The Food of Thailand

More than a cookbook, "The Food of Thailand" is a cultural revelation and a "journey for food lovers." This book is my prize cookbook, the one I value above the others, and I have a wonderful collection of cookbooks. What makes this one so special is the incredible array of photographs of sections of the country, the people, the foods both in preparation and sold on the streets. Once the reader travels all the pages from front to back, s/he has made a journey through Thailand and its magnificent variety of foods. A large volume at 9 1/2 x 12, this volume, published in Australia, makes a fabulous coffee table book. Every recipe has at least one photo. Every time I open it, I take mental walks through Bangkok, where I spent nine fascinating days a couple of years ago. I stayed at the seminary compound, where I catalogued English-language books. I ate lunch with the students each school day and experienced just a smattering of the variety of foods available on a school campus. The main dish was always some type of stew or soup served with rice, one of the two basics that goes with most meals. The other is noodles. Someone always brought some kind of fruit from home for dessert. My favorite are the rambutans, a deep red fruit about the size of kiwis, only with soft spikes all around. The outer layer is peeled off to reveal an exquisite tasting fruit akin to sweet grapes. Thai food is unlike any other food, perhaps because it is exotic, blending unusual combinations of flavors like chile sauce and peanut butter. The names are playful: Son-in-Law Eggs: deep-fried hard-boiled eggs with a fish/tamarind sauce poured over length-wise sliced halves and crispy chiles and shallots sprinkled on top. Or Gold Purses: wontons filled with minced water chestnuts, spices, shallots, and shrimp, then fried golden. These are Chinese influenced. Or Chicken Wrapped in Pandanus Leaf: a chicken mixture wrapped in the reed-like leaves, deep-fried and drained. The leaves serve as decoration, holders, and flavor makers. Other fabulous recipes: Green Papaya Salad, Stuffed Tofu Soup with Prawns, Prawn and Pomelo Salad, Fish Steamed in Banana Leaf (just go outside and pluck a leaf--most houses have their own banana tree), Deep-Fried Fish with Ginger, Snapper with Green Banana and Mango, Curry with Beef and Potatoes and Peanuts, Thai Fried Noodles with Prawns (my favorite!) Baby Eggplant and Cherry Tomato Stir-Fry Coconut Ice Cream, Coconut Pudding (both to die for) If you can get one cookbook for use and/or sheer beauty and exotic pictures, "The Food of Thailand" is one I highly recommend.

This is an awesome cookbook. I love the enticing pictures that accompany the recipes. I'm no chef but I've had a lot of success in many of the recipes in this book. Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning to cook thai food.

This is a great book for new or intermediate thai cooks. We bought the book because we wanted to try to make some of our favorite take out dishes in our own kitchen. We did have to find a asian food store that sold the curry paste and fish sause... (much cheaper than the Mega Market), which was part of the fun. About 80% of the recipes are things you can actually make yourself... Also there are descriptive pages about the types of foods, ingrediants, spices, and lots of colorful fantastic pictures. My wife now thinks I cook better than the take out joint... !!