Just So Stories

Penguin Australia

July 2023

• ISBN: 9781761340888
• Imprint: Penguin
• RRP: $32.99

Ok, I freely admit it. I’m one of those tragics who loves looking at beautiful cookbooks without necessarily making any of the dishes – but there are exceptions to that.

This is truly a very beautiful cookbook with loads of colour pages, with, also, full page colour photographs to accompany each recipe. But more than that, these recipes are patently EASY – (even for a somewhat lazy cook as I am mostly).

When I worked at Marrickville library many years ago, a favourite lunch outing with my team was to trot down the street to one of the dingy but fabulous Vietnamese cafes, and The Kid and I have been ever so pleased to discover a great little Vietnamese restaurant here in Reddy.

This book makes cooking traditional Vietnamese food so insanely easy that there is really no excuse for not having a crack at home. The true joy of it is that Tommy, teacher and Masterchef star, has tweaked these recipes so that the whole family can both create and enjoy them. Leaving some of the additional more highly-flavoured condiments as add-ons for the adults, the recipes are easily palatable for little ones.

In my experience, children love to cook – my girls all did, and my grandies did. Now they are all not only capable of feeding themselves, but also creative. The Kid’s food tech teacher, a couple of years ago, was amazed how she could look up a recipe and innovate on it to come up with something completely new ( her learning issues don’t always hamper her!).

This would be a perfect book to share some quality fun family time, learning and making in the kitchen – with the delicious bonus of sharing afterwards. I love that the recipes are headed up with the Vietnamese names (with English translation underneath). There are also other recipes that are not from Vietnam, which make for just as much enjoyment like flatbread pizza (one of my standbys for about 30 years), along with some terrific play ideas based around items from the kitchen.

I’m definitely up for trying out Tommy’s version of chicken and corn soup which is one of our faves, but those banana fritters (air fryer) really deserve a try-out, as do the French toast fingers – yum!! I think The Kid and I should really pick out a few of these to test. (It’s now in her hands, as she browses the offerings.) We’ll get back to you some time on that!

A perfect addition to your shelf – whether personal or library- and particularly if you are actively encouraging understanding diverse cultures. Highly recommended for any age – and any style of cook!

How to make a kid-friendly night noodle market at home