Читать книгу Everyday Thai Cooking - Katie Chin - Страница 6

A Cookbook to Treasure...

Thai food is as exciting as it gets. I won’t try to encapsulate why, because Katie Chin has done a wonderful job of presenting it, but suffice it to say that when Katie told me she was writing a Thai cookbook, a pleasurable little shock went through me. I can’t quite dissect which part was the pure pleasure of thinking about Thai food, or which was the thrill of knowing that Katie was tackling the subject.

The words Katie Chin uses to open her cookbook, to describe Thai food, are wonderfully analogous to the words I would use to describe her: Bold. Exotic. Diverse. Pungent. Sweet. Sour. Salty, Hot. Crunchy. Bright. Fragrant. Soothing. Unique. Alive.

Actually, the only words I skipped are “sometimes bitter,” as I haven’t known that to be the case with Katie. But really, would that be so bad?

I know you want to hear about the recipes. And you should; they are fantastic. But first a bit of background.

I met Katie Chin when she and her famous restaurateur mom pitched a book to me when I was a cookbook editor. Katie was in the supporting role to her mom, who was a Chinese restaurateur against all odds, immigrating from China with her husband to Minneapolis, starting a tailoring business to make ends meet, cooking a "thank you dinner" for her clients, which led to teaching cooking classes, which led to catering, which led to a collection of successful Asian restaurants. Leeann was a quiet powerhouse of a woman, and Katie was filled with admiration for her mom, and a more than willing student. We both learned together during the making of that book.

Katie then became a caterer, and a cookbook author in her own right, and her great skill is taking authentic Asian food and translating it into something deliciously accessible for our modern pantries and kitchens. That she has tackled Thai food, one of the most popular and delicious Asian cuisines, in this book will make many of us very happy.

Segue to the recipes! The condiment chapter alone knocked my socks off. I want to add Nam Prik Pao to everything I eat from this day forward. My family and neighbors adored the Thai Flat Noodles (Rad Na), and the lemongrass chicken wings were stupidly finger-licking delicious. I have now stocked up on tamarind and galangal and of course ginger, garlic, and fish sauce, and am expecting this cookbook to join the splattered, battered ranks of favorite cookbooks in my kitchen.

It’s always exciting to bring a new cuisine into your comfort zone. Being able to recreate the fresh, bright, and addicting flavors of Thai food in my own kitchen is a joy, and I am going to think of Katie with gratitude with every Gai Yaang that graces my table.