OP: Cooking from the Heart

University of Minnesota Press, 2009. Hardcover. Fine. First printing.

The Hmong people once had an ancient history in Central Asia; however, political persecution forced the group southeast into what is now Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Political strife in Southeast Asia during the 20th century then forced another migration, the Hmong dispersing within Asia as well as to the West, where they adapted their traditional dishes to new homes.

Cooking from the Heart (2009) is a welcome and necessary record of Hmong cuisine. Cooking skills among the Hmong are traditionally passed down orally, and written instruction is uncommon. Here, the cuisine is effectively and thoroughly described for an audience that may not be familiar with its techniques, ingredients, and dishes. 

The book begins with rice, the focal point of every meal—“To be Hmong is to eat rice.” Here we find 13 recipes that serve as the vehicle for consuming meat or vegetables, like purple rice or sticky rice, or as dishes that stand on their own, like rice with plantain or sausage and steamed in banana leaves.

Other appealing dishes include:

• Ntsis kaub kib, or stir-fried pumpkin vines
• Feev choj ntim taum paj hau—fried tofu stuffed with ground pork, vermicelli, and herbs, simmered in a gingery broth
• Nqaij nyuj xyaw xwb kuab—a saucy stir-fry of ground beef and luffa squash, enticingly flavored with lemongrass, Thai chili, and basil
• Nab vam thiab quos ntug qab zib—a dessert of tapioca pearls with cassava and plantain in coconut cream

Our copy is a Fine and unused first printing. Black and white illustrations and photography and color photograph inserts. The first (and only) Hmong cookbook we’ve seen in our 40 year history.