Cooking From the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America

Still Cooking!

2011-08-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since we have posted anything. Life is as busy as ever. Sheng is now a grandmother and "Little" Sami has added a sweet baby boy to her family. "Big" Sami stays busy in her garden and with her grandson. On the sad side Sheng's father passed away as well as a dearly beloved cousin of Sami's. All the more reason to gather together and share food and friendship.

Seattle Hmong New Year

2009-10-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

Sami will be at the Seattle Hmong New Year selling Cooking From the Heart, the Hmong Kitchen in America. Please stop by our booth to see the book meet Sami. Mention our Web site and receive a discount!

Washington Hmong New Year 2009
Hosted by Hmong Association of Washington and Eastside Hmong Association
November 7th, 10 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Seattle Center

Yum, yum, yum!

2009-09-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, we got together with old friends in Portland and shared seven of our favorite dishes. Kathleen Bauer, a food blogger and writer, and Motoya Nakamura, a photographer from the Oregonian were with us all day to capture the event for an article in the Oregonian's Food Day Section.

We served Trout Salad with Vermicelli Noodles and Sweet and Tangy Sauce, Stuffed Tofu Soup, Grilled Beef Larb, Grilled Chicken with Hmong Barbecue Sauce, Stir-Fried Bitter Melon Vines, Stir-Fried Yard Long Green Beans, Coconut Gelatin with Tropical Fruit and fresh steamed (the Hmong way) Jasmine Rice.

Our job now is to make sure the recipes we pass along to the newspaper are accurate representations of the food we served. As is always true with Hmong cooking, we let creativity be our guide, and some of the dishes had touches that are not exactly what are in our book. So... back to work!

Book Sales are Great

2009-08-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

We really have something to celebrate - Cooking From the Heart has sold over 2,000 copies to date. It is ranked # 7 in the top 25 books from public university presses this week at booksXYZ.com, and it was The University of Minnesota Press's #1 Amazon seller.

Sami will talk about her journey as a writer at "OWC (Oregon Writers Colony) Presents!" this Monday evening, August 24, 7:00 p.m. at Looking Glass Bookstore in the Sellwood neighborhood (7983 SE 13th Ave - next to Grand Central Bakery). There will be Hmong snacks as well as her presentation called, "Notes From an Unlikely Author."

TurnHere Video

2009-07-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

Check out our TurnHere video. This three and a half minute video is the product of a four-hour taping session at Sheng's house. Filmed and produced by a talented videographer, Lucinda Chrisman. Look closely at the group shot to see Sami's husband, Don, and two of Sheng's sisters, Der and "Little Sami," as well as Sheng's daughter, Angie and daughter-in-law, MaiKia. Those very cute little kids are Skyler and Alexis. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Sacramento Event

2009-06-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

Last night, the Hmong professional community of Sacramento gathered at the Majestic Restaurant in support of Cooking from the Heart. The place was jam-packed. Sheng looked radiant in a mocha colored cocktail dress and Sami could not stop smiling. It was a special evening with speeches, a five-course, dinner, great music and dancing. The Avid Reader Bookstore was on hand to sell books and Sami and Sheng signed them.

Publicity Tour

2009-05-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday was another jam-packed day for us. First we went to the KARE channel 11 studio in Minneapolis for a live television interview. Then we spent two hours at the Mill City Farmer's market singing books. Our last appearance was at the Roseville Barns and Noble store were we talked about writing the book and provided samples of the herbs used in Hmong cooking to a crowd of about 30 people. Our customers are young Hmong women who thank us for giving them a written record of the food they grew up with and love, and other people, from all kinds of cultural backgrounds, who have eaten Hmong food and want to know how to cook it, or are curious about a new cuisine.

This morning we are feeling a little tired, but extremely gratified.

Cooking with Lynne Rossetto Kasper

2009-05-22T13:02:00.000-07:00

So much to tell you! So many wonderful events and people here in the Twin Cities. We spent the morning with Lynne Rossetto Kasper and her crew, chopping, toasting, steaming and EATING together. Chicken Larb, steamed sticky rice, and hot chili condiment were on the menu. Lynne made us feel totally at home in her Saint Paul kitchen.
Pictured: Producer, Sally Swift, Sheng, Lynne, and Sami in front of the lilacs in Lynne's back yard. Our segment will air on The Splendid Table in July.

Wisconsin State Journal Article

2009-05-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the Wisconsin State Journal piece on our book. 77 Square is the paper's A&E section.

From Sheng...

2009-04-22T16:54:00.000-07:00

As the book is finally here - both Sami and I are thrilled and so proud of ourselves. What a journey for us - we been waiting for this moment. We feel a lot of excitement, but at the same time we are nervous as we plan events to launch to our new book.

Why did you write your book?

2009-04-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

We went from writing our book to marketing it without being able to catch our breath! Magazines, newspapers and online cooking sites have been asking us about Cooking From the Heart. A frequent question is, "Why did you write your cookbook?" The short answer is - we wrote it to document the wonderful, unique flavors of the Hmong Kitchen. We also hope this book will help preserve Hmong culture, and introduce some new dishes to other people.

Kua Txob

2009-03-29T15:21:00.000-07:00

Kua Txob (hot chili condiment) is made with fiery-hot Thai chili peppers, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, salt, fish sauce and sometimes a little sugar. Pounding the ingredients together with a mortar and pestle brings out the flavor. However, there are so many ways to make this dish that we have included eleven different variations in Cooking From the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America. Kua Txob is one of the bold flavors we hope everyone will try.

Book Launch

2009-03-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

Busy times! Every day emails fly back and forth between us and Heather Skinner, a publicist for the University of Minnesota Press, working out the details of a trip to Minnesota to launch our book. We are excited that the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul has agreed to sponsor a Meet the Author Event and book signing on May 21, 3-5 PM. After a few more details are in place we will list all of our appearances on our Web site. We are looking forward to meeting people who are interested in Hmong cooking!

Final Edits

2009-02-18T18:09:00.001-08:00

The final details are being worked out between us and Melody Lacina, an editor at Wilstad & Taylor, the firm hired by the Press to copy-edit and design our book. We are VERY glad they are perfectionists, but sometimes it seems like we will never be done. We have both decided that when the last "t" is crossed and the last "i" is dotted, we will take our husbands (in our respective cities) out for a nice meal to celebrate - with someone else doing the cooking and the cleanup. Take a look at the pile of manuscripts we have created in the last year, going back and forth with revision after revision.

Gran Torino

2009-02-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the movie, “Gran Torino” yet? It is about an angry, lonely old guy (Clint Eastwood) and his Hmong neighbors. It’s a beautiful movie, on many levels. We have decided that we need to thank Clint Eastwood with the very first copy of our book; because his movie has at least part-way solved a marketing dilemma for us. Many people used to have a blank look on their faces when we explained that our book is about Hmong cooking and culture. Now everyone who has seen the movie, knows at least a little bit, about the Hmong. So, ua tsaug (thank you) Mr. Eastwood, and all of the people who created the story and brought it to life! We hope that you ate lots of great Hmong food while filming the picture.

Finishing Our Book

2008-06-17T11:04:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody! We have been so busy finishing up our book that we have not been putting new posts on our BLOG. In January, Sami traveled down to Sheng’s and we worked out the final recipes for our book. It was fun and exhausting. We cooked and cooked and wrote and wrote. Here is a photo that was taken then: From left to right are Sheng’s husband, Leo, Sami’s husband, Don, Sheng’s oldest son, Eddie and his wife, Maikia, Sheng’s daughter Frances, Sheng’s sisters, Blia, Der and “Little” Sami, “Big” Sami, Sheng and Sheng’s parents, Mai and Kao.

Publish Date

2007-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

Several people have asked us when our cookbook will be available to buy. The answer is - the spring of 2009. We plan to have the manuscript to the publisher in the first month or two of next year. The editing, formating and printing process takes about a year. We have been gathering recipes and writing the book for several years now, so we are also very anxious to actually see the book on the shelves. If we have your email address, you will be one of the first to know when it is available. Our email address is: sami.scripter@gmail.com Please send us a message so we can notify you when it is ready.

Rice Wine Dessert

2007-10-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

So many people in Saint Paul shared information with us to use in our book, it would be hard to list them all.

One special interchange happened early one morning at the Saint Paul bakery, Cakes by Fhoua. Sami watched and listened while baker, Fhoua Yang, shared her “story” and decorated beautiful made-to-order cakes. The following week, Fhoua and her business partner, Koa Yee Xiong, shared a marvelous recipe with Sami and Sheng. It consists of sponge cake, iced with coconut-laced whipped cream and topped with a little ball of fermented sticky rice. It is decorated with strings of caramelized sugar and soaked with sweet wine from the fermented rice. The dessert is a combination of an age-old recipe they learned from Koa Yee’s mom, Chia, and Fhoua’s recent Cordon Bleu Patisserie and Baking School training. The dessert represents the balance of modern and traditional elements of Fhoua and Kao Yee’s world. It will be included in the Desserts and Beverages chapter.

When Sami got home from Saint Paul she tried out the recipe and shared it with some of her Portland Hmong friends. Everyone who tried it voted a big “thumbs up” for the dessert.

Trip to Twin Cities

2007-10-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

Wow - it has been an incredible two weeks. We traveled to St Paul/Minneapolis where we met Pieter Martin, our editor at the University of Minnesota Press.
We worked with a fabulous creative team that Pieter had mobilized to do the color photography for our book. It all happened at Cenveo, a business that deals in many aspects of advertising, packaging and images for publishers, companies and products of all kinds.

Here is a photograph of the crew in the test kitchen/photo studio. On the left is Terry Tolman. His title is “Creative Workflow Engineer.” He supervises the many photo shoots that happen in this department of Cenveo. Terry helped set up the shots and he was an all-around supportive guy. Pieter Martin stands to his right, in the green shirt. Next to Pieter is Chad Linderman, a chef who cooked and assisted the food stylist. Robin Lietz (wearing glasses) photographed each dish that was prepared. Sami and Sheng are to her right. Next to them is the food stylist, Lara Miklasevics.

We were amazed at the amount of forethought and work that went into each shot. Prior to our arrival, after consulting with us, the team had decided which dishes would be photographed. They wanted to include a variety of dishes, including ones that are simple, complex, traditional, contemporary, entrees, deserts, condiments and beverages. They also decided upon a unifying color pallet and acquired tableware and table coverings that would best show off each dish.

On Sunday, we all spent the morning shopping at the International Market in St Paul, to purchase beautiful herbs and vegetables from Hmong vendors. Yuepheng and Shoua Xiong, the owners of the Hmong ABC Bookstore in St Paul loaned the Press several lovely pieces of Paj Ntaub to include in the shots.

It took four days to do the photography. Sheng, Sami and Chad chopped, mixed and cooked. Laura meticulously styled each dish. What a perfectionist! She considered the exact placement of each lime wedge and chili pepper. Robin spent hours photographing each dish. The degree of detail that goes in to getting the lighting, textures, colors and the placement of each element of a food photograph astounded us. Here is a photograph Sami took of Chad, Terry and Robin reviewing an image of papaya salad on the computer screen.

Because Sheng lives in Sacramento California and Sami in Portland Oregon we do much of our work on the book via email and don’t get to spend much time together. Well, that changed for the several days we spent in the Twin Cities. The pace was hectic, but we did have our moments of fun.

We'll write more later about some of the other wonderful people we met in St Paul while doing research for the book.

A Trip To Minnesota

2007-09-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

Sheng and I are preparing for a trip to the Twin Cities, where we will cook in a test kitchen and the color photographs will be taken for our book. Neither of us know anyone in Minneapolis or St. Paul well. We are hoping to make connections with people there who want to talk about Hmong food. We especially enjoy cooking together with good cooks. That way, we pick up lots of recipe details and insights.
Last spring, Sami went to Denver and many wonderful people shared with her their cooking know-how. One lesson came from Chee Vang (Mrs. Xiong). She and Sami cooked stuffed chicken wings together. It takes a lot of skill! Here is a picture that Sami took of Chee making her very wonderful stuffed chicken wings.

First Post!

2007-08-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hi - Nyob Zoo!

This blog business is new to us, as is writing a cookbook. Please let us know what you want to hear about.

We have been working on this project for over two years now. Sheng is identifying good dishes to include and jotting down recipes. Sami is writing the incidental information and the recipe text.

We are traveling to cities where there are communities of Hmong to do research. Sami has taken hundreds of photographs. Oh yes... our families and friends are eating plenty of good Hmong food.

I served these three chicken dishes at a recent dinner with friends (chicken wings with Hmong barbecue sauce, ground chicken with luffa squash and chicken with tomatoes and chilies), and of course - rice. YUM!