Customer Reviews

Thai Street Food

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

David Thompson, the author of "Thai Food", the English-language "bible" of Thai cooking, has done it again!

I lived in Thailand for 3 years, and found the street food to be wonderful. You will find delicious morsels for sale on every street corner in Thailand - many Thais graze all day while running around getting their shopping and work done. This is the first cookbook I have ever found, even in Thailand, that captures all these delicious recipes in one place. The recipes are very authentic and approachable for the home cook. This is Thai "comfort food" at it's best. And mixed in with the excellent recipes are tons of outstanding photos that really capture the essence of the Thai street scene. As a photography book it could stand alone, even if you never cooked anything from it. But that would be a shame - I tried a couple of my street favorites this week, and the recipes were EXACTLY like I remember the taste.

An outstanding book - but I didn't expect anything less from David Thompson. If you don't have his other book, "Thai Food", you should consider adding that to your collection also. It's full of recipes that you rarely find in cookbooks outside Thailand (as well as all the old favorites), and some of my very favorites came from that book. Buy them together and you will never need another book on Thai cooking!

This huge and heavy book will be of interest to anyone who wants to know and revel in the experience of Thai street food. For those who have traveled to Thailand, it will be worth having because of the authentic recipes and fabulous photos. For those who haven't been there but love Thai food as they know it in restaurants, it will be an educational experience in what the real food of Thailand -- at least as it is eaten in the markets and street stalls -- is all about. For people interested in the culture of Thailand, it is also a great book. David Thompson is as much an anthropologist as a chef. His book Thai Food is also as much an investigation to the history and culture of Thailand as it is a recipe book. It was a real work of scholarly research and of preserving the Thai haute cuisine. This book is similar except that as a study of street food it is at the other end of the culinary scale -- but not any the less delicious.

My one negative comment -- and the reason for only 4 stars instead of five -- is the weight of the book. It is huge and heavy. It can't be held comfortably to read -- it needs to be on a table and as such wouldn't be easy to work with in the kitchen when cooking any of the recipes. I would have paid extra to have the book have a companion text for just the recipes. As it is, I have to say its size and weight are a significant drawback. Perhaps Thompson and his editors and publisher expected that no one would actually use it as a cookbook, but even reading it is a challenge -- and I'm no dainty lightweight!

I read the other reviews before purchasing this book. While I understand the few low scores, it's still the most beautiful, accurate and helpful book on Thai cooking that I've ever seen. I lived on and off in Thailand for years and this book absolutely captures the essence of Thai street food. While a few of the ingredients can be a challenge to find, the overwhelming majority are easily found at any Asian market like the ones in any big U.S. city. There are also online Thai grocers that will ship harder to find items. While there are a great many pictures that are unrelated to the specific recipes, they capture the feel of what it's like to eat on the street in Thailand. Moreover, the Thai transliteration of ingredients is hugely helpful to me - something I've wished I had for a long time. I've cooked several things from this book and they're all delicious. My wife (who is Thai) insists that if she didn't know a farang was cooking, she'd have assumed it was a Thai cook.

My only complaint is that the book is far too big and heavy to be practical in the kitchen. However, I think the fact that there are large color pictures of *every* dish is fantastic and something that I wish all cookbooks had. Add in the healthy Amazon discount and buying this book is a no-brainer...

I have been a fan of David's work for a very long time (over 15 years) and I have always found his written work to be the equal of his undoubted culinary skills.

He is witty and charming in real life and absolutely passionate about most, if not all, aspects of Thai culture and he is able to convey this passion and wit in his written work as well which is no mean feat.

There are some recipes in this book which are easy to do and are a great way for someone new to preparing this type of food at home, for the first time. As well as the easier recipes there are some more complex ones which are very satisfying to make and produce absolutely delicious food.

Generally these recipes are easier and more accessible than the ones contained in his seminal work "Thai Food" which is I think is only to be expected.

I can highly recommend this book to most cooks except perhaps for the very beginners but even then I think there is something that can be gained by reading this book. There is always something new to learn!

Enjoy!!!

I lived in Thailand for five years and studied Thai cooking while I was there so I can see that these recipes are good and accurate. However, good luck finding them! There is no index and things are only organized by the time of day they're eaten. If you're not already familiar with these dishes, and even if you are familiar with these dishes, you will find it irritating trying to find what you want. Makes a good coffee table book/conversation piece.

David Thompson has been able to capture authentic Thai recipes for some of the classic Thai cuisines. As a Thai person that has lived in America, I found his book outstanding. He includes the Thai spelling and above all...some of the greatest collection of photographs. The photos themselves deserve their own book in being able to capture the true lifestyle of the "everyday Thai". This is a great book to have in your collection if you love Thai food. Keep it on your coffee table for the wonderful pictures also.

This book made a great gift! My mom is going to Thailand and I got this book for her for Christmas. We loved looking through it together.

The book is unique in that it combines street atmosphere, stunning photography, and recipes all in one. It gives context to the dishes and provides a really unique view of an exotic location.

At last, after experiencing the frustration of *dozens* of insipid recipes in so-called Thai cookbooks, this is the one book that I always refer to when I want the real depth of flavour and balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet. This is a genuine cookbook; by someone genuinely passionate about the glory that can be Thai food-- not some half-baked offering. No wishy-washy fusion stuff here. Solid gold. The best book I own.

I tried my first recipe tonight and failed miserably for lack of ingredients. There are asian cookbooks that make you feel accomplished but are super easy (in the sense that they use pre made sauces etc). This cookbook is not that. It is obviously going to be a challenge, but we all need challenges. I am looking forward to learning.

the recipes are wonderful and the photos take you thailand.
this is one of the best cook books i have ever seen.