Review: Simple Thai Food

Title: Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen
Author: Leela Punyaratabandhu
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: May 13th 2014
Source: Netgalley & Ten Speed Press

★★★★

Three and a half stars, rounded up.

---

Simple Thai Food is a collection of 100 recipes of, you guessed it, Thai cuisine from Leela Punyaratabandhu, the brains behind the popular blog She Simmers.

Though I am a foodie who was raised by a chef, I'm the first to admit that I don't know all too much about Thai cuisine. I picked this book up so that I could see what it's all about, and learn to make a few dishes in the process.

I have to say that the author does a great job explaining what ingredients are, where to obtain them, and how to best prepare them for cooking. This is a good beginner's book for that reason, as new people like me won't be put off by a list of exotic ingredients or overly detailed recipes. They're relatively easy to understand, and things are well explained alongside helpful tips for how to best go about cooking.

One thing that I was disappointed with in this book is the amount of pictures. I'm a very visual person when it comes to food and cooking, and I really wish that there were more photos for me to reference. Don't get me wrong, there are pictures and the ones that are included are great looking. However, this is one aspect of a cookbook that is really important to me, and fell flat here.

This is a solid Thai cookbook for anyone who already loves the cuisine or, like me, is looking to expand their cultural horizons one tasty plate at a time. Beginners, in my opinion, don't need to be afraid of these dishes, and I'm sure seasoned cooks can learn a dish or two as well. Thanks to Netgalley and Ten Speed Press for my chance to read this.