Leela Punyaratabandhu

This cookbook was refreshing to read, due to how originally it is written.
Directions include promptings to "use your third eye" to visual things.
Recipes are unusual, like Spicy Fish Flakes (hell relish) and Watermelon with Fish Dip. Mid-recipe tips include advice such as "you'll sweat and cough - possibly also cuss."

Stories about Thailand (most featuring a connection between food and people) are interspersed. Some of these are bittersweet or rather somber, like "Kindness on the Death show more Railway" "In Remembrance of Queens Khao Man Kai"

Shellfish and meat is used extensively throughout the book, which limited my options, but seems to be a true representation of Thai cuisine.

Overall, the recipes were a bit too text-dense for me, as each one was introduced with a paragraph or three of background information. The recipes seem involved and difficult, or at least very time consuming. That might make it more attractive to some cooks, and much less attractive to other cooks.
A high skill level or a good amount of patience seems required to accomplish these recipes.

For me, this book's dessert section really impressed. A version of one of my favorite dishes, khaya!! is included with a cute twist of using cubes of bread on little skewers, and dipping them into the luscious custard, which makes it very easy to eat. And Mango Sundae with Pandan-Coconut Sticky Rice also looks amazing.

Recommended for advanced home cooks, or those with an interest in Thai cuisine.

**eARC Netgalley** show less

Amazing cookbook. Instructions are clear, pictures are helpful, and every recipe I have made turns out great. We love the Basil Chicken recipe; it's quick enough for a weeknight meal, and scales well for a crowd, or for varying appetites and cuisine tolerances. I appreciate the introduction for each recipe, which often gives context for the recipe, or what it's usually eaten with. I've tried other Thai cookbooks, but I keep coming back to this one. You can learn to cook Thai food from this show more book. You'll need to get some specific ingredients, but they can all be found at an Asian market (if you live in the US) or ordered online. show less

Like many people that I know, I've always enjoyed Thai food. I grew up partly in New England and partly in Southeast Asia and Thai food has never seemed exotic to me. It has just the right mix of spice and freshness and something new.

I'm always looking for good Thai recipes and was excited at the chance to review Simple Thai Food. The author grew up in Bangkok but had developed her cooking skills while living in the US, trying to replicate her mother's recipes. As such, the book is geared show more towards those of us who are learning about Thai food and have to hunt for the right ingredients in American stores and Asian stores in the US. There is a helpful section that describes the basic ingredients and sauces used in Thai cooking and a quick description of the Thai approach to eating (called "Noshes and Nibbles") which is heavy on snacking.

Due to an unfortunate accident while I was trying to bake our Easter ham, my oven is out of commission. I'm limited to trying to replicate the dishes on my stovetop. I'm trying to lose weight so I didn't attempt to make the particularly fattening and delicious items - I'm thinking of the "Gold Purses" recipe of scallions, mushrooms, ground chicken, water chestnuts, sweet chile, sugar, special sauces, all fried in a wonton wrapper. Instead, the Kung Chae Nam Pla (Fish Sauce-Marinated Fresh Shrimp with Spicy Lime Dressing) sounds like a tasty, healthy meal. Similarly, the Grilled Steaks with Roasted Tomato Dipping Sauce (Crying Tiger) also looks like something that will go over well with both dieters and foodies.

The salad recipes are particularly good. Leela gives us an introduction to the best tools (hand grater or mandoline) for shredding the green papaya and green mango and the basic ingredients for the proper yam dressing (lime, salted fish sauce, and some palm sugar) and her own approach to testing and tasting the salad and dressing. Very straightforward and sensible, Leela makes preparing a Thai salad a little less intimidating.

I'm preparing the Kai Phat Khing (Chicken Ginger Stir Fry), which is one of my takeout staples. The recipe is straightforward and the ingredients easy to find. The dish was a hit in my home!

ISBN 9781607745235 $ 24.99
Ten Speed Press, May 13, 2014.
Review copy courtesy of the Publisher and NetGalley. show less

Everything in this cookbook looks yummy, I have tried a few of the dishes and was very pleased. The recipes are easy to follow and the pictures of them look so delicious!