Table Of ContentEEaassyy TThhaaii PP0011--PP337711AAUUGG..iinndddd SSeecc11::11 88//33//1111 55::3300::0022 PPMM
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Easy Thai Cooking
75 FAMILY-STYLE DISHES YOU CAN PREPARE IN MINUTES
ROBERT DANHI
foreword by Corinne Trang
Photography by Christian Clements and Susie Donald
Cultural Photography by Robert Danhi
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo Rutland, Vermont Singapore
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Snacks on the street packed ready to go Crispy lime leaves and chilies tow nitihb bslael aodn Hand pounding Tom Yum spice paste Citrus Salad with Crispy
Contents
Foreword 6 Soups and Salads
Chapter Two
My Adventures with Thai Food 8
Silky Butternut Squash Coconut Soup 52
Stocking Your Thai Pantry 12
Tart Orange Curry Soup 53
Thai Cooking Tips 22
Citrus Salad with Crispy Shallots 54
Planning a Thai Menu 32
Glass Noodle Salad 55
Hot and Sour Tamarind Soup 56
Basic Recipes
Green Mango and Cashew Salad 57
Fried Chilies 34 Marinated Cucumber, Ginger and Thai Basil 58
Sriracha Chili Sauce 35 Sriracha Chicken Salad 59
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce 35
Meat and Poultry
Thai Chili Jam 36 Chapter Th ree
Fried Shallots 37 Stir-fried Pork with Basil and Chilies 62
Fried Garlic 37 Tamarind Soy Chicken with Cashews 63
Grilled Lemongrass Chicken 64
Snacks and Appetizers
Chapter One
Red Curry Chicken 65
Golden Pork Satays with Thai Peanut Dip 40 Five Spice Slow-cooked Pork 66
Crunchy Sweet Papaya Pickles 42 Green Curry Pork and Eggplant 67
Coconut Crusted Peanuts 43 Roast Duck with Snow Peas and Mango 68
Thai Spring Rolls 44 Coriander Beef 69
BBQ Corn with Sriracha 45
Seafood
Grilled Chicken Wings with Tangy Chili Glaze 46 Chapter Four
Sweet-n-Spicy Pork Ribs 47 Grilled Catfi sh with a Tangy Glaze 72
Red Curry Shrimp Cakes 48 Yellow Curry Shrimp 73
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Salad with Crispy Shallots Pad Thai on the streets of Bangkok A rainbow of curries at Oh Tor Koh Market Green Papaya Salad Noodle Bowl
Fire-roasted Shrimp 74 Bangkok “Night Market” Ramen 100
Garlic Crab with Green Beans 76 Cinnamon-scented Beef Noodle Soup 101
Sweet-and-Sour Shrimp 77 Steamed Sticky Rice 102
BBQ Fish in Red Curry Spices 78 Jasmine Rice 102
Squid with Cilantro and Mint 79 Pineapple Fried Jasmine Rice 103
Lime Cilantro Squid 80
Desserts and Drinks
Steamed Clams with Chili and Basil 81 Chapter Seven
Grilled Pineapple with Caramel Sauce 106
Vegetables
Chapter Five Grilled Bananas with Sesame Seeds 108
Fire-roasted Eggplant 84 Fresh Sweet Pineapple with Chili Salt 109
Grilled Tofu Curry 85 Jasmine Rice Pudding 110
Garlic Soy Mushrooms 86 Coconut Pudding with Seasonal Fruit 111
Asian Greens with Roasted Garlic 87 Fresh Mangos in Sweet Coconut Cream with Roasted
Silky Steamed Tofu with Caramelized Garlic Sauce 88 Peanuts 112
Aromatic Thai Omelet 89 Spiced Mango Cocktail 113
Mussaman Potato Curry 90 Thai Iced Coffee 114
Mixed Vegetable Jungle Curry 91 Thai Iced Tea 114
Lemongrass Ice Tea 115
Noodles and Rice
Chapter Six
Tamarind Noodles with Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp 94
Rice Ribbon Noodles with Basil 96 Acknowledgments 116
Garlic Soy Noodles with Pork 97 Index 118
Green Papaya Salad Noodle Bowl 98 Resource Guide 119
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Foreword by
Corinne Trang
Th e cuisine of Th ailand remains one of the most popular cui- describe Th ailand’s food. Rather, like all world cuisines, there are
sines in the world. No matter where I’ve taught or lectured, I’ve regional diff erences. Read Easy Th ai Cooking, follow the recipes,
often encountered students who wanted to learn how to cook but loosen up in the kitchen, he’s giving you the path to authen-
Th ai food. As a result, in my lesson plans, I’ve always included a tic Th ai fl avors and textures as well as the freedom to enjoy the
popular Th ai recipe or two, and now I can recommend to them a process of cooking by giving you smart shortcuts (like calling for
cookbook they’ll actually use for cooking. Easy Th ai Cooking by store-bought items such as curry paste, coconut milk, and tama-
Robert Danhi, includes easy to understand step-by-step simple rind concentrate, if you don’t feel like making your own from
and delicious recipes for the home cook and professional chef scratch). Th e chapters are broken down into traditional cook-
alike. For more than 20 years Robert has traveled back to Th ai- book chapters, organizing vegetables, fi sh, and meat into separate
land, immersing himself in its food culture and bringing back chapters, for example, but pay special attention to the chapter
with him a wonderful array of authentic recipes he’s recreated entitled “Basic Recipes,” which contains a few essential recipes
in such a way that anyone can grasp. Filled with classics such as that are at the core of Th ai cuisine, such as fried shallots, garlic,
Th ai Spring Rolls, curries, satays, and Pineapple Fried Jasmine and chilies, and a few sauces including homemade Sriracha, if
Rice, as well as contemporary recipes such as Red Curry Shrimp you so desire. I love Robert’s loose approach to cooking, always
Cakes, Sriracha Chicken Salad, and Coriander Beef, Easy Th ai taking into account and respecting Th ailand’s unique cuisine.
Cooking is a great illustration of how a classic cuisine inevitably Th e fl avors are authentically Th ai, yet there is room for experi-
evolves over time, due to trade, tourism, neighboring countries, menting because, as he says, “things ALWAYS change.”
and any number of factors. For example, my Asian aunts all Enjoy!
made spring rolls diff erently, yet the original family spring roll
recipe was my grandmother’s. Same source, but diff erent hands
and as a result new interpretations! Robert explains from the
beginning, how there is not one defi ning fl avor profi le that can Corinne Trang
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Tamarind Noodles with Chicken, Pork, or Shrimp
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Food carts line the streets Khun Kobkaew, my “ajaan” teacher Small green and purple eggplants Forming freshly-made palm
My Adventures with Thai Food
My fi rst trip to Southeast Asia came at the relatively young age was published with the goal to summarize this dynamic region
of nineteen, over 20 years ago, the year prior I had met Estrel- and give the world a snapshot of the unique cultures of Th ailand,
lita Leong, a beautiful Malaysian woman. We met while taking Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. Th is book is diff erent.
a cooking class in Los Angeles. We took a journey to visit her
family in Malaysia and while we were in the region we visited What makes this book diff erent?
Th ailand. It was immediately apparent that Th ailand had a very Th is book is about everyday cooking for the home cook. Tradi-
diff erent food culture. Since then, Th ailand’s unrestrained range tional recipes? Not really. Authentic fl avors? For sure! My wish
of fl avors have delighted my soul. is that these recipes become your “go to” recipes for when friends
Once you arrived in the Land of Smiles (as Th ailand is called), come over for a quick meal, or you need to whip up a weekday
you know that this is an amazing place, a place where everyone dinner, or for a party, or a sit-down meal with the family.
feels welcome. Th ere are endless off erings of food everywhere you Easy Th ai Cooking was created after numerous requests for
look, the lively street corners are active with culinary exchanges, me to write a book with simpler recipes than Southeast Asian
narrow alleyways are packed with people eating, chatting, and Flavors. Frankly, at fi rst I was hesitant to write an “Easy Th ai
playfully laughing about the day’s happenings. Open air restau- Cookbook.” Fearful that I would over simplify recipes that had
rants churn out plates of addictively spicy cuisine that can be taken centuries to create. I have too much respect for Th ai people
traced to the colorful local markets that supply the country with and their food culture. Th en I started to think about all the food
a bounty of crisp vegetables, aromatic herbs, and fresh seafood. I had eaten in Th ailand that were not the iconic dishes that food
In the past two decades I have dedicated my life to gaining a writers have memorialized in thousands of Th ai books, like the
better understanding of this region’s culinary identity, immersing tom yum goong (hot and sour shrimp soup) and papaya salad
myself into the traditional food ways that have evolved over the (som tom), and saw that food evolves and that Th ais cook just
last few thousand years. My fi rst book, Southeast Asian Flavors like us. Not all my meals at home are American classics. People
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