True Thai: The Modern Art of Thai Cooking

by Victor Sodsook

True Thai is one of those rare and important cookbooks where cuisine and culture meet. Food lovers will come away with layers of understanding, discovering the soul of a country where cuisine is a sacred art. True Thai takes us from the jostling Bangkok streets and canals to countryside rice paddles and mango groves, from distant mountain villages to Thailand's stately Royal Palace, delivering True Thai taste in every sense of the word. Victor Sodsook, a native Thai, chef/owner of Los Angeles's celebrated Siamese Princess restaurant, has written the authoritative Thai cookbook that American cooks have been waiting for. True Thai satisfies an increasing public interest in the seductive flavors of Thai cuisine, and a decreasing emphasis on high-fat, high-calorie red meats, eggs, and oils. The lively, easy-to-follow recipes are tailor-made for today's adventurous, aware cook. Most of the tools and ingredients used in True Thai are probably already in your kitchen. And its wide-ranging glossary of ingredients will help you select the most flavorful spices and freshest produce, as well as the best brands of key Thai ingredients like coconut milk and fish sauce. Among True Thai 's 250 recipes, you'll find the many Thai dishes that have already won over Americans, such as Crispy Sweet Rice Noodles (mee krob) and soothing, aromatic Chicken-Coconut Soup with Siamese Ginger and Lemon Grass (tom kha kai). Everything is here, from the deliciously spiced barbecued chickens found in Thai provinces to the elaborate and time honored cuisines served to Thailand's royal family, such as King Rama V's Fried Rice. Since Thailand teems with both fresh- and saltwater fish and shellfish, you'll find an abundance of healthful, provocative seafood dishes, such as Ayuthaya Haw Mok Talay, a scrumptious mousse of curried fish, shrimp, and crab, redolent with chili and coconut milk, grilled and served in fragrant banana leaves. Surprisingly light preparations for meat include Fiery Grilled Beef Salad, a classic of Bangkok cafe cuisine, and mu kratiem phrik Thai, a simple stir-fry of pork medallions sizzling with garlic and black pepper. The Thai Vegetarian Cooking chapter is really a whole book unto itself, encompassing its own blend of curry pastes, soups, appetizers, entrees, and one-dish meals-all completely free of animal or fish products. The Thai Salads chapter showcases such recipes as Coconut, Lemon, and Ginger Salad or Grilled Lobster Salad with Green Mango that demonstrate the great variety and sensuousness of this branch of Thai cooking. Drinks and desserts include such ethereal treats as Rose-Petal Sorbet and the refreshingly herbaceous Lemon Grass Tea, wonderful either hot or cold. There's also a chapter that shows how to marry these newfound Thai tastes with classic American cooking, through such improvisations as Bangkok Burgers with Marinated, Grilled Onions and Spicy Thai Ketchup. True Thai is more than a cookbook; it is a collection of grace notes exemplifying Thai cuisine's dedication to pleasing the senses. There's even a chapter on preparing Thai-style table decorations, many of them as edible as they are lovely. True Thai 's 250 recipes, each with helpful and fascinating notes, present Thai cuisine with simplicity and elegance. True That is the most authentic, authoritative, and accessible Thai cookbook ever printed in English.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Asian Literature

432 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 1995

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had this book since 1995 when it first was published, and still it is one of the most authentic Thai cookbook then any other. If you want to cook real Thai this book is a must, it’s not for those who want simple or easy way of cooking Thai food, the recipes are far from easy, prep work is lengthy and there are a lot of ingredients that is needed, but once you have created your Thai pantry it gets easier. And you will learn so much from the recipes in this book and the dishes are worth the work and effort, the food will taste amazing. It is a must have for those in the culinary world and who want to cook real Thai.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worthy Thai cuisine cookbook. Really appreciate the vegetarian section, which is surprisingly omitted in many Thai cookbooks. Great cuisine and great recipes.

[Brooklyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

We went to Thailand for our honeymoon and ate a lot of really really good Thai food. (And I'm convinced I messed something up by eating insanely spicy food for 2 weeks straight.) We got home and realized that most of the Thai food we'd been eating wasn't very good at all! It was a revelation. So I got this book, headed off to Bangkok Mart in Chinatown to track down keffir limes and holy basil, and started cooking Thai food that tasted like the food we had in Thailand. Another cooking obsession was born.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing, I picked it up because it had a recipe for Thai cashew chili chicken that I thought looked like it might be decent-it turned out the be exactly what I wanted, very authentic. Since then I've tried about 20 recipes in here with great success, and have mastered fried rice. A great resource for anyone who wants to expand their Thai cooking repertoire and learn about new flavors.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authentic thai recipes. Curry paste recipes provided (even more in depth/ingredients than other cookbooks), and as such, these recipes will definitely take time to put together. Unless you happened to freeze three months worth of tamarind-chili paste.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron and I have had a lot of fun cooking our way through this book.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

THere are alot of ingredients in every dish, but this cookbook works--just alot of stuff to get started but it works

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook. About to make "Sweet Pork" (again)... couldn't be easier and incredibly delicious.