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85 of 85 found the following review helpful:
Desert island Thai--one more vote May 31, 2002
By B. Strottman
"Jam Band Fan"
I first borrowed this book in 1993 from my neighbor who had lived in Thailand. I made about 4 things from the book--by the book--and invited her to dinner. She raved how perfect and authentic the flavors were. I kept the book awhile, made more recipes, and, being on a student budget but having plenty of time, copied those recipes I thought I might someday make (about three-quarters of them). The Burmese Chicken Curry was a hit from the beginning--when my wife's friend walked in the front door she remarked that it stung her NOSE just smelling the dish as it cooked!
Over the years I have made some fifty recipes from the book--soups, meat dishes, rice and noodle dishes, vegetarian dishes, seafood dishes, curry pastes, desserts--and nearly every one has been a huge hit with my wife and me. I've made so few different recipes because I've come back to many of them a dozen times or more. The Chicken Coconut Soup is my four-year-old son's favorite food, and he requests it often.
I finally bought the book for myself this year and have made several different recipes that I hadn't before. Some have hit my "frequently made" list already.
The book is visually stunning, with large appealing photographs of each dish, and with similarly beautiful photos of the countryside, divided up by region between the chapters of different foods. The recipes themselves are very easy to follow, and even those that have many ingredients usually only require a couple steps. Some require ingredients that you can only find in Asian food stores (like galangal) but even things like fish sauce and coconut milk are becoming more available in other supermarkets; and many recipes require nothing more exotic than fresh ingredients and soy sauce.
The only shortcoming I see in the book is a dearth of purely vegetarian dishes, but since Thai cooking seems to encourage improvisation, this can be remedied by substitutions. Despite this, I still consider this to be the best Thai cookbook I have (of six), the best Beautiful Cookbook I have (of six), and the best cookbook period that I have (of nearly 100).
38 of 38 found the following review helpful:
Desert island Thai Jun 08, 2000
By Greg Alder
When I moved to Mexico two years ago, I was forced to accept that it would be impractical to bring my library. So I spent a few hours looking at the volumes on the shelves to select the 20 or so books I felt I absolutely HAD to have with me. One of those books was Thailand The Beautiful Cookbook. Most of the time I open it, it's to find something to satisfy my craving for the sweet, pungent, rich and exotic flavours of Thai food. But other times I've simply lost myself in memories of a beautiful country - memories brought back by the stunningly evocative photographs which fill this book. Thai restaurants here in Mexico seem to be nothing more than a rumour. But Thai ingredients (or serviceable substitutes) are reasonably easy to buy. I have cooked from this book frequently for Mexican friends. Every one of them has been bowled over by flavours packed into the dishes placed in front of them. And if that's the response you want when you cook for friends, then I suggest you buy this book. For me, a Thai food fanatic a long way from Asia, it is essential.
30 of 30 found the following review helpful:
A Great Thai Cookbook! Mar 18, 2005
By Lynn Ellingwood
"The ESOL Teacher"
I have lived in Thailand and this book is the best cookbook I have found in the US. It made me very happy to be able to see Thai foods that are not offered in Thai restaurants in the US and not seen in other Thai cookbooks. Now I can finally have my Nam Gabi and Soup No Mai. (The spelling is different in the book.) I was happy to see both the Roman lettering and the true Thai word for the dish. It helps me figure out what the dish is and jogs my memory when reading the Thai. Thai food is great and I'm happy to see the recipes and the Thai regional information included.
22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
I've eaten over 4000 meals in Thailand and LOVE this book. Sep 20, 2002
I had the great fortune to live in Thailand for seven years. I never learned to cook because the food was too good and cheap in the markets. When I returned to the US I was given this cookbook and was, I'll admit, skeptical, because it's so big and glossy....'Just didn't look like a real cookbook.It is an EXCELLENT cookbook for three reasons: First, everything I've made in it tastes authentic. Secondly, the photographic glossary clearly shows what different ingredients look like. Finally, almost every dish is pictured. This, in combination with David Thompson's new cookbook, are the only two Thai cookbooks I'll ever need.
22 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 Delicious, beautiful, less than authentic Jan 01, 2005
By Robert H. Wilson
The recipes in this wonderfully illustrated book will give the reader a delicious taste of Thailand. It will not, however, give a 100% authentic taste of it. That may be good news to people who don't live near an Asian grocery where hard to find items necessary for authentic Thai cooking are to be found. Some of the recipes also save the reader time at the expense of authenticity. But unless you are obsessed with making something that tastes exactly as it does in Thailand, the recipes are close enough. This is one of the few books that break all recipes down by region, and that is important. I lived in Thailand for 3 years, with my in-laws for 1 year, and during that time I picked out tell-tale signs of authenticity. I've concluded that the most authentic Thai cookbook is "Thai Food" by Thompson (can't remember his first name.)
In sum, lovely pictures, delicious recipes, authentic enough but not absolutely authentic.
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