‘Dai Thanh Market … reminds me of the vibe of being in Vietnam. It’s low key and airy’
AJames Beard Award-winning food writer, Santa Cruz’s Andrea Nguyen writes extensively on Vietnamese cooking and the story of Vietnamese food in America. Behind the recipes and tips, Nguyen relays the deeper experience of Vietnamese people living in the United States, especially in the Little Saigon communities of San Jose and Westminster in Orange County, where she grew up. Her latest cookbook, “Vietnamese Food Any Day” landed on every foodie best-of-2019 list for its ease of use, expert advice and epic cooking hacks.
Q How does the transnational Vietnamese experience inform the food culture?
A There’s this fluid movement back and forth between Asia and the U.S. that informs what happens here and there. You’ve got people in Vietnam who may never come here, but because of the internet, they know what a pho burrito is. Similarly, there are things going on in Vietnam that I’ve never seen before. For instance, there’s this street snack right now called banh can, a fried rice cake that has a slightly coconut flavor. Q Your book took you to parts of the country you’d never seen. What did you find when it came to Asian and Vietnamese food? A We assume that the mainstreaming of Vietnamese food is only happening on the West Coast. But in Minneapolis, I visited Hai Hai, a Vietnamese street food-inspired restaurant from James Beard semifinalist Christina Nguyen. And in Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, there were well-stocked Asian markets with ingredients that I seldom see on the West Coast — Megachef oyster sauce from Thailand and Cholimex chile sauces from Vietnam. Q How does the Viet food scene in the South Bay compare with Socal’s Little Saigon, where you grew up? A The exciting thing about the Bay Area is that you can go to the Lucky supermarket in Fremont,
and the Asian section spans about 50 feet. San Jose’s Little Saigon is a bit more spread out (than Westminster’s), but that’s kind of nice. There are so many wonderful places in the Story Road area. On North Fourth Street, Mi Quang Co Thao sells this obscure noodle dish that I like, and the scene kind of reminds me of places in Vietnam. In Milpitas, everyone thinks of Koi Palace on Barber Lane. But there’s a little sleepy place called Truong Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant. Their banh khot is great.
Q We can’t ask you about restaurants without asking about markets. Do you have a favorite?
A One of my favorite independent markets is Dai Thanh Market on South Second Street in San Jose. It reminds me of the vibe of being in Vietnam. It’s low key and airy. The people are serious, but kind. And it’s well-stocked with produce, condiments, noodles, rice paper, everything.
Q You keep 12 different bottles of fish sauce in your pantry. Why? Should we?
A You don’t need to have 12 bottles. I do because there are so many different brands now — Squid, Red Boat, Dynasty — and each offers something a little different. Some are more robust, while others have more depth and umami.