Vietnamese Food with Helen's Recipes Paperback – August 1, 2014

It is an honor to write the first review. I have never met the author, but feel like I know her, through her online videos. Helen, if you happen to read this, I LOVE YOUR RECIPES!!!To those who don't know about Helen, she has a website, (danangcuisine.com) and a youtube channel. The videos are very professionally made. If you enjoy Vietnamese food, and want to try making it at home, her videos are a must see. I very much enjoy Vietnamese food, and think it is healthy as well. Flavorful herbs and fresh fruits and veggies are a big part of the diet.About the book, here are the things that were good about the book:The cookbook was very well organized. Sections were appetizers, noodles, main dishes broken down into pork, chicken, seafood, etc... and then breads, then sweet breads. (As in dessert.) The recipe names are in English first, then the Vietnamese name of the dish underneath. There is always a brief description or comment by the author before the recipe begins. In the margin there is always a list of useful info:Prep time---- ( the time to peel chop etc...)Cook time---( the time on the stove or in the oven)Amount of time the recipe should be ready.What course this recipe is--- ( appetizer, noodle, main, etc...)What region of Vietnam this recipe is from.There are numerous photos of EVERY recipe. Not just the finished product, but step by step photos as you progress through the recipe. If that isn't enough help, every recipe also has an easy access bar code ( the square kind that a smart phone reads) and that will take you directly to a video demonstration on the net. If you downloaded the ebook, you get a link that takes you directly to the video. At the end of many recipes there is a frequently asked questions page. This is good to read before making the recipe, since it may help you avoid any pitfalls, or you are wondering why a certain step is necessary.All of the recipes are in a table of contents in the front of the book. There is no index.Now the negative, and this is only my opinion. Many people may not see this as a problem:There are a some special ingredients needed for some of these recipes. But if you are wanting to make real ethnic food of any kind, this is nosurprise. If you live in a big city, you should be able to find it locally. If you live in the country, you can order online, or sub another similaringredient. The recipes Helen chose to put in this book are probably her most requested recipes. I was disappointed that she didn't include the recipe for Vietnamese beef jerky, (delicious and useful in other recipes). I was a little disappointed that there weren't any of the delicious salads in this book. Her website has some wonderful salads. ---These are minor faults, in my opinion.So, if you are going to buy only one Vietnamese cookbook, this one has great recipes, quick links to videos demos, and is well organized and nicely photographed. (don't know if the binding will hold up. Cookbooks usually take a beating. To my pleasant surprise, this book was printed in Louisville, KY U.S.A. !!!) I am so glad that I now have dozens of these recipes all in one book, easy to access.Helen, even though we have never met, if you are ever in Nashville, let me know, because I would love to cook with you!!!Thanks for all your efforts, and sharing your delicious recipes. ; )

I have been following HelenRecipes Youtube Channel for a few years now. And I LOVE HER VIDEOS!!! She explains everything thoroughly, cares about the quality of the dishes and takes us, viewers seriously! It's a real pleasure to finally have her book on hands. The cookbook is very much like Vietnamese food bible (really!!!) for home cooking. All the ingredients are very easy to find in most Asian markets. I live in Northern California, so there are 99 Ranch, Lion market where I can find exactly what Helen uses in her recipes.About the book in details, I love the way she demonstrates each dish with lots of pictures for every step. She makes it so much easy for readers to follow, trouble shoot and review the process of cooking to guarantee best result possible. My personal favorite one is Vietnamese sandwich (banh mi). My husband's is Pho ga. :-) I will definitely try all the recipes carefully so I can taste all the yummy dishes in the book.I'm personally not a fan of fancy cookbook. Helen's book is so different from the glossy and thicky books out there. Her book is very homey, very housewife-friendly that I think what makes it so great. I look forward to many more videos of her dishes and more books in the future.

This book not only is easy to follow but yet it has a great layout with the side details of each dish. The book has a picture for every dish which is what I look for in every cookbook but it also has images for almost every step of cooking. I've followed many of her recipes from her blog that came out delicious but also tastes like home. I like having a book that makes it convenient to have so many classic Viet dishes in one place. Also, the QR code takes you to her youtube videos which is great for actually following along via video or if you are confused for any reason! Yes, the pages are thin but I think having colored pictures on every step makes up for it, plus, you cannot beat the price!

Wow I just got my 2 copies mailed in :) One for me and one for my sister as a gift. I love your step by step pictures, it is one of my favorite characteristic of a good cookbook. With the QR codes, it's also so easy to get more tips! I think this is the best gift to offer to others as it's a great way to share Vietnamese cuisine and culture. Growing up in Canada I feel that I miss some Vietnamese culture and food; cooking delicious food with your easy recipes already makes me feel more connected with my origins. Overall, I am very impressed with the quality of your first book and I hope you will continue your channel and publishing more books in the future!! Wishing you continuing success!

Good recipes for making great food, but you can get all these recipes and more online plus watch her make it on youtube. She did herself an injustice by posting everything online, why buy the book. But I did and I use it but usually only after watching the YouTube video.

I love Helen's passion for cooking delicious Vietnamese food! What sets her apart from other youtube cooks is her inquisitive nature in learning the cultural background to the recipes and then her ability to teach the recipes in a simple and direct manner while sharing the culture. Her step by step instructions (with pictures!) are so very helpful too. I would not change anything about the book, but would have loved for there to be a few new recipes as well. And yes, I would definitely recommend this recipe book to friends!

I'm a huge fan of Helen's You Tube videos. She is amazing. Just got my book and can't wait to start cooking some of her yummy recipes. I love the layout of the book, the instructions are clear and the pictures are beautiful and very helpful. I particularly like the scan code featured next to each recipe that lets you link to the You Tube video for that dish. Nice touch!