Wild, Wild East: Recipes and Stories from Vietnam [Hardcover]

Bobby Chinn (Author), Jason Lowe (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2008

The world is discovering Vietnamese food, and it's a happy discovery indeed! Wild, Wild East is the creation of chef Bobby Chin, Hanoi's enfant terrible and renowned master of Vietnamese cuisine. He characterizes Vietnamese food as having fresh, clean flavors, and as being light, healthy, and diverse. More than a recipe book, Wild, Wild East is the author's authentic guide to Vietnamese food as it is prepared and enjoyed today. Combining his lively text with Jason Lowe's striking color photos of Vietnam's markets, kitchens, people, and foods, Bobby Chin starts out with instructions for preparing Vietnamese sauces, garnishes, and dips. Next, he provides recipes for a host of exotic and delectable dishes that include--

Minced Prawns on Sugar Cane

Chicken Wings Cooked in Caramel Sauce and Ginger

Braised Banana Blossoms

Meat, Crab, and Grapefruit Salad

Shrimp and Pork Crepe

Stir-fried Noodles and Beef

Pan Roasted Salmon and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes . . . and many, many more

Also included are delightful salads and special Vietnamese desserts that the author calls Sweet Sensations. This entertaining and informative book features approximately 100 recipes for exotically delicious dishes and 200 color photos.
(Sidebar)
From the Book's Foreword by renowned chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain
"Bobby Chinn, chef, long time resident of Southeast Asia, television personality, hustler, International Man of Mystery, and now author, is the first guy you want to know in Hanoi if you want to find where to get the good stuff to eat, how to make it, and why it's made that way. . . . what Bobby doesn't know about Southeast Asian food is not worth knowing."

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

(back cover)
A true culinary adventure told by
Hanoi's enfant terrible, Bobby Chinn.

(front flap)
Bobby Chinn describes Vietnamese food as being as near to Nirvana as he can imagine -- fresh, clean flavors, light and healthy, and incredibly diverse.

Presenting directions for everything from simple grilled chicken wings to deep-fried spring rolls and Bobby Chinn's own fusion-style dishes, Wild, Wild East is more than a recipe book: it's also an authentic guide to Vietnamese food as it is prepared and enjoyed today. Evocative photos by award-winning photographer Jason Lowe and stories by Bobby about every dish in this book make Wild, Wild East a true culinary tour of Vietnam. You'll read about Bobby's first experience running a kitchen, and you'll learn how he discovered the recipe for his secret sauce for grilled chicken. You'll also enjoy his extraordinary tales about some of the more unusual foods and ingredients that contribute to Vietnamese cuisine. Wild, Wild East is a both a true personal adventure story and a treasury of palate-pleasing recipes.

(back flap)
Half Chinese, half Egyptian, raised in England, a familiar figure in San Francisco and New York food circles, and now living in Hanoi, Bobby Chinn is one of Asia's most highly respected chefs. Having come from a family of great cooks, Bobby has always been passionate about food. He learned his trade when taken under the wing by three leading San Francisco chefs--Hubert Keller, Gary Danko, and Traci des Jardine. He now owns a restaurant in Hanoi, and is working with the Discovery Channel on a series devoted to Asian foods and cultures. He has also appeared in the U.K. on BBC2's Saturday Kitchen and Full On Food.

About the Author

Bobby Chin is one of Asia's most respected chefs. Half Chinese, half Egyptian, raised in England, and also a familiar figure in San Francisco and New York, Bobby is now based in Hanoi, where he owns his own restaurant. He appears frequently on television in Britain.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764161490
• ISBN-13: 978-0764161490
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #809,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #35 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Vietnamese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recipes and photos to complement, October 3, 2008

By 

D. Doan "food lover" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild, Wild East: Recipes and Stories from Vietnam (Hardcover)

There are so many delicious recipes - I've tried a few so far and they turned out great. Vietnamese food is flavorful but very light. I love looking at the photos of food and scenes from Vietnam. I put this book on my coffee table for my guests to enjoy. Before this cookbook all the Vietnamese cookbooks I've seen were poorly laid out or the recipes were just too difficult to copy. I finally found the Vietnamese cookbook I can use and enjoy for a long time.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where was the proofreader?, June 23, 2009

By 

Edward Dubiak - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild, Wild East: Recipes and Stories from Vietnam (Hardcover)

The receipes in this book sound wonderful. However, this is the worst, and I have hundreds, cookbook I have ever encountered for mistakes. Where is the second brining in the smoked duck? How much sugar and water do you use in the Lychee Sorbet? I have even emailed the publisher for help to no avail. There are some vital parts to both of the receipes missing that I've tried to make. If you are not a very accomplished cook, look elsewhere.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bobby makes cooking fun!, September 30, 2008

By 

Philip Jeffrey Terry "Claudia Terry" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wild, Wild East (Hardcover)

..i am so thankful that someone has taken the time to make good vietnamese cuisine assessable to those of us who can't cook! I recently saw a segment on a local TV program with the author/chef and his personal story fascinated me...a SF native who finds a home away from home in Hanoi, Vietnam...and finds comfort in the food and culture surrounding him. Bobby Chinn's book succeeds in bringing all the fresh and contemporary elements of Vietnamese cuisine to the forefront with easy to follow recipes that make it a pleasure to cook! His playful take on traditional recipes is fresh and unexpected and the book is jam packed with healthy, creative dishes that anyone can reproduce. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys being creative in the kitchen....it makes a wonderful gift.