New David Thompson book out Monday - Thai Street Food

[Samuelinthekitchen]

http://www.penguin.com.au/lookinside/...

For fellow devotees of David's this will come as exciting news.

Thai Food has always been a cooking bible for me and one of my most treasured kitchen resources. Here's hoping the magic happens twice.

[vorpal]

I just got my hands on Thai Street Food, which is now available in the US and Canada, and it is exquisite: loaded with gorgeous photographs and absolutely delicious sounding recipes that I have never even heard of before despite my long study of Thai food. I cannot wait to delve in and start cooking!

[flourgirl]

I received my copy in the mail a couple of days ago and I completely agree. THis is a wonderful book and I can't wait to try some of the recipes. But first I'm just going to spend some quality time with it curled up on the couch.

[vorpal]

Hear, hear! I've been perusing it nonstop since I got it yesterday, much to the chagrin of my family, our affectionate and slightly needy pets, and the couple of houseguests we've had over. I just can't put it down, however! Tonight I'll be trying his Chinese Chive Cakes (pg 56), just to warm up with something easy and delicious sounding. (That, and I'm having a wicked carb craving, and this looks like it promises to satisfy.)

[tipitina]

Has anyone tried any of the recipes yet?

[vorpal]

I've tried a few, mostly with good success.

[vorpal]

Oh! And his recommendations for Raad Na helped me to finally perfect my own recipe for Pad Ki Mow.... I am so thrilled! I've been modifying it for years trying to get it just right, and his noodle cooking technique pushed it over the top.

[tipitina]

which recipe is for Raad Na? I'm curious what the technique was that helped you.

[vorpal]

Pan frying the noodles in small batches in an incredibly hot wok to get some char on them. I now actually fry rice noodles in a few tbsp of oil in small batches until crispy, remove, and then add at the end of my pad ki mow. They soften and soak up the sauce and are intensely delicious. Everyone used to love my old pad ki mow with slurpy rice noodles but it is unanimous that this pad ki mow is without peer.

[The Dairy Queen]

When I look at Amazon (US version) they have a book by Thompson called "Thai Food" whereas alibris has a bunch of books called Classic Thai Cuisine. What is the difference between these two books?

~TDQ

[vorpal]

I believe that Classic Thai Cuisine was his original book from long ago. Thai Food revises and expands upon this, and should be considered as a replacement.

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, I see now. "Classic Thai Cuisine" seems to be about 10 years older. Thank you for the clarification.

~TDQ

[The Librarian]

Just wanted to mention that you can go on Amazon's UK web site to buy books that aren't available here.

www.amazon.co.uk

[vorpal]

Unfortunately, it's only available in Australia :(. I've only seen it on this website:

http://www.thenile.com.au/books/David...

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of it. The excerpts and page scans look utterly delightful.

[The Dairy Queen]

vorpal, how does this book compare to his other book on Thai cookery? The recipes in Thai Street Food look surprisingly accessible...

I might have to have this book!

~TDQ

[vorpal]

TDQ: I don't actually have it yet! I'm itching to buy it, but given the relatively expensive price ($100 AUD with shipping to get it over here to Canada, which is $95 CAD), as a graduate student, it's a bit too much to be an impulse purchase. I'm definitely going to fit it into the budget soon, especially considering how gorgeous it seems to be from the online excerpts and how much I love his first book.

If I get it, I'll be sure to report back and let you all know.

[The Dairy Queen]

Sorry, I meant by just looking at the excerpts and recipes available in the link that the OP provided, how do you think it compares to his other Thai book? (I know it's not much to go on, but, still, I'd like your feedback if you're willing.)

My thought was that the excerpted recipes from "Thai Street Food" looked very accessible. I wasn't expecting that from David Thompson, from all I've read.

The photos are gorgeous.

~TDQ

[vorpal]

Ooops... sorry as well! *grins* I didn't look at the sample recipes in any detail beforehand, so I didn't make the comparison.

I just glanced at the three recipes listed online, and my impression is that this book should still be substantially high quality and authentic in terms of the recipes themselves. His pad thai certainly doesn't cut corners in the name of accessibility, IMO.

Perhaps this is just me being overly excited and optimistic, though. I'm hoping that this book will be my New Testament in the Thompson Bible of Thai cooking.

[The Dairy Queen]

Well, if I were to try to make some Thai street food, pad thai and green papaya salad would be first on the list, so, I might as well stop there.

I already have a recipe for papaya salad I like, and it's pretty similar to Thompson's, but I don't have one for pad thai, so I guess I'll just start with the sample recipes. Why not?

~TDQ

[honkman]

There is a rather controversial discussion about the new book from D. Thomspon on egullet and the questions if it is just a coffee-table book and if the recipes are dumped down.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/...

[The Dairy Queen]

Thanks for the link. Very helpful.

I am very annoyed by large cookbooks with a lot of photos, a la Alford and Duguid. Such books are unwieldy in the kitchen, and so expensive that I worry about getting them dirty. I think photos are lovely, but I think too many can render a cookbook less useful (to me, anyway).

I think the comments by Peter (who just took a class with David Thompson) were the most helpful in answering my question. A paraphrase of the most salient (to me) of his points:

Per Peter, Thompson "gave a good explanation of why much of the street food is not traditional Thai, and that is because Thai food is designed to be eaten in company and street food is generally made for one person - something which never happens with traditional foods."

Peter said that there is no overlap in recipes. but that he found the recipes in the new book "more approachable and able to be interpreted and adapted to the ingredients you have on hand."

That was exactly my impression when I looked at the excerpts of the book.

I'm really torn now, between the unwieldy coffee tableness of it on the one hand, and the accessibility of it on the other hand.

Hmmm...I wonder when it will be available in the U.S.?

~TDQ

[JonParker]

I don't know but I want it. Thai Food is my favorite cookbook, period. Nothing else even comes close.

[The Dairy Queen]

I kinda want it, too. :). I wonder when we can get it in the U.S.? Or, at least on Amazon UK? I've never bought anything from Amazon OZ; is it prohibitive, assuming Amazon anywhere has it?

~TDQ

[vorpal]

Agreed 100%. Thai Food is the closest thing to a personal bible that I own. It is truly the Julia Child of Thai cuisine, and will be a classic for years to come.

[honkman]

According to Amazon it will be available in the US by 10/12/2010

[buttertart]

Hurray hurray for your comments on Alford and Duguid. They are beautiful books but a pain to use in the kitchen. Have to say I'm also not keen on their fey new-Agey writing style.

[flourgirl]

I love Alford and Duguid's books - own every one of them. Beautiful books that let me travel vicariously AND make some delicious food.

And they don't get dirty because I use a book holder with an acrylic plate.

[buttertart]

Glad you're pleased with them, chacun a son gout.

[The Dairy Queen]

I know you are not alone in your opinions on Alford and Duguid. When Mangoes and Curry Leaves Cooking was COTM lots of people cooked from it and loved it.

Cooking is arm-chair travel for me. In fact, most of the cookbooks I own are ones I picked up on my travels, or after returning from a trip, to try to re-create the food I experienced.

I have a very small kitchen, so, the Alford and Duguid books-- especially when open to the page where the recipe is--take up a lot of kitchen space. They don't fit in my book holder. They are beautiful, but not very practical.

It's not that I don't appreciate the lovely photography, I do, but I'd rather have the book split into two: a cookbook that is normal sized with photos of just the food; and a "travel" companion book that sits on my coffee table that can be as large, and glossy, and unwieldy as it wants to be.

But because I cannot afford the space or the expense of a humungo book, I just can't justify owning any of the huge Alford and Duguid books. I currently only own Seductions of Rice. Flatbreads and Flavors is on my list to pick up, but I've had to pass on the others.

Bummer, because I know I'm missing out on some fantastic recipes.

I have some fears that Thompson' Street Food might be similar... I hope not, because I really like to COOK from my cookbooks.

~TDQ

[BangorDin]

Shouldn't any and all COOKBOOKS be floppy (open to a page and stay open) and wipeable??

[The Dairy Queen]

Yes, absolutely, as long as they aren't the size and weight of the Rosetta stone.

~TDQ

[flourgirl]

Dairy Queen - I understand what you're saying. I can absolutely see how books that size might not be practical for a lot of people. (I live in a fairly small house - 1850 sq. ft, but the kitchen is pretty big. I forget sometimes that not everybody has that kind of space.)

[buttertart]

I surely don't. Big kitchen for NY, but with about 3 usable feet of counter space!

[flourgirl]

I actually don't have a lot of counter space either. I wasn't as into cooking when the kitchen had to be redone over 10 yrs ago as I am now and I definitely made some mistakes. Although I also really like the way the kitchen is laid out otherwise so I don't know what I would change either. But, anyway, I make up for it with a couple of roll away carts and I use the two kitchen tables as work surfaces as well. But I would LOVE to have one of those big islands to spread out on. That would be heaven to me.

[AAQjr]

Love David Thompson! I can't wait until this comes out stateside. Give us a review when you get to make a few of the dishes..

[MartinDC]

I'd never heard of him. My Thai resource has always been Nancie McDermott's Real Thai. I'll be on the lookout when it comes out here.

[celeryroot]

I dont think it is available in US yet.