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Sample Recipes from Bangkok Cookbook

By on March 17, 2017 in She Rants and Muses, She Thais, She Uncooks, She Writes, Uncategorized

Preserved Radish Omelet from Bangkok Cookbook

Photo © David Loftus

I thought I’d alert your attention to the feature on Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand which TASTE has put on their website; it contains two recipes from the book. I’ll link to the page in a minute. I wanted to make a few remarks about these two recipes first.

The piece contains a brief introduction of the book and two recipes: Preserved Radish Omelet with Crispy Basil and Rice Crackers with Pork-Shrimp-Coconut Dip. Both are great representatives of some of the easier dishes in the Book. I recommend you read this post first before continuing to the actual page on TASTE. Not yet having the book and, therefore, the glossary, you’re going to need this information in order to make the featured recipes. Continue Reading →

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Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand

By on March 11, 2017 in She Writes

Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand by Leela Punyaratabandhu
In case you’ve ever wondered why I didn’t blog very often in 2016, you’re looking at the reason right now. Having spent most of my waking hours writing, testing recipes, and traveling for my new book project, I am beyond ecstatic to announce that the book has been completed and, even though it will not ship until May, it is now available for preorder. Continue Reading →

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Sweet and Sour Red Curry of Water Spinach and Pork Belly (Kaeng The-pho) from Immm Rice & Beyond in Chicago

By on March 6, 2017 in She Deglutenizes, She Interviews, She Simmers, She Thais

Sweet and Sour Red Curry with Pork Belly from Immm Rice & Beyond in Chicago
(This post assumes that you have read its prerequisite.)

When it comes to Thai restaurants in the West, the one type that brings the widest range of emotions out of me is ran khao kaeng, rice-curry shops.

They’re the ones I hope for (Rotating menu! Variety! New stuff at every visit!), look for (Why are they so hard to find in the US?), get excited about (Hooray! One just opened up in the city!), and am fearful for (I hope they won’t go out of business like the two I’d interviewed in the last 5 years…) the most.

When done right and supported by the members of their community (so the people who run them can continue to do it right), this type of Thai restaurant could become not only the most approachable but also the most variegated and interesting ‘learning center’ for those who want to know more about Thai food and sample a wider variety of Thai dishes.

But the way rice-curry shops operate in the West—and I’ll get into this shortly—can be confusing. Consequently, what’s written about them is sometimes inaccurate. And because I want them to succeed so much, seeing how they’re misrepresented or misunderstood makes me feel nervous for them at times. Continue Reading →

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