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Hot Thai Kitchen: Demystifying Thai Cuisine with Authentic Recipes to Make at Home: A Cookbook
The definitive Thai cookbook from a YouTube star!
Growing up in Thailand, Pailin Chongchitnant spent her childhood with the kitchen as her playground. From a young age, she would linger by the stove, taking in the sight of snowy white coconut being shredded, the smell of lemongrass-infused soups, and the sound of the pestle pounding against the granite mortar.
Years later, as a Cordon Bleu–educated chef in San Francisco, Pailin vividly remembered the culinary experiences of her youth. And so, on YouTube, Hot Thai Kitchen was born. Combining her love of teaching with her devotion to Thai food, Pailin immediately connected with thousands of fans who wanted a friend and educator.
In this much-anticipated cookbook, Pailin brings her signature warmth and impressive technique to Thai food lovers everywhere. She begins by taking readers on a beautifully photographed trip to Thailand to explore the culinary culture and building blocks central to Thai food. With foolproof and easy-to-follow instructions, Pailin breaks down the key ingredients, flavours, equipment, and techniques necessary to master authentic Thai cooking. Then, she shares her must-make recipes for curries, soups, salads, and stir-fries, including entire chapters on vegetarian and vegan dishes, dips and dipping sauces, and sumptuous Thai desserts. With QR codes to video tutorials placed throughout the book, you’ll be able to connect with Pailin online, too.
Both a definitive resource and an extraordinary exploration of Thai cuisine, Hot Thai Kitchen will delight and inspire you in your Thai cooking journey.
Growing up in Thailand, Pailin Chongchitnant spent her childhood with the kitchen as her playground. From a young age, she would linger by the stove, taking in the sight of snowy white coconut being shredded, the smell of lemongrass-infused soups, and the sound of the pestle pounding against the granite mortar.
Years later, as a Cordon Bleu–educated chef in San Francisco, Pailin vividly remembered the culinary experiences of her youth. And so, on YouTube, Hot Thai Kitchen was born. Combining her love of teaching with her devotion to Thai food, Pailin immediately connected with thousands of fans who wanted a friend and educator.
In this much-anticipated cookbook, Pailin brings her signature warmth and impressive technique to Thai food lovers everywhere. She begins by taking readers on a beautifully photographed trip to Thailand to explore the culinary culture and building blocks central to Thai food. With foolproof and easy-to-follow instructions, Pailin breaks down the key ingredients, flavours, equipment, and techniques necessary to master authentic Thai cooking. Then, she shares her must-make recipes for curries, soups, salads, and stir-fries, including entire chapters on vegetarian and vegan dishes, dips and dipping sauces, and sumptuous Thai desserts. With QR codes to video tutorials placed throughout the book, you’ll be able to connect with Pailin online, too.
Both a definitive resource and an extraordinary exploration of Thai cuisine, Hot Thai Kitchen will delight and inspire you in your Thai cooking journey.
264 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2016
141 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 8, 2020
Since I think that a good part of food's appeal lies in the eyes...so go cookbooks. This one is a doozy! Lovely to look at, and chock full of information. Call it "Thai Food Culture 101" I am reading this beauty before attempting any recipe...although I must add that Ms. Chongchitnant (aka Pai) has a YouTube channel that I frequent regularly, and have made some of the recipes shown there....
***pause for reflection***
I consider myself a fairly well-rounded cook (and yes, I am chubby) and enjoy experimenting with different cuisines. Thai recipes always give me pause with some of the more exotic (hard to find) herbs and spices. I know galangal from fingerroot, just can't find either, locally. I started reading this book, seriously, at the UNDERSTANDING THAI INGREDIENTS section. However, should you find a copy of this book, do start at the first section THE CULTURE OF EATING....a very informative intro to Thai food from dining etiquette, meal construction, beverage pairing, to Regional Thai Food in all the glories.
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As of 4/7/2020 I'm still working my way through the first part of the book, which is a good thing. I encourage anyone interested in Thai food/food culture to check out this book. It's an eye opener and serious "eye candy"
***pause for reflection***
I consider myself a fairly well-rounded cook (and yes, I am chubby) and enjoy experimenting with different cuisines. Thai recipes always give me pause with some of the more exotic (hard to find) herbs and spices. I know galangal from fingerroot, just can't find either, locally. I started reading this book, seriously, at the UNDERSTANDING THAI INGREDIENTS section. However, should you find a copy of this book, do start at the first section THE CULTURE OF EATING....a very informative intro to Thai food from dining etiquette, meal construction, beverage pairing, to Regional Thai Food in all the glories.
***********
As of 4/7/2020 I'm still working my way through the first part of the book, which is a good thing. I encourage anyone interested in Thai food/food culture to check out this book. It's an eye opener and serious "eye candy"
March 8, 2016
I made a few recipes from this cookbook, and you can check out my results over on my blog: http://nikkitheknack.blogspot.ca/2016...
Pailin really seeks to educate in this cookbook. There is so much interesting, useful information in this book for those of us who are interested in learning about Thai food - there are nearly 100 pages before the "Recipes" section, with everything from how Thais eat, to iconic dishes from different regions of Thailand, to the structure of a Thai dish.
There are sections on "How to Make an Educated Substitution" and "Where to Buy Thai Ingredients", which is important because Thai food involves some very different ingredients from what I usually cook with and from what I can get at my local grocery store.
This cookbook is great for anyone interested in learning about Thai cuisine!
Pailin really seeks to educate in this cookbook. There is so much interesting, useful information in this book for those of us who are interested in learning about Thai food - there are nearly 100 pages before the "Recipes" section, with everything from how Thais eat, to iconic dishes from different regions of Thailand, to the structure of a Thai dish.
There are sections on "How to Make an Educated Substitution" and "Where to Buy Thai Ingredients", which is important because Thai food involves some very different ingredients from what I usually cook with and from what I can get at my local grocery store.
This cookbook is great for anyone interested in learning about Thai cuisine!
October 30, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. I knew about this author through her YouTube channel. Her book is split into three parts.
The first part is informational about the structure, ingredients, and history of Thai food. I like how there are pictures for every ingredient and explanation and QR codes to go to her YouTube video that explains what she writes about. I also enjoyed the Thai words and English pronunciation infused throughout the book. I really like how she breaks down patterns to cooking Thai food so we really understand how everything comes together.
Part 2 is Thai recipes and broken down into curries, soups, salads, stir fries, dipping sauces, and desserts.
Part 3 is basic recipes.
I already know how to cook some Thai dishes so I liked how I learned a bit more about Thai cuisine in this recipe book.
The first part is informational about the structure, ingredients, and history of Thai food. I like how there are pictures for every ingredient and explanation and QR codes to go to her YouTube video that explains what she writes about. I also enjoyed the Thai words and English pronunciation infused throughout the book. I really like how she breaks down patterns to cooking Thai food so we really understand how everything comes together.
Part 2 is Thai recipes and broken down into curries, soups, salads, stir fries, dipping sauces, and desserts.
Part 3 is basic recipes.
I already know how to cook some Thai dishes so I liked how I learned a bit more about Thai cuisine in this recipe book.
May 7, 2017
I loved this cookbook. It has almost a hundred pages of book to read about Thai food culture, ingredients, equipment, and cooking styles before sharing specific recipes that showcase those things she taught. There are gorgeous photographs throughout, but I'm not sure there are pictures of every recipe. (There are a ton of pictures, so you almost don't notice, but there are a few that have no picture that I could find--several are on other pages, so I could have missed them.) I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I'm going to make an ingredient list so I can get started!
April 30, 2018
I love that this really made it feel that cooking Thai food in my kitchen was an obtainable goal. And the beginning of this cookbook was so informative, I really learned a lot about Thai cooking and the culture. I've wanted to make some of the curries and noodle dishes for ages and I really look forward to diving in.
March 2, 2023
A true cookbook vs just a recipe book! Pailin helps the readers understand Thai cuisine in a lovely straightforward and practical way while taking time to visit the beauty of Thailand as well. I loved how she broke down the structures of the dishes and introduced main ingredients! She has wonderful YouTube videos as well.
April 27, 2018
Best ever explanations of Thai ingredients, including the Thai word and written in the Thai alphabet. But I wasn’t inspired to cook anything from the recipes section, as they were either already in my repertoire or too complicated to bother with.
January 29, 2020
Wasn't as big a fan of how the information was presented as in some other Thai recipe books. The reference sections didn't have as much detail as I'd like.
May 18, 2024
This is a really good book for people with a little knowledge of Thai food. It gives a lot of insight into Thai flavors and meal make-up and cooking practices. The book is half background, as stated, along with ingredients, utensils, and so on, and the other half is recipes. The recipes are OK, especially some of the smaller ones like making your own sweet chili sauce and curry pastes. I just feel uncertain about the choice of recipes in general. It doesn't cover all the usuals at your local Thai place and has some things that just won't work here (US), like ground duck. Where would you even get that?
On the other hand, if you're new to Thai cuisine and know nothing, I think this book would be overwhelming.
I'm somewhere in the middle and love the blog more than this book. I really love the blog, though, and any recipes I looked up and tried came out fantastic.
On the other hand, if you're new to Thai cuisine and know nothing, I think this book would be overwhelming.
I'm somewhere in the middle and love the blog more than this book. I really love the blog, though, and any recipes I looked up and tried came out fantastic.
May 1, 2022
This is one of those cookbooks that benefit from reading it! The author provides frameworks for making different types of Thai dishes and spends a lot of time explaining the ingredients used in the dishes. As someone who is half Thai, I was happy to see some favorite family style recipes that don’t necessarily make it to the local restaurant. However as someone who lives in a part of the country where some ingredients are impossible to get, I would have appreciated some additional substitution or sourcing suggestions. Great book overall!
May 10, 2018
I can't wait to make some of these yummy recipes!
April 25, 2023
Goes beyond simply sharing (delicious) recipes and gives you the tools to cook Thai food with confidence and make it your own.
September 17, 2024
had to return before I could finish.
April 14, 2016
My hubby loves Thai cuisine and is always asking to go to Thai restaurants. He has also recently shown an interest in learning to cook. Enter Hot Thai Kitchen! The recipes are laid out in a very logical way - perfect for someone learning to cook a new cuisine. The pictures are high quality and the whole book makes Thai food seem delectable. I really like that there is a section devoted to substitutions as its not always easy to find Thai ingredients in our town. This book would make a really great gift.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews