Rating: 
Summary: From Martin Yan's foreword
Review: "Corinne first came to visit me at my cooking school in northern California, and instantly I recognized a talented individual with a most unique approach to and outlook on food. Her multi-ethnic background has given her a unique persspective not only on French and Vietnamese cultures but also on Chinese and American. Corinne is most articulate in voicing the many international influences that Vietnamese cuisine has benefited from and the many contributions that Vietnamese cooking has made to the West as well as other Asian cuisines. Through Corinne, I have gained a whole new perspective on Vietnamese cuisine."
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Summary: More from the Press
Review: "Gifts Guaranteed to Get You Invited to Dinner: Trang's mouthwatering recipes are rich in cultural anecdotes and ritual. (For instance, did you know that guests in a Vietnamese home are expected to garnish their own soup?) The dishes are exotic and flavorful. This spice-laden cookbook is a must for the condiment lover." Self
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Summary: Simply Rewarding Viet Cuisine
Review: "Spending several weeks with Corinne Trang's "Authentic Vietnamese Cooking: Food from a Family Table" confirms that Vietnamese cooking is not only easily accomplished by the home cook, but offers the highest rewards for time spent. Anyone can do it. Trang intuitively understands both Eastern and Western cooking. May be that's why her concise, easy-to-follow recipes work so well. But in addition to the nuts and bolts of each dish, she conveys the big picture by explaining Vietnamese culinary principles, regional differences between North, South and Central Vietnamese dishes, and influences on the cuisine from France, India and China. A graceful personal aesthetic infuses the writing, especially the notes at the beginning of each recipe that give the recipes a context. She tells you what you need to know, answering questions before you ask them. Trang's recipe for nuoc cham, the indispensable Vietnamese dipping sauce that uses nuoc mam, fish sauce, is spot on, a perfect balance of sweet, tart, salty and aromatic. I put together a winter meal from Trang's book -- spring rolls, green papaya salad, beef and carrot stew, banana fritters, Vietnamese coffee -- and was able to collect all the ingredients in one stop. I had the book in hand so I was able to use it to explain what I needed. The meal turned out to be astoundingly delicious and fairly simple to execute. " ~ Patricia Unterman, San Francisco Examiner Magazine
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Summary: Vietnamese Cooking As A Culinary Crossroads
Review: "The story of Corinne Trang's family personifies the story of Vietnam. And so her book, Authentic Vietnamese Cooking, not only serves as a good introduction to the cuisine, but also gives a sense of how the country's history has shaped its food. Trang points out that Vietnam has long been a culinary crossroads, a cuisine influenced by French, Chinese, Indian...tastes. And yet, Vietnamese cooking is usually quite simple. What make the cuisine lively and appealing are the frequently appearing flavors of garlic, ginger, scallion, lemongrass, soy, fish sauce and a plethora of fresh herbs, especially mint, Thai basil and cilantro. Thanks at least in part to the French influence, Vietnamese cooking can also be quite subtle, and Trang's recipes largely capture those subtleties. They call for small amounts of assertive flavors -- and combine them to create synergies that are not only complex but even mysterious. The hundred or so recipes in Trang's book feel unified." ~ Mark Bittman, The New York Times
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Summary: Praise from the Press
Review: "Vietnamese cuisine, which fuses French and Chinese traditions, is no stranger to the American palate, and food writer Trang, raised by a French mother and Cambodian-born Chinese father, is ideally suited to become its latest proponent. Her inspired, often simple dishes will nicely stretch the boundaries of home kitchen fare" ~ Publishers Weekly"Book Smart: The season's best new books...if you've only had Vietnamese food in restaurants, you'll enjoy these family recipes." ~ Food and Wine Magazine "Season's Readings for the holidays...[one] of our favorites is Authentic Vietnamese Cooking written by our former test-kitchen director, Corinne Trang." ~ Saveur Magazine "Top Choices: Finally, the appealing Authentic Vietnamese Cooking, by Corinne Trang, is a great introduction of this wholesome cuisine, complete with a comprehensive glossary." ~ Metropolitan Home Magazine
Rating: 
Summary: Not authentic at all.
Review: Don't let the title of this book fool you. The recipes are not authentic at all. They have few ingredients and therefore easy to cook, for sure, but they're not authentic. On top of that, there are no pictures of the food. Her mentioning of eating dog meat is probably for shock value, and it turns me off completely. I wouldn't want to own this book.
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Summary: Looking for Vietnamese Cookbook (Good)
Review: I am looking for a good vietnamese cookbook to impress my husband. Since I'm jewish I don't know anything about this style of cooking, but am ready to learn. However, he tells me that the only people who eat dog meat in vietnam are drunken men who do not invite their wives to go eat with them. Whatever may be the case, I don't think I'll be buying this cookbook.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good but not definitive
Review: I collect Vietnamese cookbooks and so found this cookbook very valuable: 1 - the recipes are relatively authentic; 2 - very easy to understand This and Pham's _Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking_ should be the references bought though Routhier's _Foods of Viet Nam_ is considered a standard. Pham's recipes are more westernized but background information is good and recipes are sound. I have yet to track down independent publications from Australia but I would say this comes closest to the recipes garnered from personal interviews with Vietnamese home cooks. Vietnamese cooking allows variation making room for available ingredients and influences (it is the best of fusion). So if the Trang recipe does not resemble the very traditional recipes of family it still contains the basic outline. You will encounter recipes usually not covered such as pork pate and other delicacies. I was also impressed that Trang decided to discuss exotic meats including dog. Usually Vietnamese and Asian cookbooks in general avoid the topic completely but Trang decided to confront the issue (bravo). Trang is quite correct that eating of certain exotic meats is restricted to males (aphrodisiacs) and interviews with Vietnamese cooks confirm this. An essential reference for Vietnamese cookbooks but keep in mind that the home recipes are still varied and that this it is not an exhaustive source book. Another thing to keep in mind that this book does not cover in great detail techniques regarding preparation of meats (asumption is made that you already know to slice against the grain for beef) The most glaring flaw of meat preparation and options is demonstrated in the pho ba recipe which does mention the use of tendon but not its preparation. It skips tripe as well. Discusses condiments as sidebar but does not tell you what condiments to use with pho (hoisin, chili paste, nouc mam, lemon wedges). A good recipe source but not definitive in technique. I would have on hand a book devoted to Asian preparation practice in conjunction with this book. Overall, the best available American books for a Vietnamese collection are this book, Pham's _Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking_ and Nicole Routhier's _Foods of Viet Name_ or _The Best of Nicole Routhier_. Recommended but not definitive.
Rating: 
Summary: AWARD-WINNING - BEST ASIAN COOKBOOK 2000
Review: I guess I expected more from a book. The book lacks pictures, and the recipes weren't that great. Maybe I should write one with my own grandmother's recipes.
Rating: 
Summary: I did not like the book
Review: I guess I expected more from a book. The book lacks pictures, and the recipes weren't that great. Maybe I should write one with my own grandmother's recipes.
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