Jessica Nguyen

I’ve always grown up being surrounded by food and cooking as a way of life. I remember watching my grandma and parents cook meals in their kitchens and helping out, always going to the markets and asian grocers on the weekends with them to do the weekly shop and as I grew up, I was assigned to cook the rice every night for dinner and later on a weeknight meal every week.

I think it's the fact that I’m a self taught home-cook. Most of the time I’m just cooking for myself or others in my own kitchen and home and my recipes and cooking definitely reflects that. I’m not professionally trained and I’ve never worked in a commercial kitchen (other than when I make my chilli oil) but I’m a smart, efficient and generous cook: I can whip up a dish with whatever is in the pantry or fridge, work with very limited space (my kitchen is very small and doesn’t have a dishwasher so I’ve learnt to cook and clean as I go), go all out on a dish if there’s a special occasion or a special ingredient that has just come into season and I’ve built up the skill of hosting people, putting on a spread by practice, mistakes and countless meals and parties.

I don’t really have a signature dish, maybe it’s my chilli oil recipe or one of my many pastas but I think if you asked someone what I’m known for, it’s probably the way I put on a spread and make a meal out of something, whether it’s an easy weeknight barbeque or a dinner party, I’m always styling a pretty table (always with a tablecloth) and whipping up some pretty food that is equally delicious!

In my opinion, the ‘best’ meal is in your or someone else’s home. There is so much intimacy and generosity in being welcomed into someone’s home. It doesn’t have to be opulent or by any means fancy, even just a simple meal. What makes it the ‘best’ is being able to sit down, talk to each other, enjoy a meal together and the company.

The past few months navigating a newborn and baby has really changed my relationship to food, cooking and meals and it continues to change month on month as time becomes more scarce and my baby begins to transition into solids. I’ve learnt to become more organised, cooking smarter not harder but still prioritising flavorful and delicious home cooked meals. I’ve had to pick recipes that can be either whipped up in under 30 minutes (quick grill, bbq recipes in summer paired with salad and rice is my go-to, or cooked slow and low and in stages that can be frozen or reheated (stews, braises, curries). I normally marinate or prep all ingredients earlier in the day during naps and then throw it all together before dinner. I also now cook bigger batches of meals, where I eat half and freeze half in portions to eat later in the month (back up meals for days where cooking is not possible).

It would be my Vietnamese Ginger Chicken Recipe (Gà Kho Gừng) that I’ve shared for A Taste of Harmony. It’s a homestyle Vietnamese dish, typical of what you’d eat as a family at home, not the standard Phở or bánh mì that most people associate with Vietnamese cooking. It’s a great dish to highlight the breadth of Vietnamese food but it’s also really simple to make, flavourful and a crowd pleaser, an easy one to make for those curious to learn.