VATCHS THAI COOKBOOK

by Vatcharin. Bhumichitr (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1994

  $3.25

  The growth in popularity of Thai food is unstoppable. All over the world, new Thai restaurants are opening at an astonishing rate, matched by specialist stores selling the essential ingredients that give the food its unique character - Asian herbs and spices, unfamiliar vegetables and unusual sauces. Yet the very strangeness of these ingredients is daunting to many cooks who are unsure how to choose, prepare and preserve such exotic things. This book has taken the ingredients themselves as the starting point for over 150 new and wide-ranging dishes. Here is all the practical information the budding Thai cook needs, in an easy-to-use format. Vatch takes the reader on a culinary joumey through the land of his birth, skilfully outlining the geography, character and cultural traditions of Thailand's four main regions. The first chapter takes in Bangkok, the central plains and the Gulf coast. Here there is an concentration of rice, noodles and the key sauces, such as fish, soy and bean sauce, which constitute the main flavourings. Moving then to the mountainous north, the savours are usually hot, thanks to garlic, chilles, pickles and preserves. Next, the north-eastem region supplies all the basic herbs, including the citrus flavours of lemon grass, kaffir limes and tamarind that give so many Thai dishes their tangy edge. Finally, down south, along the isthmus, we discover the sweet flavours exotic cooking fruits, palm sugar at Petchaburi and coconuts on the island of Koh Samui - food which often includes sweet and savoury combinations. The book contains a wealth of striking images which make these journeys through today's Thailand not just a gastronomic odyssey but an appealing experience.

• Used

  Paperback
  2004

  $3.25

  Vatch's Thai Cookbook is an evocative journey through the main regions of Thailand, in search of the individual sauces, herbs and spices which make up the rich and unmistakable taste of the world's favourite 'exotic' cuisine. The book gives information on how to recognize, choose, prepare and preserve the 39 essential ingredients that lie at the heart of Thai cooking. From Lemon Grass to Pickled Garlic, each ingredient has its own section, with easy-to-follow recipes that highlight its particular pungent flavour. The 130 recipes intersperse these ingredient sections, with such mouthwatering dishes as Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns and Lemon, Fried Fish with Crispy Garlic and Steamed Mushroom Curry with Sweet Basil. This culinary journey is set in its cultural context. Each chapter begins with an introduction to a different part of the country associated with the particular ingredients which follow, including some of the lesser-known parts of Thailand; the North East, the South and the Gulf Islands. The book is a valuable guide not only to the cook, but also to the more adventurous traveller in search of a better understanding of the country and its cooking.