Читать книгу Easy Thai Cooking - Robert Danhi - Страница 6

Foreword by

Corinne Trang

The cuisine of Thailand remains one of the most popular cuisines in the world. No matter where I’ve taught or lectured, I’ve often encountered students who wanted to learn how to cook Thai food. As a result, in my lesson plans, I’ve always included a popular Thai recipe or two, and now I can recommend to them a cookbook they’ll actually use for cooking. Easy Thai Cooking by Robert Danhi, includes easy to understand step-by-step simple and delicious recipes for the home cook and professional chef alike. For more than 20 years Robert has traveled back to Thai-land, immersing himself in its food culture and bringing back with him a wonderful array of authentic recipes he’s recreated in such a way that anyone can grasp. Filled with classics such as Thai Spring Rolls, curries, satays, and Pineapple Fried Jasmine Rice, as well as contemporary recipes such as Red Curry Shrimp Cakes, Sriracha Chicken Salad, and Coriander Beef, Easy Thai Cooking is a great illustration of how a classic cuisine inevitably evolves over time, due to trade, tourism, neighboring countries, and any number of factors. For example, my Asian aunts all made spring rolls differently, yet the original family spring roll recipe was my grandmother’s. Same source, but different hands and as a result new interpretations! Robert explains from the beginning, how there is not one defining flavor profile that can describe Thailand’s food. Rather, like all world cuisines, there are regional differences. Read Easy Thai Cooking, follow the recipes, but loosen up in the kitchen, he’s giving you the path to authentic Thai flavors and textures as well as the freedom to enjoy the process of cooking by giving you smart shortcuts (like calling for store-bought items such as curry paste, coconut milk, and tamarind concentrate, if you don’t feel like making your own from scratch). The chapters are broken down into traditional cookbook chapters, organizing vegetables, fish, and meat into separate chapters, for example, but pay special attention to the chapter entitled “Basic Recipes,” which contains a few essential recipes that are at the core of Thai cuisine, such as fried shallots, garlic, and chilies, and a few sauces including homemade Sriracha, if you so desire. I love Robert’s loose approach to cooking, always taking into account and respecting Thailand’s unique cuisine. The flavors are authentically Thai, yet there is room for experimenting because, as he says, “things ALWAYS change.”

Enjoy!