an even tastier endeavor now that she is my guide.”—Ben Mims, cooking columnist, The Los Angeles Times

“I have turned to Andrea Nguyen’s writings and recipes many times . . . These plant-forward recipes are as timeless and essential as her advice has always been.”—Carla Lalli Music, author, That Sounds So Good and Where Cooking Begins

From the Publisher

03/17/2023

Following a health scare, Nguyen (Vietnamese Food Any Day) turned her attention to plant-based dishes to get her health back on track and to feel better. Looking to her Vietnamese heritage and the foods that she is most familiar with, she began to focus on vegetables and reconstructed her favorite Vietnamese dishes. The result is over 125 recipes that have either no or minimal animal protein. Most of the cooking techniques featured here are pressure cooking, oven frying, and air frying for faster and healthier results. The recipes include sauces, noodle soups, side and main dishes, as well as desserts. Along with the recipes, Nguyen includes sidebars with detailed instructions and photos of tasks such as rolling rice paper and using lemongrass. Rice is a major focus, and recipes include Hainan-style crispy tofu and rice and shiitake-cauliflower steamed rice rolls. A chapter is devoted to banh mi, a light, crispy baguette that is used in many Vietnamese dishes, followed by recipes for lettuce wraps, a deconstructed vegan banh mi, and more. VERDICT Detailed instructions and tantalizing recipes make this an excellent book for those wanting to incorporate plant-based options in Vietnamese cooking.—Phillip Oliver

Library Journal