N : to eat : recipes and stories from a Vietnamese family kitchen

297 Pages·2016·290.452 MB·English

by  An, Jacqueline, An, Helene

COOKING
reinventing vietnamese ă
cuisine for the modern table
n
IN VIETNAMESE, “AN” MEANS “TO EAT”—a happy coincidence, since
the An family has built an award-winning restaurant empire that spans five :

restaurants throughout California, including the famed Crustacean Bev-
t
erly Hills. Helene An, the matriarch of the House of An, is hailed as the
“mother of fusion” and has been celebrated for her signature style that
o
brings together Vietnamese, French, and California farm-to-table influ-
ences—making a unique, modern cuisine that is completely her own. Now
her daughter, Jacqueline, tells the family story and shares her mother’s
delicious and previously “secret” recipes, including Drunken Crab, Wok e ăn: to eat
Noodles, Oven-Roasted Lemongrass Chicken, and French Onion Pho’, a
James Beard Favorite Dish of 2015.
a
Helene’s transformation from pampered “princess” in French Colonial
Vietnam, to refugee then award-winning restaurateur, and her journey from
Indochina’s lush fields to California kitchen gardens are beautifully chroni- t
cled in An: To Eat. It’s both a fascinating peek at a lost world, and the evolu-
tion of an extraordinary cuisine —featuring more than 100 recipes that could
RECIPES AND STORIES FROM A VIETNAMESE FAMILY KITCHEN
only have come from Helene’s personal story.
H
E
L
“It’s so wonderful: The An story, the An family, and especially the An food. Viet- E
N
namese royal cuisine meets L.A. fl air.” E
a
—ALAN RICHMAN, 16-time James Beard Foundation Award winner for food writing n
d
and GQ food correspondent J
A
C
“Chef Helene An’s talent for composing fl avors is virtuosic. Her contribution Q
to the Californian culinary landscape places her fi rmly in the ranks of Alice U
E
L
Waters and Wolfgang Puck. An:To Eat grants us a peek at some of her delectably I
N
covert recipes—after all, everyone loves a tasty secret.” E
A
—EDDIE LIN, Los Angeles Times food writer N

Visit us on the web!
ISBN 978-0-7624-5835-6
www.offthemenublog.com
53500
houseofan.com
9 780762 458356
$35.00 in U.S.A. • $45.50 in Canada • £24.00 in U.K. Printed in China
RUNNING
PRESS
HELENE AN, Executive Chef of Crustacean Beverly Hills, and JACQUELINE AN

An_To Eat CASE.indd 1 1/19/16 3:01 PM
ăn: to eat
AnToEat Final int.indd 1 1/8/16 10:44 AM
22
AnToEat Final int.indd 2 1/8/16 10:44 AM
ăn: to eat
RECIPES AND STORIES FROM A VIETNAMESE FAMILY KITCHEN
By HELENE AN, Executive Chef of Crustacean Beverly Hills
and JACQUELINE AN
Food Photography by
EVAN SUNG
AnToEat Final int.indd 3 1/8/16 10:44 AM
© 2016 by Helene An and Jacqueline An
Photography © 2016 by Evan Sung, unless otherwise noted.
Photo credits for pages 16-17: Simon Dannhauer / Thinkstock.com; page 117: Maciej Bledowski /
Thinkstock.com; page 191: Photo by Emma McGowan
The following pages contain images from the An family archives: front endpaper, 2, 9, 13, 14, 15, 20, 22,
43, 48-49, 55, 72, 73, 74, 78, 80, 89, 97, 106, 109, 112, 115, 116, 118, 151, 157, 158, 159, 161, 162, 175, 194, 196, 199,
200, 202, 203, 229, 231, 235, 245, 264, 284, 285, 292, 295, 296
Published by Running Press,
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions
Printed in China
This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from
the publisher.
Books published by Running Press are available at special discounts for bulk purchases
in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more
information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books
Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call [phone],
ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected].
ISBN 978-0-7624-5835-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015958289
E-book ISBN 978-0-7624-5836-3
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing
Design by Susan Van Horn
Edited by Jennifer Kasius
Photography, unless otherwise noted, by Evan Sung
Prop styling by Nidia Cueva
Food styling by Helene An and Tony Nguyen
Typography: Merlo and Archer
Running Press Book Publishers
2300 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371
Visit us on the web!
www.offthemenublog.com
AnToEat Final int.indd 4 1/8/16 10:44 AM
contents 2 ) INDOCHINE REVERIE
73 ....Resurrecting Old World Elegance
81 ....Cognac Crab and Asparagus Soup
INTRODUCTION 82 ....Red Snapper Tamarind Soup
9 ....My Mother’s Food 85 ....Crispy Chicken Spring Rolls
12 ....The Journey by Helene An 87 ....Lotus, Chicken & Shrimp Salad
17 ....Vietnam: A Brief History 88 ....Shrimp Summer Rolls
21 ....Vietnamese Culinary Traditions 90 ....Sizzling Shrimp Crêpes
23 ....Our Recipes 93 ....Hot Pastry Pies, Pâté Chaud
94 ....Slow-Roasted Pork with Ginger
Balsamic Glaze
1 ) SIMPLE DIVINITY
99 ....Snapper Baked in Banana Leaf
27 ....The Original Farm-to-Table Diet
100 ....Crispy Turmeric Fish with Fresh Dill
28 ....Kitchen Tools
33 ....Basic Techniques
3 ) NEW HOME COMFORT
36 ....Our Favorite Ingredients
106 ....From Riches to Rags
53 ....Mama’s Beef Ph
111 ....From Rags to Riches
56 ....Oven-Roasted Lemongrass Chicken
113 ....And Back Again
58 ....Vietnamese Chicken Coriander
Cabbage Salad 115 ....The Birth of Thanh Long
61 ....Caramelized Black Cod 119 ....Chicken Ph with Kaffir Lime
62 ....Fried Rice with Shrimp, Chicken, and 122 ....Green Papaya, Long Bean, and Tomato
Chinese Sausage Steak Salad with Tamarind Dressing
64 ....Filet Mignon Shaken Beef 125 ....Spicy Beef & Lemongrass Soup
67 ....Spicy Chicken & Shrimp Ramen in 128 ....Beef Stew with Vietnamese Spices
Cognac XO Sauce
130 ....Lotus Soup with Pork
131 ....Eggplant Ragoût with Tofu &
Vietnamese Herbs

132 ....Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli
55
AnToEat Final int.indd 5 1/8/16 10:44 AM
ĂĂ
NN
::
134 ....Seared Steak Salad with Garlic 186 ....Shrimp Angel Hair Pasta
TT Lemon Dressing
189 ....Mango Lobster Salad
OO
137 ....Turkey Stuffed with Sticky Rice

EE 139 ....Leftover Turkey Porridge 5 ) BISTRONOMY
AA
TT 140 ....Pork Chops with Caramel Marinade 194 ....A New Generation of Food
143 ....Helene’s Wok Noodles with 197 ....Enter AnQi
Stir-Fried Vegetables
198 ....Catering and a Marketing Garden Cafe
144 ....Bánh Mì with Tropical Marinated Flank Steak
201 ....The Secret to Successful Events
146 ....Vietnamese Chicken-Stuffed Cabbage
205 ....Warm Goji Berry-Brown Rice Salad
149 ....Cashew Chicken
206 ....Tiato Rolls
150 ....Chicken and Potatoes in Curry
Lemongrass Sauce 208 ....Lobster Corn Dogs on Sugar Cane
152 ....Caramelized Lemongrass Shrimp 211 ....Balsamic Chicken Pot Stickers
155 ....Coconut Spareribs 213 ....Crispy Garlic Chicken Wings
214 ....Filet Mignon on Sesame Crisps
217 ....Saigon Steamed Pork Buns
4 ) EVERYDAY GOURMET
219 ....Crab Puffs
158 ....Upscale Expansion: Crustacean
220 ....Steamed Black Mussels
160 ....Serving the Stars
223 ....Tofu and Fried Eggplant in Tía Tô Leaves
164 ....French Onion Ph with Beef Ravioli
224 ....Vietnamese Steak Tartare with Honey
169 ....Baked Tofu with Julienned Snap Peas
Truffle Dijon Sauce
170 ....Drunken Crab
227 ....Salmon Tartare
173 ....Grilled Turmeric Calamari
174 ....Five-Spice Duck Salad
6 ) SIDES
176 ....Mongolian Fried Chicken
231 ....The Perfect Accompaniments
179 ....Kobe Beef Meatballs on Sugar Cane
232 ....Candied Heirloom Carrots
181 ....Sweet Shoyu Short Ribs
234 ....Wok-Tossed Water Spinach
182 ....Grilled Mongolian Lamb Lollipops
235 ....Baby Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce
185 ....Steamed Filet of Sole with Miso Sauce
66
AnToEat Final int.indd 6 1/8/16 10:44 AM
CC
OO
NN
237 ....Pickled Vegetables 9 ) BROTHS, SAUCES, DRESSINGS &
TT
SPECIAL INGREDIENTS
241 ....Oven-Roasted Curried Cauliflower EE
NN
242 ....Shredded Chicken (Ruô´c) 272 ....Homemade Beef Ph Broth
TT
273 ....Homemade Chicken Broth SS

7 ) DESSERTS 273 ....Homemade Fish Broth
245 ....Creating Sweet Memories 274 ....Garlic Lemon Sauce (Nu’ó’c Châ´m)
246 ....Coconut Cake with Strawberry Sauce 275 ....Ginger-Balsamic Sauce
249 ....Vietnamese Yogurt 275 ....Caramel Sauce
251 ....Vietnamese Affogato 276 ....House Sauce
252 ....Banana Pudding with Tapioca Pearls 277 ....Spicy Satay Sauce for Grilled Meat
and Coconut Milk
278 ....White Sauce
255 ....Crème Caramel
279 ....Bean Sauce
256 ....Rum-Soaked Vietnamese Banana Cake
280 ....Helene’s Lemon-Sugar Dressing
280 ....Lemongrass Dressing
8 ) DRINKS 281 ....Fried Shallots
259 ....Libations for Every Meal 281 ....Roasted Peanuts
262 ....Lavender Mojito 282 ....Fried Garlic
263 ....Pear Fusion 282 ....Scallions in Hot Oil
263 ....Dark and Stormy 283 ....Tamarind Juice
264 ....Deconstructed White Russian
with Vietnamese Coffee Martini
265 ....The Beverly
284 ....Acknowledgments
266 ....The Frankie
285 ....Appendix
267 ....Sparkling Kumquat Limeade
291 ....Index
268 ....Corn Silk Tea
269 ....Sweetened Vietnamese Coffee
77
AnToEat Final int.indd 7 1/8/16 10:44 AM
Ă
N
:
T
O

E
A
T
i n t ro d u c t i o n

8
AnToEat Final int.indd 8 1/8/16 10:44 AM
I
N
T
R
my mother’s food
O
D
U
by JACQUELINE AN
C
T
I

Igrew up listening to the stories of my mother’s childhood in Vietnam:
O
the adventures, the dangers, and the elegance of a lost world. Her early N
years were a time of plenty and a time of peril. She told me about her
aristocratic family’s plantation estate in the unspoiled countryside, four
smaller houses surrounding one big one where my great-grandfather
addressed everyone from a balcony on high. She recounted the night her
own father was pulled from his bed by Communist invaders and tied to
a tree, his life spared only when the local villagers pleaded for it. She
remembered the delicious grasshoppers she enjoyed as a small girl at har-
vest festivals, and the time she fell off a basket boat and almost drowned
when her family was making yet another unplanned escape.
Most of her stories were told as she was making food,
which, since our family is in the restaurant business, was
almost always. Forced to flee Vietnam after the fall of
Saigon with little more than the clothes on her back, my
mother started her new life in America as a cook in a small,
converted Italian deli purchased years before on a whim
by her mother-in-law. Life in the restaurant business is not
easy, and my parents and grandparents worked around
the clock to support my sisters and me. Our own early
years were not filled with material things. There was not a
lot of money, but there was always food.
Helene and baby Jacqueline, 1979.
9
AnToEat Final int.indd 9 1/8/16 10:44 AM