Cookbook club - February - Good Morning Vietnam

[Catinthecorner]

Back up and running the cook book club. This month it’s Vietnamese cooking from any book/website you fancy with a general focus on Mai Pham’s recipes from New flavours of the Vietnamese Table.

A couple of links to get us started (shamelessly stolen from the previous thread)

Recommended Blogs:

www.theravenouscouple.com/

www.uyenluu.com/recipes/

Recommended Recipes:

ww.epicurious.com/contributors/mai-pham

shadowcook.com/2008/03/10/mai-pham-ginger-lime-dipping-sauce-and-warm-beef-on-cool-noodles/

www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pad-see-yew

I tried the recipe form Turkish delights by John Gregory Smith (seriously beautiful book- if you are a collector of cookbooks- endeavour to own this one) and rick steins recipe from Venice to Istanbul . Both were lovey.

Lachmacun is similar but harder to make. I will try Sabrina ghayors recipe now that it comes recommended!

I have Rick Steins Venice to Istanbul so I’ll check out the recipe.

@CatInTheCorner - are we starting a new thread to decide on March?

Sorry folks I rather vanished on you all there. A combination of hospital visits and a massive amounts of work travel.

Happy with middle eastern for the cuisine and it looks popular. Anyone want to suggest a book?

I’d like to revisit Jerusalem if anyone else is interested? If only to make the Tahini Cookies again

So tonight was vietnamese night! I did four dishes and a dipping sauce. The prep took ages and I forgot to adjust the quantities like an idiot, so ended up with a ton of food rather than small dishes. Found it much easier than expected and really enjoyed the flavours and how light it all was. I liked the spring roll filling but wasn't overly taken with the rice paper. Unfortunately DH didn't like any of it!!
Pictures attached of the meals:
Warm beef on cool noodles (pic is bad as forgot to take it until after we started eating) from the Mai Pham recipe
Vietnamese dipping sauce
Hot and sour fish soup/broth
Prawn summer rolls
Vietnamese chicken salad

Here are the other pics sorry. App would only let me post 3.

The chicken salad looks great

Very envious of your summer rolls koala. It all looks lovely.

What a shame dh didn't like it! I re did a beef salad for my dad and he liked -wouldn't admit he didn't when I'd gone to trouble but the temperatures put him off- hot beef on cold noodles (cold noodles aren't a thing he has explored before anyway)

English- I love Jerusalem but if the them is middle eastern wouldn't it be included as an option within the cuisine? (I was planning cooking from that, the jewelled kitchen and sirocco for middle eastern )

Thanks for the positive replies. Was a bit nervous about posting pics as I know presentation isn't my strong point! We are having our kitchen diner ripped apart by builders at present so been hard to cook with limited space and only undercupboard lights!
Funnily enough @whatareyoueatingNOW I think part of DH's dislike was due to the noodles being cold.

I'm happy to go with a theme rather than a book, it makes it easier to get involved. I've got a fab middle eastern cookbook that I picked up in The Works for a few pounds so I can do a bit from all of the ones I've got. Is everyone happy with a middle eastern them then? Are we choosing a book as well of a different type?

Damn you Amazon and your one click ordering, I've just 'accidentally' bought Feasts as well

Someone on the last thread suggested Mary berry? If we do middle eastern and Mary Berry , like the Jamie/Vietnamese choices there'll be online options and good contrast?

I'm not going to be able to try anymore this month, but I've really thoroughly enjoyed cooking, I can't come to love Jamie, nor forgive him for depriving my dc of the basic human right that is a turkey twizler, but I've made some nice things.

Vietnamese how ever has genuinely changed the way I cook. I've made the beef vermicelli salad again today, second time this month, as my family love it so much. I'm surprised by how open the dc have been to the flavours- light and overwhelmingly fresh vibrant tasting food. If I win the lottery Vietnam is now my number 1 food holiday destination ( replacing a tour of Italy in previous lottery fantasies )

Haha, I’m glad I’m not the only one with fantasy foodie holiday plans! I’m not a Mary Berry fan do this could be a good one for me, might make me like her.

I’ve loved the Vietnamese and will definitely be issuing the book regularly. I’ve decided this thread is the perfect excuse to treat myself to a new book every month. Feasts arrived yesterday and I’ve earmarked about half of the book at first glance, can’t wait to start cooking from it.

Is feasts worthwhile for a small family? I don't get to cook for more than 4 at a time so hadn't bought it as I imagine a feast being 6-10

I've been a bit useless this month, we've had Cub Camp and have had this horrible cold bug that comes, goes and revisits. I finally received the Vietnamese book but couldn't get inspired enough to make anything, will revisit it when the weather improves as lots of the pictures up thread look delicious.

Happy with ME month, it's my default cooking as very close to my preferred Cypriot food. Have a couple of Sabrina Ghayor books plus Oranges, Lemon and Za'atar, Ottelenghi's and my Nanna's old Persian cookbook from the 70's. Mary Berry's salmon and prawn risotto is lovely if you're doing Family Favourites.

what the Feasts are really just menu ideas for a feast with lots of different dishes but they can all be scaled down or used as stand alone dishes. There’s only three of us and it looks like it’ll be fine for us.

Thanks English I'll add it to the wish list 😊

Pantah- perhaps for a later month we could do Greek/Cypriot as the theme and you could give us some recommendations?

Ooh I’d love a Greek/Cypriot month. We go to Greece or Cyprus every year and we always love the food but I’ve never really cooked much other than Gyros/Pastichio/Moussaka/Kleftiko so it’ll be great to expand my repertoire

Hi everyone, I have one more recipe to report... I made JO's tomato risotto with basil sauce. I wouldn't have made it if not for this thread but I thought it sounded unusual and not what I'd usually make, so I gave it a try. Verdict - it was really tasty. You do have to like cottage cheese as it has a whole tub in and it gives it that slightly sour taste. My ds (3) enjoyed it too. He's normally quite fussy so that was a big win.

Middle Eastern and a Mary Berry sounds great to me.

Middle Eastern sounds good. I have a Honey & Co book, plus Plenty, but may check out some online stuff.

I’ve made a fair few MB cakes but not any mains of hers.

Def up for a Greek/Cypriot month

Should we start a new thread for March? I'm planning on making a few things between now and Sunday ( as work has been cancelled and I can think of nothing better than staying in a warm kitchen cooking up a storm whilst snowed in)

Yes good idea!

We have relies staying this weekend, trains permitting, so I’m in the kitchen lots too.

Are we going with Middle Eastern?

Shall we go with Middle Eastern and Mary Berry’s family favourites? New thread would be good, longing forward to it. I’d start a thread but I’m rubbish at witty titles!

https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/foodandd_recipes/3182337-cookbook-club-march-middle-eastern-and-mary-berry

No witty title I'm afraid, but new thread here