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 (800) 810-4145, 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