The Red Boat Fish Sauce Cookbook: Beloved Recipes from the Family Behind the Purest Fish Sauce

by Cuong Pham, Tien Nguyen, Diep Tran

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358410973
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	12/28/2021
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	520,950
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

CUONG PHAM is the founder of Red Boat Fish Sauce. Co-author TIEN NGUYEN has been writing about food and culture for nearly a decade and is the co-author of LA Son with Roy Choi. Co-author DIEP TRAN was the chef and owner of Good Girl Dinette in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and is now the R&D Chef at Red Boat Fish Sauce.

Editorial Reviews

08/16/2021

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. Agent: Michele Crim, Miller Bowers Griffin Literary Management. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Red Boat Fish Sauce changed my life and improved my cooking. Now there’s this wonderful book. Like the sauce, it’s the real thing. I want to cook every single dish.” —Ruth Reichl   “Red Boat is my favorite fish sauce and after seeing how it’s made while in Vietnam, I am a fan for life. From fish sauce̵̵–cured bacon and breakfast bánh mì, to fragrant chicken wings and crisp imperial rolls, The Red BoatFish Sauce Cookbook is proof that everything is better with their outstanding fish sauce. And dessert lovers shouldn’t worry, their palm sugar–sweetened desserts are equally alluring!” —David Lebovitz, author Drinking French and My Paris Kitchen “Cuong Pham is driven by the belief that the world needs great fish sauce, and that most any dish can be blessed with his Red Boat Fish Sauce.There’s a recipe for everybody, from the connoisseurs of the traditional Vietnamese food at the heart of this book to those who want to know how to use fish sauce in pasta marinara or crab rolls. The turkey recipe alone is a godsend to those who yearn for turkey done the umami way, while the seven ways of making nước chấm should satisfy hardcore nước mắm lovers, which is to say most Vietnamese people. Pham’s passion for fishsauce saturates every page, taking us one step closer to the day when every restaurant and cupboard will have its own bottle of nước mắm.” —Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer and The Committed   “I spent weeks trying to come up with something witty for this blurb but couldn’t because I realized sometimes the people and things you love most require the least amount of words and profoundness. Love is in the feeling. I love this sauce and the people behind this book. There is fish sauce and then there is Red Boat Fish Sauce! I first heard about Diep through her pot pies and found out that was only the tip of the iceberg of this amazing human being. And what can I say about Tien other than I trust her with my life, literally? So, nothing witty, just honesty. The best sauce with the best people with the best book. The math adds up!” —Roy Choi   —

From the Publisher