My Cambodia - by Nite Yun (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Celebrate Khmer and Cambodian American cuisine with award-winning chef and restauranteur Nite Yun with over 100 recipes of the food she grew up and fell in love with over the years"--

Book Synopsis

Celebrate Khmer and Cambodian American cuisine with award-winning chef and restaurateur Nite Yun, featuring over 100 recipes for her favorite dishes.

Khmer recipes and culinary techniques are traditionally passed orally from generation to generation, and in My Cambodia, Nite takes special care to preserve these dishes. Filled with the historical context of Cambodia's Golden Era, cultural fun facts like the rules of rice, and introspective anecdotes on using food as a tool to connect with community, My Cambodia aims to make Khmer American cuisine accessible to all.

With recipes organized by different times and places throughout Nite's life, this cookbook takes you on a journey from her childhood in Stockton, California to Cambodia to Nite's popular Bay Area restaurants Nyum Bai and Lunette. Discover her take on dishes such as Kuy Teav Phnom Penh, the fragrant pork and noodle soup that started it all for Nite; Nom Pachok Somlar Khmer, a delicate, rustic chowder filled with rice noodles; and Amok, fish tucked into an aromatic mixture of kroeung and coconut milk and steamed until it puffs up like a souffle. For dessert, try the decadent Nom Kong, donuts glazed in palm sugar and topped with sesame seeds.

Whether you are new to Cambodian food or have a bowl of kuy teav every morning for breakfast, My Cambodia will inspire you to connect with your own communities and stir up new, joyful creations.

Review Quotes

"But for fans of Yun, My Cambodia is also a beautifully written, vulnerable portrayal of a chef who rose to fame so fast that she could barely comprehend what was happening. In essays that organize the book's recipes by chapters in Yun's life, she explores big topics around identity, family, pride, connection and loss."--San Francisco Chronicle

"Cambodian cuisine is woefully underrepresented in cookbook format, but Nite Yun, the daughter of Cambodian refugees and chef-owner of Lunette Cambodia in San Francisco, California, is out to change all that with her deeply personal tome."--Saveur

"All cookbooks are love letters of a kind, but what Nite is putting out into the world with My Cambodia is a completely unfiltered look into her heart and mind. Our stomachs will be so much better for it."--Caroline Glover, co-owner and chef of Annette and Traveling Mercies

"This is clearly a deeply personal book filled with dreamy photography and recipes that are approachable for those, like myself, who are diving into the world of cooking Cambodian food for the first time."--Calvin Eng, chef and owner of Bonnie's and author of Salt Sugar MSG

"This love letter to traditional Khmer recipes as well as Cambodia is a must-have not only for anyone wanting to connect with our culture but also for the Khmer-American kids that feel disconnected from their identity."--Karuna Long, chef and owner of Sophon (2025 James Beard semifinalist located in Seattle, WA)

"Nite has epitomized what it means to be a proud Asian American in this generation. Her love and respect for her culture flows through everything she does on and off the plate. She captures the soul of Khmer cuisine, shares its lineage and food history, and brings it together flawlessly in My Cambodia."--Gaby Maeda, chef of Friends and Family Bar

"Nite and her restaurants have gathered all the attention around the country. Nyum Bai and Lunette are considered some of the best Cambodian food experiences in the United States. With this cookbook, I look forward to learning more about Khmer history and the rich, delicious flavors produced in Nite's kitchens."--Earl Ninsom, chef and cofounder of Langbaan, EEM, Yaowarat, and others and James Beard Award-winner for Outstanding Restaurant

"Nite beautifully weaves past and present, Cambodia and California, and nostalgia and innovation into one intricate canvas of the Khmer experience in America. With each comforting and delicious dish, she honors the oral traditions of her elders, peers, and the community she builds."--Reem Assil, award-winning chef and author of Arabiyya

"My Cambodia is a soulful journey that is undeniably deep and personal. Nite proudly champions Cambodian cuisine by way of her delicious chronicles that are real and uncompromising. After reading and cooking through her book, you cannot help yourself from cheering for Nite."--James Syhabout, chef and owner of Commis and author of Hawker Fare

"This cookbook is a marvel. The recipes in My Cambodia evoke the same feeling of awe: Every recipe has a sense of home and a love and respect for the food that shaped her."--Diep Tran, James Beard Award-winning writer, founder of the Banh Chung Collective, and former chef/owner of Good Girl Dinette

About the Author

Nite Yun was born in a refugee camp after her parents escaped war-torn Cambodia. Her family eventually moved to California, where she grew up listening to her father's Khmer rock n' roll music and learned to cook traditional Cambodian dishes from her mother. Inspired by trips to Cambodia to learn about her heritage, Nite dedicated herself to bringing the flavors of Cambodian food back to the Bay Area. She opened her first restaurant, Nyum Bai, in Oakland in 2018 and now runs Lunette, in San Francisco. Nite has been recognized as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People, named a Food and Wine Best New Chef 2019, was a recipient of the Vilcek Foundation Prize for Creative Promise in Culinary Arts, 2019 and was featured on Netflix's Chef's Table in 2024. She lives in San Francisco with her French bulldog, queen Nola.

Tien Nguyen is a food and culture writer. She is the co-author of several cookbooks, including the New York Times bestseller L.A. Son with chef Roy Choi and the IACP-nominated Sohn-Mat. Her work also has been honored by the Association of Food Journalists. She teaches food journalism at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.