Vietnam is basking in popularity among regional and international cookbook publishers. At least two have knocked on the door of local author, Annabel Jackson, whose previous titles include culinary guide books, Vietnam On A Plate and Macau On A Plate. Jackson has written the introduction to The Food Of Vietnam ($160) published by the Singapore-based Periplus Editions. The recipes were collected by Vietnamese cook Trieu Thi Choi and prepared by chefs at the old Saigon Floating Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The second group in search of a taste of Indochina is the London-based Conran Octopus, which has commissioned a collection of Vietnamese street food recipes. The glossy cookbook is part of a series on street foods of the world. Jackson gathered the recipes from people in the street, restaurant and hotel chefs and their mothers. Then she tested and adjusted each one to capture what she calls 'the disappearing Vietnam'. An unexpected bonus, Jackson adds, was to chart traditional dishes which are becoming extinct as Vietnamese turn to supermarket food. One of the increasingly-rare dishes is xoi, a glutinous rice breakfast dish served with sugar, salt, shallots and green beans. When you can get it at all, it is more likely to be in a plastic bag than wrapped in the traditional banana leaf. Vietnamese Street Food will be on the shelves at the start of next year. 'Authentic' Vietnam Still on the trail of authentic Vietnam, Jean-Paul Gauci's Vietnamese restaurant, Cafe Au Lac, has imported a new chef from Ho Chi Minh City. Pho Phong Chau's home-style specialities for the Staunton Street restaurant include fried beef with shallot and fresh mint, Vietnamese scampi in Armadine sauce with basil leaf, and baked mackerel fillet topped with peanut, tomato and roasted shallots. Reservations on 2526-8889. Veggie line expands Prepare for an onslaught of vegetarian Chinese dishes courtesy of Linda McCartney, wife of former Beatle, Paul. The new meat-free collection is part of McCartney's renewed push to expand her product lines. Also on the agenda is a range of dairy-free ice-cream and yoghurt desserts, including flavours such as chocolate, toffee and coffee, black cherry, peach and blueberry. Herb abuse warning Chinese herb ma huang is on the herb police's new hit list of so-called 'herbal uppers'. Ma huang already carries a health warning in the US. The offending ingredient is ephedra, which has similar qualities to amphetamines. Other herbs targeted in the international drive against substance abuse include khat, which has psycho-active properties, and yohimbine, an aphrodisiac which raises blood pressure and increases the heart rate. The drive against herbal uppers is due to their rising popularity in night spots.