Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen [A Cookbook]

This book has very detailed general explanations, and very informative - and conveniently structured - recipes.Photos are very nice, and the book itself is a very nice read.Got it a few weeks back, made two recipes so far -1 - Spicy basil chicken (p 147) - a total "yummy in my tummy" dish, really easy to make. very fragrant and balanced dish, a perfect lunch accompanied by some rice.2 - Northeastern minced chicken salad (p 74) - bright, fresh flavor, didn't even last for 24 hrs in our fridge...Both dishes immediately reminded me of my trips to Thailand.Other than the great recipes, I love that this book is not a victim of the current trend of overly "authentic" books - no need for dedicated utensils, no need to travel to different time zones for ingredients or order from obscure online resources...I bought most of the ingredients in my local asian-ish market (Fresh Farms in Niles). Other stuff can be easily ordered online (importfoods.com comes to mind).I will be working my way through this book during the next weeks, hopefully getting more delicious results.Highly recommended,

I have lived in Thailand and have cooked Thai food at home for many years now. Without question, this is the best Thai cookbook I have ever had--and I've had many. In addition, it is the best book about cooking of any type I have ever had. If you like Thai food and are interested in Thai culture, this is the book for you. I also bought the Kindle version and put it on my smart phone so that I always have the recipes with me. Every recipe I have made has that authentic Thai flavor. If you are used to Mall-Food-Court Thai food you may not recognize many of the dishes in this book. These recipes are the "real deal" from the Ox Tail Tom Yum (which is delicious!!) to the variations on Som Tam and other salads. In this book, Leela gives you more than lockstep directions for a single dish; she teaches the principles behind the dish, the sauces, and the condiments so that you can feel comfortable experimenting and exploring other possibilities. My favorite aspect of this book is the quality of the writing—not usually a major factor in cookbooks. But as a thirty-year veteran of teaching writing at the college level, I value good writing. I guess that’s why this is the only cookbook I ever read cover to cover for the sheer enjoyment of it. Leela’s passion for Thai food and culture is evident in every page of the book. She relates memories from her childhood in Thailand with images of family life hinting at the central role that food preparation and consumption play in Thai culture. It’s all part of the Thai philosophy of “sanuk” which involves the Buddhist concept of “awareness,” and of “enjoying life” to the fullest. It’s a more serious version of “Don’t worry. Be happy.” She also relates some humorous anecdotes which reflect the culture, such as her explanation of the name of the dish “Son-in-law Eggs.” You simply must read that recipe! One does wish the publishers had included more photos, but the dishes are excellent with or without the visual aid. An alternative is to go to Leela’s Blog at SheSimmer.com. There you will find more pictures and much entertaining reading.

I'm sure these recipes are delicious and not hard, but I definitely wouldn't call them SIMPLE. I cook ALOT, own and use many cookbooks (some simple, some not). The recipe for Curry Noodles with Chicken has 18 ingredients with the addition of 4 table seasonings. Any book called simple but has a recipe on how to make coconut milk from scratch is not simple in my world. Five stars for potential to be delicious, minus one star for not so simple, as titled.

This book allowed me to make the leap into authentic Thai cuisine. Every recipe I've tried is stellar. This book will allow you to make as good, or even better restaurant quality Thai food. I personally was not satisfied with the quality of Thai restaurants in my metro area which is why I wanted to make my own.The most difficult part is finding all the ingredients you need. The author is very strict on the ingredients needed which will assure that the recipes come out well. If you do not have a well stocked Asian store nearby, you will be hard pressed to gather what you need, although I have not tried online sources as I was able to find all but Kaffir limes locally (I bought dried Kaffir peel on Amazon, though there is an online source that sells the whole fresh limes which I will be trying soon).Many of the key ingredients have no substitute so it is essential to use only what is listed. Once you have the right elements, the recipes are relatively quick to make. The only problem I have is the recipes in the book seem to be suited for no more than two people. I have found I needed to double most of the ingredients to offer an adequate meal for myself and two young adult sons, which usually offers us leftovers the next day.

Easy to make and very tasty.

Thee recipes are so easy to Follow and so well written. Wonderful book for anyone who wants to try their hands in Thai cooking .

This book may be even small in size, but it is rich in recipes

First off, I rarely buy cookcooks to methodically work through the recipes, following them religiously. A cook book buy is a success if there's one or two or maybe even three of those dishes that I will cook over and over, fiddling with them as I go. Unless the recipe tells me that certain ingredients are vital (and Leela does that, which I appreciate) I will bastardise at my leisure.I do feel that quite a few recipes are already altered slightly for Western readers, for example by using chicken breast or other boneless cuts for curries and stir fries, when based on her blog she would probably much prefer to use a whole chicken, or at least bone in cuts, or chicken thighs. The recipes are easy to follow and thoroughly written, so even if you've never prepared lemon grass before for example you feel like you can confidently proceed. All special equipment and ingredients are explained, with replacements if appropriate and tips on where to get them.Leela is not only a dedicated home cook obsessed with culinary history but a great writer, and I love reading even the recipes I know I will never make.One thing I would like to mention: if you are a strict vegetarian, this might not be the book for you. A lot of the delicious funky umami flavours come from fish sauce, oyster sauce, dried shrimp and products that are not vegetarian if you buy an authentic version. It might still inspire you thought, and it's a great read. Working off a combination of her blog and the book for example I was able to create a pretty decent Tom Kha Hed ( vegetarian Tom Kha with mushrooms) and I regularly make a vegetarian version of the cashew chicken stir fry. With chicken, it's one of my girlfriend's favourite meals, and it's become an absolute staple in my house for that reason.So, for me, this book has provided me with recipes that are authentic, doable and make me want to cook them over and over.

Very poor content