An: To Eat: Recipes and Stories from a Vietnamese Family Kitchen

In Vietnamese "an" means "to eat" a happy coincidence since the An family has built an award-winning restaurant empire including the renowned celebrity favorite Crustacean Beverly Hills. Helene An executive chef and matriarch of the House of An is hailed as the "mother of fusion" and was inducted into the Smithsonian Institute for her signature style that brings together Vietnamese French and California-fresh influences. Now her daughter Jacqueline tells the family story and shares her mothers delicious and previously "secret" recipes including "Mamas" Beef Pho Drunken Crab and Oven-Roasted Lemongrass Chicken. Helenes transformation from pampered "princess" in French colonial Vietnam to refugee then restaurateur and her journey from Indochinas lush fields to family kitchen gardens in California is beautifully chronicled in this book. The result is a fascinating peek at a lost world and the evolution of an extraordinary cuisine. The 100 recipes in An:To Eat feature clean flavors simple techniques and unique twists that could only have come from Helenes personal story.