Fruity Red Turmeric from Vietnam + 6 Recipes
EGV in Canada + Tomato-Mayo Sandwiches + candid David Lebovitz + Hogan's Heroes
Hello everyone,
Welcome to a bunch of new subscribers! Woohoo! We’ve crossed the 12,000 mark.
When you comment on a Pass the Fish Sauce post, you unfortunately can’t add a photo. For that reason, I’ll occasionally spotlight pictures folks send me on Instagram and elsewhere.
The the nước chấm vinaigrette was a hit! Here’s how Emily and Katherine put the dressing to work:
The Grilled Slashed Chicken mentioned is a recipe from Vietnamese Food Any Day. Slashing the chicken allows flavors to penetrate well.
Ever-Green Vietnamese in the News
In addition to last week’s Wall Street Journal story about our family’s generational cooking, Canada’s National Post featured Ever-Green Vietnamese as its cookbook of the week! Laura Brehaut interviewed me for a terrific conversation about returning to my Viet food roots and eating a flexible plant-based diet. I also shared a recipe trio with the newspaper.
It always thrills me to be part of your food adventures! Thanks for cooking up my recipes, whether they’re sourced online or in my cookbooks.
If you’re enjoying Ever-Green Vietnamese, please leave a positive review at Amazon. People don’t write them as much these days, so each review carries more weight. Thank you in advance.
And, if you want a signed bookplate, contact me and I will send you one!
Red Turmeric, a Stunner
Before my family fled Vietnam in 1975, we only knew turmeric as nghệ tươi (fresh turmeric). It was used for cooking and medicine (rub some on acne blemishes, for example). There was no bột nghệ (powdered turmeric) sold back then. Nowadays, Viet expat cooks mostly use powdered turmeric and simply call it nghệ.
3 ways to say turmeric in Vietnamese:
There are many kinds of turmeric and I favor a red turmeric that’s cultivated by a farmer cooperative in Cao Bằng, a remote province in northern Vietnam. Directly sourced by Burlap and Barrel (B&B), an excellent Brooklyn-based spice importer, the turmeric displays a fruitiness that recalls the best of fresh turmeric. Its vivid orange-red imparts sunny color and friendly, bright flavor to food.
When I developed recipes for Ever-Green Vietnamese, I test drove red turmeric. Below are reference shots for you to see the stunning color.
Functionality aside, Viet red turmeric is transportive. When I use it, my good looking food also tastes more like home.
For over a year, red turmeric has been out of stock. I made a special request and Ethan Frische, B&B co-founder and co-CEO, generously agreed. After months of waiting, the turmeric is available again.
There is a limited supply of red turmeric so get some sooner than later. Put it in the freezer to keep it longer.
The turmeric is also part of B&B’s Andrea Nguyen Collection of spices, which are what I regularly use in my kitchen. Considering quality, quantity and price, B&B offers a better value than what is sold as “gourmet” spices at supermarkets. Good spices are cooking game changers.
⚡️ Spicy deal » I love to save! When you make a purchase of $15 or more from Burlap and Barrel, put a set of their thirsty kitchen towels in your cart. At checkout, enter this code and the towels will be FREE: ANDREA-NGUYEN
🧽 Turmeric cleanup: To remove turmeric stains on my counter, I use a bit of Soft Scrub or combine Simple Green with Bar Keeper’s Friend. After applying it to my honed (matte) quartz countertop, I immediately lean in and rub with a damp microfiber towel or sponge. Honed surfaces can be fussy so I don’t leave cleansers soaking for long.
6 Turmeric Recipes
Next to salt and pepper, turmeric is one of my most-used spices. Here are some free recipes waiting for you on Viet World Kitchen!
Thai Turmeric Grilled Chicken — When the ingredient is in the name, it’s key.
My Go-To Bread and Butter Pickles — I return to this recipe over and over.
Green Tomato and Lemongrass Pickle — I’ve stolen tomatoes to make this.
Indian Green Bean and Coconut Stir-fry — For green bean season (now).
Umami Tofu “Egg” Salad — Turmeric adds color and flavor.
Garlic Mushroom Daikon Noodles — A hint enlivens this fun Paleo dish.
💎 Reads, Listens, and Watches
My parents used to buy squishy white bread from a local Pepperidge farm bakery outlet. I made banh mi and crafted plenty of tomato mayonnaise sandwiches. For that reason, I was taken by Eric Kim’s beautiful ode to southern-style tomato mayonnaise sandwiches. 🍅 🥪 recipe included.
On Everything Cookbooks (a podcast I helped to co-found), two of my cohosts chat with
, one of my favorite authors, Substackers, and a friend. When you listen — at the top of the episode, note the Kitchen Arts and Letters 20% discount code; it expires soon — on July 31, 2023. The bookshop may still have signed copies of Ever-Green Vietnamese. 😉For a strange blast from the past, might I suggest watching classic sitcoms? I’m enjoying Hogan’s Heroes and Good Times on Freevee. There are commercials and strangely, I don’t mind them. The experience reminds me of simpler times. Bewitched is on my to-watch list too! What’s on yours?
We’re celebrating my mom’s birthday this weekend and I’m cooking! I’m skipping the Sunday post. Talk to you next Thursday.
Thanks for the awesome post, Andrea. So many great ideas for me to try. As a member of the B and B spice club, I’ve had the red turmeric for awhile but didn’t know when to use it as opposed to the Indian (New Harvest) turmeric. Of course, you use it in Vietnamese cuisine! I’m anxious to use it that way now. Can you explain the differences in taste, or is primarily the color?
I’ve already made your “little black dress” of a dressing and it is fantastic. I’ve used for cucumbers/tomatoes/cilantro salads as well with lightly sautéed chard - all from my garden or the farmers market. A container of this dressing in your fridge is clearly a cook’s best friend.
Also a note to thank you about the reminder about B&B spices. I’ve purchased them before but just went online and ordered a dozen or so since it is time to refresh some of my spice cabinet.
Enjoy the birthday weekend!