Customer Reviews

The Best of Regional Thai Cuisine

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

After having gone through several supposedly "authentic" books on the subject, I decided to take a cooking class. I was annoyed that my versions of Thai cuisine never seemed to even come close to even a typical restaurant. Chat was the one who was teaching that day, and in about one hour, I had somehow created my FAVORITE dish, Green Curry! I couldn't believe that with a few specialized ingredients, the elusive magic that I wanted was there. I made my own green curry paste first. THAT I think made all the difference. You can't duplicate something like this from a can or jar in some store. We did several other dishes that day during class, and every single ingredient somehow stayed distinct. What I'm trying to say is that Chat is an amazing cook! This book of his has all recipes you could want on the cuisine. And it really is authentic, because he grew up there! A big difference. He runs over how and why the food is different by region. He identifies the common unique ingredients in most of the dishes (like galangal root, thai bird eye chilies, kaffir lime, and fish sauce of course!). And there are many pictures that go along with each dish. Each recipe is all laid out and described in one page, because he makes it very easy. He's very good at explaining as well the reasons why one prepares an ingredient a certain way (like using a mortar and pestle instead of the blender). This is my favorite cookbook from a person who really made me feel like I can actually cook. I've since had four cooking parties with over ten people with recipes from Chat.

This is a great cookbook. The author does an admirable job of demystifying Thai cooking. The book begins with a very helpful description (including pictures) of the key ingredients used in Thai cooking, including helpful information on where to acquire them in the US. The recipes are then organized by region, and many entertaining stories and background of the recipes are provided. Recipes of eveything from appetizers and main courses to desserts are included, and are also well-indexed. In fact, the recipes are indexed by category as well. And yes, they taste great. My favorite is the chicken with cashews.

The author also teaches hands-on Thai cooking classes in the Bay area for a very reasonable price...

I've long been a big fan of Thai food and culture, and have long enjoyed cooking too, but never had the guts to actually attempt cooking my own Thai food. After flipping through a few pages of this book though, I found the inspiration and magic touch to expand my culinary portfolio. The book is simple and straightforward with a good mix of comments on the culture and history behind the dishes, and a glossary that outlines all the basic ingredients that you might need for your arsenal. This section along with the illustrations and pictures helped me make the bold move to grocery stores I've never been to before, without the fear of looking lost in the aisles. The book made the whole process a lot of fun, and the ultimate reward was the finished product, which I have to say, was quite delicious, or as they say in Thai - Aroi Mak!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Thai cuisine. Not your average cookbook, this book was informative about the ingredients and the regions where they are from. I tried several of the recipes and they turned out just like my favorite Thai restaurants.

I couldn't have said it much better than the above reviewers have. A great book that is foolproof, even containing photos of the ingredients in the beginning. You absolutely must try the green curry paste for your next attempt at curry, and find out what you have been missing. You will find that you can easily make better Thai food than the restaurant can offer, and experience true homemade Thai, the way it is supposed to be. Thanks Chat for a wonderful cooking cass as well...you were a lot of fun and I wish you good luck!

This is a great book, and now I found a great local Thai Cooking Class so I can learn even more about how to make Thai dishes. The class is at [..]

Recipes are easy to follow. Ingredients section is helpful. Book has pictures but all are black and white, feels dated. Frequent use of maggi seasoning.