When you start cooking according to this Vietnamese cookbook, you will find that you only need a handful of ingredients and then you will try to balance sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy and umami flavors. Many of the recipes are for everyday cooking - from quick soups to dishes shared by family members and one-pot wonders. The book also includes meals for weekends and holidays when you have a little more time to cook. It's called food for entertaining. You can modify the dishes according to what ingredients you have on hand, and if you can't get something, substitute it, the recipes serve as a skeleton of ingredients and procedures.