Sometimes a special book comes along that changes your perception of the world. This is one of those books. On the surface, Mango and Peppercorns (affiliate link) is the story of a Vietnamese restaurant, Hy Vong (“hope”) in Miami. It’s an immigration and assimilation story, as the chef, Tung Nguyen, is dropped into American culture in 1975 as a refugee from the Vietnam war. It’s the story of an unlikely friendship between her and her host, Kathy Manning. It’s the story of a non-traditional family, as Tung and Kathy raise Tung’s daughter Lyn, eventually sending her off to an Ivy League college. And it’s the story of hard work, miscommunication, and finding your voice. It’s a thoroughly American story without the rah-rah ending of a movie. And it’s about the food created by these incredible, delightful women who ran a restaurant, Hy Vong, for nearly four decades. (They still do catering and pop-ups in Miami.)
We shot this episode just a few days after the horrific shootings in Atlanta that took the lives of six Asian-American women, a group that is targeted by white supremacist hate crimes in ever-increasing numbers. I truly believe that books are one way to break down barriers and create understanding, so the timing of this book feels providential. Please give it a read after you make this incredible dish. Watch the episode below to learn how the dish came to be and how their customers felt about it.
Required FTC declaration: I received a review copy of this book for the show. Reprinted from Mango & Peppercorns by Tung Nguyen, Kathy Manning, and Lyn Nguyen with permission by Chronicle Books, 2021
Fish with mango sauce
Ingredients
Fish with mango sauce
- 3 tbsp butter (unsalted) grass-fed if possible
- 1-1/2 mango see Notes, peeled and VERY thinly sliced
- 1-1/2 tsp green peppercorns in brine
- 1-1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp heavy cream (organic)
- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
- 2 lbs white fish (fillets) snapper, grouper, rockfish, skin removed
- 3/4 cup nuoc cham room temperature (recipe below)
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
Nuoc cham
- 1 cup water (filtered or spring)
- 1/4 cup fish sauce plus 1-1/2 teaspoons
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (organic) plus 1/4 teaspoon
- 2 tbsp lime juice (fresh)
Instructions
Nuoc Cham
- In a medium bowl, stir together the water, fish sauce, garlic, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
- Stir in the lime juice. This sauce will keep for 4 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stir before using.
Fish with mango sauce
- In a small pot (or microwavable bowl), melt the butter over low heat. Add the mango, peppercorns, fish sauce, and heavy cream and gently mix together.
- In a large heavy skillet or non-stick sauté pan, heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat. Carefully add the fillets and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides. Thin fillets will cook in about 1-1/2 minutes per side, thicker ones might take 3-4 minutes per side.
- Drain or blot excess oil before plating the fillets. Top with the mango sauce, a few spoonfuls of nuoc cham, and a sprinkle of green onions.
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