Customer Reviews

Thai Cooking (The Essential Asian Kitchen)

5 star:		(3)
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I grew up in Thailand and for years, I've been looking for a Thai cookbook that would help me recreate some of my favorite dishes from my childhood. My search ends here. This book is the best I have ever seen. The list of condiments and of ustensils is clear and precise, the recipes are well explained, and the photographs are beautiful. This is the real thing! (The next best book I have found is called "Thai Cooking Made Easy", in a small format).

For me, my enjoyment of Thai cooking is in its broad variety of sauces which combine sweet and spicy tastes. This book does a great job of revealing the "secret" ingredients and preparation methods for making and replicating many of the sauces I enjoy at my favorite Thai restaurants. For the "mix master" types that are into "fusioning" unlikely flavors to create new and novel taste experiences, but in a traditional Thai context, this is the perfect "how to" book for you.

I am a beginner to Thai cooking, but this book is an excellent introduction. One of the reasons I chose this book is the layout. There is one recipe per page (mostly), with a beautiful appetizing photo opposite, with large print that you can read from a few feet away, absolutely essential in ANY cookbook!! Many basic cooking elements are included with step-by-step photos, explanations of less familiar ingredients and possible local sources for them as well. I feel that the instructions are easy to follow. This one and Quick and Easy Thai by Nancy McDermott are great for those new to Thai cooking.