Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen has been chosen by NPR food writer Susie Chang as one of the Best Cookbooks of 2008.

An interview with Susie about her selections is tentatively scheduled for Weekend Edition the weekend of November 22, with two recipes and images from the book planned for npr.org.

• Secrets of the Red Lantern will also be on the year’s top cookbook lists of the Chicago Tribune and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Overflowing with sumptuous but simply prepared dishes that have been passed down through generations of the Nguyen family, Secrets of the Red Lantern is part Vietnamese cookbook and part family memoir.

More than 275 traditional Vietnamese recipes are presented alongside a visual narrative of food and family photographs that follows the family's escape from war-torn Vietnam to the successful founding of the Red Lantern restaurant.

Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. by Sur La Table with Sarah Jay is reviewed in the 11/15/08 edition of Library Journal:

Most home cooks tend to be protective of their knives and often claim to be highly knowledgeable of the knife world. This book from Sur La Table and food writer Jay is slightly obsessive; it goes into shocking detail about each type of knife from the few countries that produce the best of the best. There is the obligatory section, "A Blade for Every Purpose," that describes each type of knife and its possible uses, which is the best part of the book. Another helpful portion addresses how to buy a knife, which has comprehensive explanations on such weighty points as blade anatomy and blade material. The lay reader will like the simple sections on how to chop, peel, and dice a variety of foods. The recipes that are included are basic for the most part and slightly uninspiring (e.g., mango-cucumber salsa). Recommended for academic libraries with a large collection of culinary arts materials.—Claire A. Schaper, Morgantown, WV

Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart
by Pauline Nguyen has been named Best Asian Cookbook of 2008 by epicurious.com:

BEST ASIAN
Secrets of the Red Lantern
by Pauline Nguyen (Andrews McMeel Publishing)
Recipe to try: Salt and Pepper Tofu

Whether you want amazingly accessible Vietnamese recipes or just a good, honest family story with food, this Sydney restaurateur delivers. Her family memoir is a great tale of what immigrants both give up and gain in choosing (or not) to pack up and try another country, and if it's not always pretty, it is inspiring, especially with both vintage photos and pictures of the contemporary food Nguyen creates. The book is so beautiful you can almost taste the braised duck with ginger and scallions or the banana fritters.

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/howtocook/cookbooks/bestof2008

Secrets of the Red Lantern
Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart

by Pauline Nguyen, with recipes by Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen

Overflowing with sumptuous but simply prepared dishes that have been passed down through generations of the Nguyen family, Secrets of the Red Lantern: Stories and Vietnamese Recipes from the Heart is part Vietnamese cookbook and part family memoir.

More than 275 traditional Vietnamese recipes are presented alongside a visual narrative of food and family photos that follows the family's escape from war-torn Vietnam to the founding of the Red Lantern restaurant in Sydney, Australia.

At the heart of each recipe is the power of food to elevate and transform. From a recipe of Cari De that sparks a memory to the distinctly bitter melon soup that says, "I'm sorry," Secrets of the Red Lantern shares the rich culinary heritage of the Nguyen family and their personal story of reconciliation and success.

Recipes such as Bun Rieu (Crab and Tomato Soup with Vermicelli Noodles), Goi Du Du (Green Papaya Salad with Prawns and Pork), and Che Khoai Mon (Black Sticky Rice with Taro) unlock the family's secrets and see the family persevere through homesickness, heartache, and the upheavals of change to finally experience growth and celebration. The result is a beautiful journey through Vietnamese history, culture, and tradition that cooks everywhere will embrace.

Good Morning America food editor Sara Moulton’s picks for
Best Cookbook of the Year included Knives Cooks Love: Selection. Care. Techniques. Recipes. by Sur La Table with Sarah Jay.

The segment aired 12/23:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HolidayTheme/story?id=6511192&page=1

Sources include illegal waste dumping sites, vacant plots, and mosquito-breeding grounds like discarded containers, used tyres, and pots

“The sessions will include new road safety guidelines in keeping with advancements in automobiles and road construction and also amendments made to the Motor Vehicles Act in the recent past”

The idea is to leverage Kerala’s unique advantages from sustainable transport facilities, clean air and water besides open-minded people.

The tax, levied as Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED), aims to moderate the impact of rising oil prices on consumers.

Farmers will receive ₹2-lakh crore from the new minimum support prices

Government has reconstituted 8 Cabinet Committees with the Prime Minister heading six of them.

Influential figures such as Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and TV Mohandas Pai had voiced strong opposition to the draft bill, citing concerns about its potential impact on business activities and the overall investment climate

In the upcoming Lok Sabha session, the Government will re-enact the Aircraft Act of 1934, introduce the Coffee Promotion Bill, and revamp the Indian Boilers Act of 1923 to modernise regulations and support the ‘Make in India’ initiative

Internship scheme aims to create job opportunities in top 500 companies over next five years

The notification aims to safeguard the region by prohibiting activities such as mining, quarrying, sand mining, and new thermal power projects, while also restricting large-scale construction projects and townships

MicroSave has signed MoU with Rural Development Ministry on July 29

This scheme has an outlay of ₹4,136 crore to be implemented from FY25 to FY32

New projects could be announced in the upcoming Semicon India between September 11 and 13

Panel seeks updates on pending competition cases, CCI’s backlog, and progress of the Draft Digital Competition Bill targeting the digital market

Internship opportunities surges to touch 50,000 mark; 130 companies have onboarded the internship portal

Modi government has ended “policy paralysis” and transformed India into an economic bright spot, says Union Home Minister Amit Shah

Total 28,81,436 units of EVs to be incentivised with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore in the next 2 years

Tamil Nadu has declared THIS as a notifiable disease requiring hospitals to report cases and deaths to improve monitoring and treatment.

An NCI study explores the causes and effects of a phenomenon known as mosaic loss of chromosome X, or mLOX, which may lead to several health conditions, including cancer.

Karnataka voters decimated the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party and gave Congress an unambiguous mandate, with 135 seats in the 224-member Legislative Assembly

The BJP lost deposits in 38.4% of the seats it contested in Southern Karnataka

Why did the FCI refuse to supply rice to Karnataka? What are the alternatives that the Karnataka government is exploring? How long will it take for the Congress government to implement the Anna Bhagya scheme?