We loved Andrea Nguyen’s first book, “Vietnamese Food Any Day.” How does her new release stack up for us? Renee and Sara talk about building block recipes, too-long-descriptions, eating cake until our stomachs hurt and more. Recipes mentioned in this episode: 10-10-10 Perfect Rice (page 65) Umami tofu crumbles (page 50) Nuoc Cham dipping sauce (page 32) Fast-fried shallots (page 46) Chicken-vegetable pho (page 161) Pressure cooker beef pho (NYT) Char siu pulled jackfruit (page 229) Baked char siu pulled-jackfruit bao (page 121) Gingery vegetable and beef stir fry (page 254) Char siu roasted cauliflower (page 227) Greens with magical sesame salt (page 201) Vietnamese mocha cake (page 266) Spice-citrus marble cake (page 269) Egg coffee (page 287) Resources mentioned in this episode: David Chang on MSG & umami (YouTube) MSG as a misunderstood ingredient (CNN) MSG’s bad rap (Five Thirty Eight) Join our Cookbook Club! Our Instagram, @cookbookclubshow E-mail us: [email protected] Find Renee and Sara on Instagram: @hipchickdigs and @realtor_saragray Our sponsors: Dropcloth Samplers Cook along with us! Next cookbook episode (releasing 2/21/2024): Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child