5 comments about Tommy Tang's Modern Thai Cuisine.

1. Reading this cookbook one has to wonder, is this about food, or is this about Tommy? I've eaten for several years at his restaurant (far better 10 years ago than now) and honestly, the recipes in the book are less than reproducible. There is a recipe for Tiger Roll-about as Thai as Pizza. The pictures are good, but the Tommy's tenor of 'Ain't I great and witty?' makes me gag. Sorry...give me a good recipe for a good Lemon Grass soup and you've got a devotee. I pour over Pad Thai recipes, this one just doesn't cut it. I'll eat at the restaurant (especially on Drag Night) but I won't cook from the book.



2. As a person who never cooks,after eating at Tommy Tangs restaurants in Pasadena and Hollywood,I had to rush out and buy the cookbook.WOW!!!!!!What a book!!!!!!I found the recipes to be well written and easy to follow,and the pictures were absolutely mouthwatering,like the dishes at the restaurant.Since then, I have eaten at many Thai restaurants and purchased Thai cookbooks and have yet to find one that is remotely close in quality to Tommy Tangs.The cookbook is absolutely the bible of Thai cooking and a must for any kitchen.



3. This is a book full of tremendous recipes, from classic Thai curries to superb innovative takes on dishes such as mee krob. An excellent introduction to Thai cuisine for anyone interested in cooking or eating! Although Tommy gets creative at times, this should not be confused with the Asian fusion approach which is so fashionable in 1999 --it is truly Thai cuisine. Buy this book if you can find it! Your taste buds will thank you.



4. I have prepared many of the recipes in this cookbook. It is my Thai cuisine bible and I have never prepared anything but something ( or many things)that were not rated superb by everyone at my dinner table. Tang's recipe for tom kha kai is amazing, though I cut the coconut milk ,two thirds coconut milk and one third water. I have not found a light coconut milk that is worth using. His pad thai recipe is difficult but good if done correctly and I made the Salmon with Kaffir Lime Sauce last week and it was amazing! I have other Thai and Southeast Asian cookbooks, but none compare to Tommy Tang's. I have gone to his restaurants in LA and Pasadena, and they have both been great.



5. I have tried quite a few recipes in this book, and have to say that this cookbook is one of my all-time favorites. Every single recipe is delicious. Don't worry that you can't find Tommy Tang's Thai Seasoning in the local asian markets; he lists the ingredients in the glossary, so you can approximate your own version... garlic, black & white ground pepper, chili powder and cayenne. The recipes are rich, flavorful, clearly written, original and well-rounded, except for dessert. When you love savory and spicy foods as much as I do, who cares about dessert anyway?!
   
   We don't eat Pad Thai in restaurants anymore, because after we tried Tommy Tang's version in our kitchen, nothing else comes close to being so fresh and wonderful. My coconut curry favorite is the Green Curry Salmon... what a treat! Another can't miss authentic dish is the Green Papaya salad. But there is much more, and I'm sure I will eventually make every dish in this cookbook.

2 comments about The Best of Gourmet: Featuring the Flavors of Thailand (Best of Gourmet).

1. I loved the look of the food in this book. I really felt inspired. The freshness of the menus appealed to me, also. The photography was wonderful! It made you want to pick up a fork and begin to do a taste test on every page. The grilled pineapple with vanilla ice cream was simple to make and a treat for unexpected guests on Sunday afternoon. It is good of Gourmet to study so closly the food culture of another country. It really gave the reader a good sense of what Thai cooking is all about. It is a good addition to the other Gourmet books and something to look forward to every year. A GREAT GIFT for cooks of all levels.



2. I love this book for several reasons.

   First, the menu suggestions are great. They range from two servings to around fifty, there are meals suitable for each season (some are grill-oriented, some are Thanksgiving feasts, etc.), and you can choose from light and healthy to downright sinful meals.

   Second, the recipes require a great variety of skill levels. A novice can start with the easier recipes and work up to the more difficult ones without needing to buy a new book! This is also great because even those who are experienced and passionate cooks (who, like myself, would usually revel in the four-hour mushroom lasagne prep time) have days when they want a simple, toned-down meal. It's all here.

   The recipes are also very easy to follow. They list at the outset any special equipment you will need, and the preparation instructions are clear and concise.

   Those without access to specialty grocery stores might have trouble coming up with some ingredients (creme fraiche, figs, radish sprouts, or Israeli couscous come to mind), but there are many recipes whose ingredients are easily found at the most common of groceries.

   I have to say that I dislike the way the "Unusual Pastas and Grains" section is separated from the "Pastas and Grains" section. It's also disappointing that Thai recipes are stuck in their own "Cuisines of the World" section without references in other more specific sections (for example, Ai-Teem Ga-Ti, aka Coconut Ice Cream, is not mentioned in the "Desserts" section earlier - so if you choose to page through the desserts section, you will not be aware that there are other dessert recipes elsewhere in the book).

   All in all, I'd say that this book offers great recipes and menu suggestions for cooks at all levels, but it could be organized more efficiently.

No comments about Thai and South-East Asian Cookbook, the Ultimate: All the traditions, ingredients and techniques, with over 300 spicy and aromatic recipes illustrated step-by-step.

5 comments about Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.

1. At last, a book that truly offers extraordinary recipes combined with someone who can really write very well. I spent over a year in the Kingdom of Thailand and have rarely been able to find any culinary author that could actually bring me back to the sights, sounds and overall sensory assault Thailand delivers on a daily basis. As a working chef myself, I can truly tell you this is one of the finest books you will find on Thailand, no other author goes into the detail of ingredients, cooking processes and traditions that make this cuisine so exquisite. I especially enjoyed the essays on how the staple ingredients are made, fish sauce, oyster sauce, dried fish and seafood, etc.. Can't go wrong here, I'm afraid Im sounding a bit biased, but this book does reign as king among my shelf of Thai cookbooks, looking forward to many more by this author



2. I bought this book based on the reviews here and really have to thank the reviewers who gave 5 stars for this book. I am a native Thai and I have to say that Kasma's recipes really give you authentic Thai food. I have tried at least 10 recipes from her book and have enjoyed my home-made cooking with no MSG (that I would mostly get at restaurants). What I like best about her book is the ingredients and tips section where she describes properties of Thai spices and Thai ways of cooking such as steaming, 'yam' salad making, etc.. Reading through her recipes is quite enjoyable since she usually gives a bit of history about the food along the way. The trick to get delicious dishes is to make sure you can acquire all ingredients you need (some are hard to find, but she has a web site that directs you to some online Thai groceries if you can't find the spices from your local stores).



3. Unexpectedly picked up this book at a half price store. Did not even realize it was by the author of 'It Rains Fishes', which has been sitting on my wish list for some time.

   Full of extensive and practical information re: ingredients and cooking techniques. This I found quite interesting and useful despite not being new to either Asian cooking or ingredients. Also gives sources for ordering things like Kaffir lime trees which I had not been able to find by searching the internet or asking around several Asian supermarkets in Houston.

   The anecdotes and descriptions accompanying the recipies betray Ms Loha-Unchit's enthusiasm for and utter joy in food. I cooked 3 recipies out of this book last weekend and found them easy and straightforward in execution as well as restaurant quality taste-wise. surprisingly simple! Highly recommended.




4. I'm not going to buy ANY Thai cookbooks by other authors until her books come back into print. There is no point in assessing Thai cookbooks if this book and It Rains Fishes are not included in the mix. I can't encourage anyone to pay nearly a hundred dollars each for second hand copies. And who ever heard of cooking from a Palm Pilot ebook? I really mind that old fashioned cooks who as recently as less than five years ago were recognized authorities are now fallen by the wayside because they are not on Food Network. If not for Sara's Secrets, one wouldn't see masters like Jacques Pepin and Madhur Jaffrey outside of PBS reruns. That means our food intellect is shaped by name brands instead of quality earning a brand.
   
   The secondhand prices are outrageous. Since Thai cuisine is now more popular than ever, there are more interested readers who would love to have authentic instruction.
   
   p.s. I contacted the author through her website and received the advisement that there are NO plans to reprint her titles. That's strange that an authentic Thai with superior knowledge is out of print when so many new books are out from fans of Thai cuisine who don't have a comparable foundation in the food culture that they are writing about.
   
   Her books are kind of fantastic. I prefer this book to It Rains Fishes and hope to try the pan seared scallops recipe soon.
   
   Right off, I bought Golden Boy fish sauce from the local Chinese supermarket based on her recommendation and found that is wonderful; no more Thai Kitchen for me.
   
   I am also going to look for her recommended brands for other condiments.
   
   Much of the information in her books are available on her website so see for yourself why she is good.



5. I just cooked a new recipe from this book and, as usual, It tasted wonderful. I decided that It was time to write a review about this book and for my SURPRISE I got the information that this book is out of print. This is one of the most well written book that I have about thai food (and I have more than 40 thai cookbooks). If you read (or cook from) this book or "It Rains fishes" (the other out of print book from the same author) you will just ask loud: "PLEASE, PRINT THIS BOOK AGAIN".

1 comments about Crying Tiger: Thai Recipes from the Heart.

1. Written by a professional Thai cooking instructor and former owner of an Asian grocery, Crying Tiger: Thai Recipes From The Heart is a Thai cuisine cookbook written especially for those who may or may not be familiar with the basics, ingredients, and preparation techniques of Thai cuisine. A wealth of black-and-white photographs illustrate the basic directions. An introductory section features illustrations, descriptions, and recommendations of where to find ingredients unusual to western cooking, from plantain bananas to dried silver bean thread noodles (and many other types of noodles) to green papayas, thai eggplant, palm & coconut sugar, and much more. A superb, user-friendly introduction to creating high-quality Thai food.

1 comments about Southeast Asian Food: Classic and Modern Dishes from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

1. This book more than fulfills my expectations of a book on SE Asian food. There are excellent introductory comments about the background to foods from different areas and easy to follow recipes.

3 comments about The Blue Elephant Cookbook: Royal Thai Cuisine.

1. A Magnificent Book from a Refined Establishment The Brussels based Blue Elephant which now includes 7 international branches and is still growing did a magnificent job with this cookbook as always under the guiding eye of its original founder Mr. Karl Steppe.

   Exotic recipes include Green, Red and Yellow curry dishes for beef, chicken, lamb, and vegetarian courses. This in addition to delightful and sophisticated trademarks such as the Chicken Souffle, the Tom Yum khung prawn soup, Seafood Cassoulet, the Tod Man Pla fish cakes, crab claws, pad thai noodles, several varieities of stir fry rice, the restaurants star Jasmine Cake dessert, coconut sorbet, and bananna cake.

   If you are ever in Beirut, Brussels, Dubai, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Lyon or New Delhi don't pass up the chance to visit the incredible experience of dining at this top notch sophisticated establishment. From the moment you enter a Blue Elephant you will be dazzled by the exotic decor.




2. This is an extremely beautiful book which I purchased at the London restaurant. However, the recipes I've used have not worked very well, especially in comparison to the fanstastic fare turned out by the restaurant chefs. I feel that Kasma Loha_unchit's books are much better at explaining exactly how to achieve the sophisticated and complex flavors of Thai cuisine.



3. If you like to cook Thai food this book is superb. Lovley recipies with delicious sauces. I thought I was quite good at cooking Thai food, but this book is the best I have seen. We have cooked many of the dishes and are really pleased we bought it.

5 comments about It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking.

1. "It Rains Fishes" is a wonderful example of a cookbook that relates a nation's cuisine in terms of the culture that creates it. The book is as much a testament to the author's love of Thailand as it is a presentation of Thai recipes. You can enjoy reading it even if you never cook a single dish. But if you do choose to take it into the kitchen, you will find the recipes straightforward and obviously refined by many years of implementation by students. Perhaps the most valuable lesson is the author's description of how Thai dishes are put together, less by recipe than by balancing the five dimensions of taste (sweet, salt, bitter, sour, hot). One cannot recreate Thai dishes with a quarter teaspoon of this and an ounce of that. It must be done in the moment by taste. That very philosophy, along with the use of fresh local ingredients, underlies much of New American cooking. The book's downfall, then, is obvious -- the availability of ingredients local to Thailand. If you live in an area with a good collection of Asian markets, you might have some luck. But if you rely on the "Asian" section of your local supermarket, you won't. It's pretty much that simple.



2. First and foremost the book presents a series of recipes, easy to follow and in every instance a delight to prepare and to serve. The preparation of the ingredients, their traditional uses, and helpful information about potential combinations provide the reader with a banquet of information about the preparation of food in the traditional Thai style. Moreover, the book contains helpful suggestions on preparation techniques, for locating and purchasing ingredients, and for ultimate presentation of the dish. Loha-Unchit clearly strives to prepare the reader for the Thai cooking experience: providing basic instruction for those just beginning and important details to more experienced Thai cooks.

   The book also is visually beautiful. Numerous line drawings and beautiful images (apparently watercolors) provide the reader with beautiful images ranging from market scenes in Bangkok to illustrations of people working in the countryside. I found myself going back to the pictures and imagining myself observing the scenes they depicted.

   Finally, this book is a feast for the mind. Loha-unchit provides the reader with a history of the foods, their origins, and their place within the Thai cuisine. Loha-unchit guides us through a process that enables us to obtain and employ ingredients to produce authentic and traditional Thai cuisine with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of results. For example, although the book contains recipes for making your own curries from scratch it also provides suggestions for commercially available curries that provide the flavors closest to Thai home-made.

   This is not a cookbook for those who think you can label a dish Thai by adding a few peanuts and a bit of lemon grass. It is a book that provides the reader with a taste of the sensibility of Thai cuisine and Thai culture, a journey for both the mind and the palate.

   Experienced cooks will benefit from the insights Loha-unchit offers; inexperienced cooks will find their skills grow through use of the book. All will delight in the flavors, both visual and gustatory, that "It rains fishes" provides.




3. The prose in this book is so charming, and so well written. Kasma's stories of her youth sometimes almost brought a tear to my eye!

   More cookbooks should contain the cultural essays and autobiographical information that Kasma uses to explain why she loves the recipes shes shares with the reader.

   Enchanting!




4. The author of this cookbook goes out of her way to present not only traditional recipes, but enough knowledge and technique to help you achieve traditional taste. This is no mere recipe book, it's more of a guide to Thai cooking.

   From the very start, Loha-Unchit explains everything about the essential components of Thai cuisine and exactly what they do to each dish. Interspersed amongst her recipes are stories related to the dishes that may seem sappy to some, but generally help explain what the cook is trying to achieve with each recipe.
   
   This book will definitely challenge and enhance your cooking skills. After preparing a few of the selections she presents, you won't just know how to whip up several dishes by rote- you'll have a very good understanding of the essentials of Thai cooking.




5. This book is excellent for beginners (like me). It gives so much details about cooking techniques that it can get you started real quick and yet keep you going back to the book for little nuances and finer touches that could keep you recreating your favourite dish in yet another wonderfully different way. Kasma's love for her culture, her deep understanding of Thai cuisine and her intuitive knowledge of what a reader wants makes this book a must have for anyone venturing into Thai cuisine. As for me, the very first curry paste that Kasma's words walked me through paid for the cost of the book. Everything else I got out of the book is a sheer bonus of a pleasure. By the way, thanks to Amazon.com for helping me discover this book...!

No comments about Gourmet Thai In Minutes: Over 120 Inspirational Recipes.

3 comments about Healthy Thai Cooking.

1. This book has delicous recipes which are easy to follow (with color pictures of most dishes). The dishes taste like delicous restaurant-grade food and are healthy and easy to prepare.



2. I am Balinese, have a restaurant and love food. I especially love Thai food.

   The recipes in this book are excellent and have obviously all been tested by the author. Follow them and you will not be disappointed.

   The presentation is clear at all times and the photographs are superb.

   Partcularly helpful are a couple of pages on which wines best accompany Thai food - and they are not those that you would immediately think of. The explanations are interesting and illuminating.

   I would recommend this book to restaurant owners, as well as people cooking at home for a few friends.




3. very tasty. quite healthy. many recipes are quick and easy, too. some ingredients are a little tough to get, but easily substituted. gorgeous pictures.