Food of Thailand (H)

I started with the Food of Asia, which I think is excellent. I decided to check into some specific cuisines, such as Thailand, of the seven cuisines that are presented in the Food of Asia. I am a little torn about many of the other cuisines, but not for Thailand.The individual books in the "Food of" series by Periplus have extensive introductions. There are not as many recipes as I had hoped for. The ingredients list, along with the accompanying commentaries, are about the same, with an equivalent number of photos, as the Food of Asia. The Food of Asia contains many of the recipes, however, some do not have a photo.The variety of main ingredients here is quite good, including chicken, duck, fish, beef, pork, all the shellfish, a couple of specific vegetables such as kale and green beans that go with a meat, and a general vegatable stir-fry that can be used with any vegetable.The ingredients list is thourough, and there is little need for substitutions or omissions. Also, many of the spice pastes can easily be purchased pre-mixed. Some of the ingredients are obtainable primarily online, but unlike many of the other cuisines in the "Food of" series, Thai and Indian online stores are plenty.In the case of "Food of Thailand", I think it is definitely worth the purchase if you really like Thai food, rather than my general suggestion that "Food of Asia" is the place to start. "Food of Asia" contains many of the recipes that are in "Food of Thailand", but the extra ones in "Food of Thailand" are worth purchasing this cuisine separately.Hope this helps.

A book that is both lovely and practical, with a mouth-watering selection of do-able recipes, 64 in all. It includes brief chapters on the history of the food, regional cooking, palace cuisine, and more; and an informative chapter on Thai ingredients describes 48 exotic ingredients, some with photos, from 'agar-agar' to 'water spinach'. The recipe directions are concise and clearly written. I like the fact that the recipes are not overly complicated and the number of ingredients called for in most of the recipes is fairly small. Many of the recipes are simple and in my opinion authentic and non-westernized. One thing they do not tell you is how spicy the resulting dish will be. "Red Chicken Curry with Bamboo Shoots" and "Pumpking Custard" are my favorites. Last but not least, if you are like me and love the visuals, sumptuous color photos abound, with exquisitely presented food in beautiful (table) settings, some with fascinating antiques or objets-d'art.