Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #69857 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From the Back Cover
 As featured on the Los Angeles Times website!  For authentic Vietnamese food savvy diners need look no further than Southern California's Little Saigon. From the French-inspired bakeries, the coffeehouses, and the food courts, to the weekend mayhem of the noodle houses and wedding receptions at boisterous seafood restaurants, The Little Saigon Cookbook takes you inside this spectacular enclave and introduces you to the extraordinary meals that Vietnamese diners and others in the know enjoy every day.
The Le family was one of the first to settle and work in Little Saigon after fleeing Vietnam as boat people in 1975. With this cookbook, Ann Le shares the family recipes that she grew up with - many of which survived through oral history alone. She also provides insider tidbits on this wonderful cuisine so home cooks can create their own Vietnamese dishes, just like the locals.Try these Vietnamese favorites at home:
Traditional Shredded Chicken and Cabbage Salad
Grilled Beef with Lemongrass and Garlic
Rice Flour Crepes with Mushrooms and Ground PorkBeef PhoBraised Eggplant and Tofu in Caramel Sauce
Vietnamese Water Spinach Sautéed with Garlic
Steamed Tilapia with Ginger, Scallions, and Onions
Drunken Crab Warm "Shaking Beef" Salad with Watercress and TomatoesChicken Braised in Ginger and CoconutCrispy Coconut and Turmeric Crepes Banana Tapioca in Coconut MilkFresh Avocado Shake

About the Author
Ann Le has lived most of her life in the area of Southern California known as Little Saigon, where her family moved in 1975 right after the fall of Saigon. She grew up eating and cooking Vietnamese food and is acquainted with many of the people and restaurant owners in the Little Saigon community. She speaks and writes Vietnamese fluently.

Customer Reviews

Great Recipes
This book of recipes is complete and easy to follow. It is also in brand new condition.

Easy to follow and not too bad
I've tried a few recipes in this book and it is not too bad. There isn't a book out there that you follow exact steps to get a perfect dish. You will still have to modify it a bit to fit your taste bud. This book was able to be that base starting point for me. Highly recommended.

Awesome and Authentic Cookbook!!!!!!!!
I found "The Little Saigon Cookbook" to be amongst the best of any of my Vietnamese/Asian cookbooks. It is vivid in its descriptions and illustrations. It also provides any serious enthusiast with some excellent recipes. My last dental assistant was Vietnamese and taught me a great deal before I had to retire and this cookbook reflects much of what she took the time to teach me. I also found the narrative of the author's coming to this country very interesting and inspiring.

I regret that there is a "one-star" rating on this book. But I have found that if you investigate grossly deviant ratings/reviews you can usually disregard them due to personal agendas, lack of experience, etc.

No, I am not Vietnamese, but I have been cooking and learning about Vietnamese cooking before most non-immigrants even knew much about this incredible cuisine. I can remember finally finding one of the few Vietnamese grocery stores at that time in south downtown Houston. This was just south of my dental practice and the owners couldn't believe that this "round-eyed" American was interested, much less knew anything about their foods. My first cookbook was a first edition by Bach Ngo. Since then I have collected most Vietnamese cookbooks in print and several out of print.