Thailand – The Cookbook and Delicious Thai Recipes

The author explores Thai cooking through Thailand: The Cookbook, a collection of more than 500 pages of authentic recipes from regions across Thailand. Thai cuisine is praised for its fresh ingredients and gentle cooking methods.

Design and layout

The cookbook uses a simple design with expressive photographs of food, landscapes and everyday Thai life. Its recipes are clearly structured and include preparation times and regional origins. A glossary explains unfamiliar ingredients.

Recipe collection

The book contains more than 500 recipes organized into categories including:

• Pastes and sauces
• Snacks and drinks
• Salads and soups
• Curries
• Grilled, steamed and fried dishes
• Stir-fries
• Rice and noodles
• Desserts
• Recipes from guest chefs at Thai restaurants in Bangkok, New York, Sydney and London

Some regional recipes call for ingredients that may be difficult to obtain outside Thailand, including fresh bamboo, jaggery, lemon-tree blossom, insects and red ant eggs. Even many of the simpler dishes may require a visit to an Asian grocery store.

Iced passion fruit

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 200 g fine sugar
• 1 kg passion fruit
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Ice cubes

Method

1. Bring 350 ml water to a boil in a saucepan.
2. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved and syrupy, then remove from the heat.
3. Halve the passion fruit and press the pulp through a cloth into a jug, discarding the residue.
4. Add the salt and 120 ml of the sugar syrup, then mix well.
5. Serve over ice cubes.

The author also suggests replacing some of the passion fruit with mango.

Coconut sticky rice with mango

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 300 g glutinous rice
• 50 g dried mung beans
• 120 ml coconut milk
• 100 g fine sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• Flesh of 2 ripe mangoes, sliced

Method

1. Soak the rice in water overnight, then rinse and drain it.
2. Soak the mung beans for 1 hour, then drain and pat dry.
3. Place the rice in a steaming basket lined with muslin. Set it over a pot and steam for 30–35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
4. Warm the coconut milk, sugar and salt over low to medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and reserve about 75 ml for serving.
5. Toast the mung beans in a frying pan over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring until dark yellow and completely dry.
6. Transfer the rice to a bowl and pour over the remaining coconut-milk mixture. Stir well, cover and rest for 10–15 minutes.
7. Serve with sliced mango, the reserved coconut milk and toasted mung beans.

Verdict

The cookbook is recommended for Thai-food enthusiasts who enjoy trying authentic regional recipes and are comfortable seeking out unusual ingredients. Even when a recipe is not followed exactly, the collection offers abundant ideas and inspiration for home cooking.