Flaws include:

1) Assumption of knowledge of meat preparation including how to clean squid and cutting for tenderness;

2) Does not prepare reader fully when recipe is longer than 15 minutes. Yes indeed it will take more than 15, matter of fact, it will approach an hour or so (yipes);

3) Some recipes especially stocks are westernized excessively (celery! no star anise);

The section on pickles though is good. So are the pictures dealing with ingredients.

Get this pupster on a discount not at full retail. It is good as a supplement but it is not a desert island classic.

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:

Entertaining but not informative  Feb 21, 2000

This book belongs to one of many in a series of world cuisines and I have found all of them to be embellished with decorative and beautiful pictures. Unfortunately, the recipes that accompany them tend to be instructionally inexplicit and often poor interpretations of the recipes of these countries. If you're interested in getting a crash course in a new cuisine this book is perfect, but pass on this book if you are a serious cook.

12 of 13 found the following review helpful:

Easy recipes for College Students!  Jan 18, 1999

I am currently attending college and cooking is not my forte! However, I love Vietnamese food and wanted a book with pictures to help guide my limited culinary skills. This book is the one!! The bright, colorful, and detailed pictures help the novice chef to determine whether he/ she is on the right track. The recipes are easy to follow and I actually had fun cooking! Take it from me, I'm Vietnamese and the recipes are authentic!

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

This is one of the best Vietnamese cookbooks available!  Oct 04, 1999

I am buying a copy of this book for my mother, aunts and culinary friends. The pictures are beautiful- of the food and of the country. The recipes are easy to understand and authentic- it reminded me of my mother's cooking... And she is an excellent chef. I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in preparing Vietnamese food.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

probably the best book I've seen on Vietnamese cooking  Jul 16, 2000
By TG Smith "tgs"
Perhaps this is not the best cookbook I've ever seen, but the best cookbook for Vietnamese food. It provides rich detailed pictures with each recipe, spells out all the required ingredients that you need before getting started, and even provides alternative ingredients or methods where appropriate. The introduction does a good job of explaining the unusual ingredients (with pictures)used in Vietnamese food for those who are unfamiliar with this cuisine.

I have found that, if I follow the recipes exactly and source all the right ingredients, the dishes turn as good (or sometimes better) than the food I eat on my many trips to Vietnam.

I have been using the book for about a year now, but unlike the first reviewer, I have not had any problems with the construction of the book itself. Perhaps she bought one of the many poorly made illegal copies on the streets on Saigon(?)

See all 8 customer reviews on Amazon.com