American Fried Rice
Drunken Spaghetti with Shrimp
Stir-Fried Clams with Chili Paste and Thai Basil Over Spaghetti
Stir-Fried Noodles with Chicken and Thai Chili Paste
CHAPTER 7 Thai Vegetarian Dishes
Stir-Fried Bean Sprouts with Bean Curd and Snow Peas
Stir-Fried Preserved Radish with Eggs and Green Onions
Stir-Fried Water Convolvulus with Soybean Sauce
Bean Curd with Thai Basil
Stir-Fried Asian Eggplant with Bean Curd and Thai Basil
Vegetarian Curry with Bean Curd
Tri-Color Pickles
Eggs with Tamarind Sauce
Steamed Eggs
CHAPTER 8 Thai Desserts and Drinks
Bananas and Tapioca in Sweet Coconut Milk
Sweet Black Rice Pudding
Pumpkin in Coconut Milk with Palm Sugar
Tapioca Pudding with Shredded Young Coconut
Sweet Sticky Rice and Mangoes
Deep-Fried Bananas in Spring Roll Wrappers
Sweet Custard and Pumpkin
Thai Iced Coffee or Iced Tea
Thai Limeade
Sources for Thai Ingredients / Acknowledgments
Index
Photo Credits
My Love Affair with Thai Food
When I first arrived in Thailand as a young Peace Corps volunteer, Thai food was the last thing on my mind. It was 1975, and my knowledge of Thailand was minuscule. I knew a bit of history, a smattering of geography, and a teaspoonful of culture; but the wonderful, unique and irresistible pleasures of Thai food and cooking? I had no idea what good things were just around the corner for me. Falling in love with Thai food was easy, as it is for many people, whether they encounter it in Thailand or away from its gorgeous, generous, and abundant homeland.
My love and affection for the food of Thailand has continued to grow and deepen to this day. Decades after my time in Thailand, I remain fascinated by Thai cuisine, eager for any opportunity to eat it, read about it, and cook it at home. I also love to talk about it with people who share my passion, who love exploring and learning about the ingredients, traditions, recipes, and dishes that have made Thai food a source of pleasure and satisfaction around the world.
I returned home from Peace Corps determined to bring Thai food into my kitchen, despite the challenges of obtaining Thai ingredients here in North Carolina in the 1980s. Bicycling to the morning market where sheaves of lemongrass bordered mountains of chilies, fragrant herbs, crunchy vegetables, and fantastically sweet mangoes? A lovely memory, but not a feasible option for cooking Thai at home. A local Korean-owned Asian market, however, supplied me with the essentials: fish sauce, red and green curry paste, coconut milk, palm sugar, dried galangal, jasmine rice, and chilies galore. Along with limes, cucumbers, peanuts, shallots, garlic, eggplant, and cilantro from the supermarket, I was ready to get cooking— and that’s what I did.
Within a few years, I was teaching Thai cooking classes and writing about Thai food for newspapers and magazines. Then came cookbooks, which led to my good fortune in meeting Nongkran Daks. I remember seeing her presentation on Thai cuisine at a conference for food professionals in Washington, DC, around ten years ago. I loved her energetic, generous, knowledgeable spirit and the way she brought the deeper story of Thai culture forward while offering tips on ingredients and apt points on technique. I bought her books and began to benefit from her knowledge personally, as she became my source on Thai language and classic and regional dishes which were unknown to me. Nong shared one of her recipes, a fantastic noodle dish from her Southern Thai tradition, allowing me to include it in one of my Thai cookbooks.
When I learned that Bobby Flay was heading to Nong’s lovely DC-area restaurant, Thai Basil, for one of his signature Throwdowns, I smiled. He knows his stuff, but nobody throws down Pad Thai like Nongkran Daks! I wisely placed my bets on my friend, who of course won the day. Visiting her restaurant is a treat for anyone, but for people like me, who long for the food we remember enjoying in Thailand, it is a particular delight. From her exquisite Chicken Wrapped in Pandan Leaves and Shrimp Soup with Coconut Milk and Thai Ginger, to her sublime Watercress Salad with Shrimp, Spicy Beef with Mint Leaves, and Roasted Duck Curry with Wild Eggplants and Tomatoes, Nong’s Thai menu transports her guests to Thailand for just a little while.
When Nong told me that she was working on this comprehensive book, I was thrilled and delighted for two reasons. One is that I love having Thai food known and shared, anywhere, anytime. I’m glad that Nong’s deep, unique lifetime of knowledge and mastery of her cuisine will be made available to the world. I’m also selfishly glad for myself, because I am still learning about this extraordinary, sparklingly unique, complex way of cooking. I cannot imagine a better guide, instructor, inspiration, and mentor for any of us who love Thai food and long to understand it, learn about it, and become fluent in its pleasures and delights.
Nong’s expertise stems from a lifetime spent in the Thai kitchen, literally beginning in her childhood and continuing to this day. She has cooked in Thailand, offered cooking classes, lectures and presentations, and headed up her own restaurant kitchens. She is also a mother who knows well the challenges of making meals for family at home. Given Nong’s family’s life, this has meant cooking around the world, including Bangkok, Taiwan, Pakse and Vientiane in Laos, Beijing, and her current home here in the US.
Whether you’re just beginning the journey or you are, like me, a longtime devotee of Thailand’s amazing cuisine, there’s never been a better time to learn about Thai cooking. Thai ingredients are available on the shelves of many supermarkets, and the recent profusion of Asian markets, huge Asian grocery stores, and homegrown Asian ingredients in farmer’s markets and CSA boxes makes it even easier.
I love Nongkran’s food, I love her restaurant, and I love the way she writes recipes and shares her wisdom with everyone who wants to learn what makes Thai cooking special and how to bring it home. We are lucky that she and Alexandra Greeley have made the time to write this splendid, beautiful, practical and delightful cookbook, so that we can enjoy Nong’s amazing Thai food at home.
At last, I can have Nong in the kitchen with me—and so can you.
NancieMcDermott
Author of Southern Pies: A Gracious
