# Thai Cookbooks... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 16, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023 "2005-05-16T03:11:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/1 "2005-05-16T03:11:13Z")
Any opinions on a good Thai cookbook with photos for the average chef? Mrs. Prefect and I are looking at “Thailand: the Beautiful Cookbook.” If anyone can recommend this book or any other please let me know. Like Dr. Hibert, we have recently discovered Thai food, and now our lives are worth living 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/2 "2005-05-16T04:06:44Z")
True Thai by Victor Sodsook is by far the best Thai cookbook I own or have seen. Run do not walk and buy it. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/3 "2005-05-16T14:26:15Z")
That book, and the one I mentioned are now on order at Amazon. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/4 "2005-05-16T14:33:27Z")
David Thompson’s [Thai Food](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1580084621/qid=1116254409/sr=8-6/ref=pd_csp_6/104-1568591-7024725?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is about hte best I’ve ever found. Comprehensive and wonderfully written, it will tell you everything you need to make authentic Thai cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/5 "2005-05-16T15:11:28Z")
I was actually going to come in to recommend _Thailand: the Beautiful Cookbook_. It’s amazing. From looking at it, you’d think it was just a coffee-table picture book, but the recipes in it are outstanding, also. You will definitely get your money’s worth out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/6 "2005-05-16T15:31:47Z")
As of a few weeks ago, **Thailand: The Beautiful Cookbook** was on sale at Borders stores for $10, along with a bunch of other cookbooks in the same series. I stocked up on the Mediterranean, Italy, and Asia as well. They’re all gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/7 "2005-05-16T19:34:28Z")
Those “Beautiful Cookbooks” seem to be eternally on sale. We have a whole set, and enjoy them. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/8 "2005-05-16T19:53:33Z")
> [@Soul Brother Number Two](#): > > True Thai by Victor Sodsook is by far the best Thai cookbook I own or have seen. Run do not walk and buy it. I have this one. It took an entire day to make his red curry, but the results were outstanding. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/9 "2005-05-16T20:07:17Z")
> [@MikeG](#): > > David Thompson’s [Thai Food](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1580084621/qid=1116254409/sr=8-6/ref=pd_csp_6/104-1568591-7024725?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) is about hte best I’ve ever found. Comprehensive and wonderfully written, it will tell you everything you need to make authentic Thai cuisine. I opened this thread to make this recommendation. Even the introductory chapters are fabulous. He includes snippets of poetry that some friends who read it referred to as “food porn” because it sounded so luscious. Ah, here we go, I found it: translations of part of King Rama II’s epic poem, “The Boat Songs.” Mussaman curry is like a lover As peppery and fragrant as the cumin seed Its exciting allure arouses I am urged to see its source Latiang is like the pillow on which I dream And to the heavens from which I rise, Yet upon my unsettling return I find close comfort only with you The rich custard On the grains of rice shows its sallow Silent sadness all too clearly Broken, like my heart, for the love of you ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/10 "2005-05-16T23:13:02Z")
I haven’t done very a big survey, but every Thai cookbook published in the States I’ve tried, has been very disappointing. They tend to bland the food down, especially the soups and curries, and leave out some important ingredients. But I did find a two book set at a Thai market. They were published in Thailand, and were completely bi-lingual (English/Thai), by a Thai woman. (The English was full of errors.) They were apparently directed in part to Thai women married to non-Thais living in the States. The photography was lousy, but the recipes produced Thai food even better than in Thai restaurants. She explained all the traditional ingredients, and how to substitute if you have to. Fortunately that’s not necessary where I live. They have an excellent recipe for making your own curry paste with a mortar and pestle. I think it was called _Thai Cooking in American Kitchens_. The author’s husband worked for ASEAN. I’d say check for the curry paste recipe and it doesn’t have about 15-20 different ingredients, I wouldn’t get it. Also, if the recipes have kha (galanga) powder instead of fresh (or none whatsoever) in soups and curries, it’s probably not going to taste like the Thai food you get in a good restaurant. Another bad sign: no fresh garlic in stir fries–should be lots of fresh garlic. And if they tell you to use soy sauce instead of fish sauce in the traditional (non-Chinese derived) dishes, forget it. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/11 "2005-05-17T00:40:03Z")
**etmiller** , you’d love Thompson’s book:) ; freshly ground curry pastes, ingredients such as _krà-chai_ , curry powders like _phong karii samrap neau_, use of mud crab, galangal and _kapi_. All for such lovely dishes as \*mũu má-nao \* and _sup hang wua_. ---
**Author:** ![Penchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Penchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penchan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/12 "2005-05-17T02:13:51Z")
_Sits back and smiles since her mom is Thai and owns a Thai restaurant_😃 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/13 "2005-05-17T14:16:52Z")
> [@Penchan](#): > > _Sits back and smiles since her mom is Thai and owns a Thai restaurant_😃 Cool! DopeFest at **Penchan** ’s mom’s place! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![My\_Dog\_Klaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@My\_Dog\_Klaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/My_Dog_Klaus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/14 "2005-05-17T14:36:49Z")
Ok - it’s not a cookbook, but [here’s](http://importfood.com/recipes.html) a nice collection of thai recipes ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/15 "2005-05-17T14:42:07Z")
That’s a DopeFest I would considering going to! Thanks for all the suggestions and food porn, that is great stuff. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/16 "2005-05-17T14:48:50Z")
I have to recommend “Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet” by Alford / Duguid. Because it’s just plain silly to think you can really seperate Thai food from Malay food, or Vietnamese food, or Indonesian food, or Burmese, or Lao. These cultures have been benefitting from influence and overlap for centuries. You will see all of these cuisines as they relate to eat other. This is an expensive but truly outstanding book. You will not be disappointed. You have to love a cookbook that includes recipes for street food! It’s as much travelogue as cookbook. It is filled with outstanding photos all of which were taken by the authors on their travels, really a remarkable feat when you see them. You really get the sense of how much these people love food, and how lovingly they poured themselves into this book. Even if you don’t want to buy it, I encourage you to look through it for a few moments if you see it in a book store. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/17 "2005-05-17T20:05:51Z")
> [@etmiller](#): > > I’d say check for the curry paste recipe and it doesn’t have about 15-20 different ingredients, I wouldn’t get it. Sodsook has you pounding lemongrass with a traditional mortar and pestle. I daresay he would skip this step if he wasn’t serious about his recepies. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/18 "2005-05-17T20:21:01Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > Sodsook has you pounding lemongrass with a traditional mortar and pestle. I daresay he would skip this step if he wasn’t serious about his recepies. If you’re really serious about Thai food you have one mortar and pestle just for _som tum_ and another for combining curry ingredients. (You also own a bamboo steamer for making sticky rice to go with it). ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/19 "2005-05-17T21:07:15Z")
That’s it, I’m having my mom make som tum tonight. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023/20 "2005-05-17T22:21:16Z")
I really enjoy cooking and such, but at least around here good Thai food is so cheap it seems hardly worth making at home. I love Thai food 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thai-cookbooks/304023.md?page=2)