Hello there!
I had to take a week off from the blog to get Ever-Green Vietnamese squared away and to recover. The second proofing was an intense seven straight days of work involving me reading every single sentence aloud. My husband said I sounded like I was reciting the rosary in Vietnamese – which sounds like chanting. The second reading is basically my last thorough look. I typically read the book backwards, recipe by recipe. I know that sounds strange but who wants to be tired by the end of the book? I even proofread the index because, I'm a cookbook geek and that is a very useful part of the book that's often overlooked.
The book goes to press very soon. My publishing team at Ten Speed Press and Random House and I are very excited for the book to get into your hands.
Cool Compress Breaks
In the midst of the proofreading, I had a skin allergy but thankfully, my brother, a pharmacist was able to offer sage advice – relax and periodically use cool compresses on your eyes. I liked the relaxing compresses so much that I've incorporated them into my afternoon break. It helps to rest and revive tired eyes.
Roasted Carrots 2.0
Remember the roasted carrots story I shared last week? My mom scored on a five-pound bag for 55 cents? With the holidays coming up, I figured I may be roasting more carrots for her. Who knows what kinds of deals she may find? I came across a stupendous recipe for creamy nuoc cham in a new cookbook by Andy Baraghani. I made the sauce and served it with the carrots with plenty of dill. It's super easy, impressive and delicious.
I just put the recipe up on the website along with a recap video to capture the highlights. I think the sauce and carrots are versatile keepers so head over to the site for the full roasted carrots and creamy nuoc cham lowdown!
Here's a preview of the ingredients that go into the sauce! It’s so incredibly simple.
Los Angeles Asian Food Coverage
The Los Angeles Times Food Section has been doing some marvelous coverage on Asian food. Just this week, I read a story about a Cambodian Chinese family's poignant ties to Vietnam and Chinese donuts (you tiao), which they made, sold and survived by in Saigon when they fled from the brutal Khmer Rouge genocide. They also posted a restaurant review of a Shanghai establishment named WangJia that is full of soul and good food. Bill Addison wrote a splendid article that allows you to learn about Shanghai food and the Chinese food scene in Los Angeles too.
And, Jenn Harris has been looking into the dumpling scene in Los Angeles. I learned that there's now good dim sum in swank Santa Monica, where I used to live in a rent controlled apartment. She also has been hosting LAT's Bucket List YouTube series, which is currently focused on dumplings. You can check out her finds here.