Easy Thai Cookbook Review

I love Thai food, but cooking it not so much. It always seems so complicated so unless it comes in easy ready meal packets… I’ll only eat it when I visit some of my favourite Thai restaurants in London. But with the  Easy Thai Cookbook by Sallie Morris, this has changed my perception of cooking Thai food from scratch. Sallie Morris has written many books on South East Asian cooking. She lived in Malaysia for three years and travelled widely throughout the region, including several visits to Thailand where she gathered and met people involved in food markets, restaurants and homes. She is a member of the The Guild of Food Writers.

The recipes are really that simple so that even the beginner chef can make delicious Thai cuisine. Each recipe takes you step by step through the processes and ingredients, so you get a perfect result every time.

Part 1 of the book introduces you to the basics: ingredients, equipment, cooking methods.

Part 2 introduces the recipes. Remember, they’re easy, so they won’t be brimming with hard techniques and hard to find products. There are curries and stir fries, soup and salads, steams and bakes, barbecues and salads, and even desserts.

Part 3 shows you how to put the recipe together to create stunning meals, whether you want a filling bowl of noodles or to put a banquet together for friends and family.

 

There are over 70 step-by-step recipes, each accompanied by a full-colour photograps, 12 handy  menu plans with timings and a clear introduction to the equipment, techniques and ingredients.

My friends and I had a Thai cookout to try some of the recipes from the Easy Thai Cookbook. Favourites included the Baby Corn and Sugar Snaps with Ginger and Garlic (Pad Yod Kao Pod KabKhing), Stir-fry Chicken with Basil Leaves (Gai Pad BaiKaprow) and Prawn Satay (Goong Satay). The food was amazing. We’ve included these three receipes so you can see for yourself.

Baby Corn and Sugar Snaps with Ginger and Garlic (Pad Yod Kao Pod KabKhing)

Vibrantly coloured vegetables with zingy ginger and garlic flavours, which can be cooked and served in double-quick time. The oyster sauce adds a gloss and sophistication to these simple vegetables.

Serves 4 • Preparation time: 6–8 minutes

• Cooking time: 5 minutes

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2.5cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks

½ onion, finely sliced

115g/4oz baby corn, cut in half at an angle

115g/4oz sugar snap peas

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp sunflower oil

freshly ground black pepper

1 ASSEMBLE all the prepared vegetables next to the stove.

2 BLEND the oyster and fish sauces with 1 tbsp water in a bowl.

3 HEAT a wok before adding the oil. Allow to become hot, then toss in the garlic, ginger and onion, turning all the time so that the garlic does not brown and become bitter.

4 ADD the corn and sugar snap peas and toss well for 2 minutes, then pour in the sauce mixture. Cover with a lid and cook for 1 minute.

5 TOP with a little black pepper and serve on a warm serving dish

Stir-fry Chicken with Basil Leaves (Gai Pad BaiKaprow)

The chicken is wonderfully perfumed with fresh basil leaves, but the bird’s eye chillies add dragon-like fire. To be truly authentic, the fiendishly hot chillies should be simply crushed, but you may prefer to remove some of the seeds.

Serves 4 • Preparation time: 12–15 minutes

Cooking time: 8 minutes

1 small, finger-length red chilli, to garnish

4 tbsp sunflower oil

2 chicken breasts (175–200g/6–7oz each), boned and skinned and cut into neat, bite-size pieces

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, finely sliced

15 holy basil leaves

2–3 bird’s eye chillies, deseeded, if liked, and sliced or crushed

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp light brown sugar

1 MAKE a chilli flower following the instructions on page 26, leaving

it to soak in iced water while you prepare and cook the stir-fry.

2 ASSEMBLE all the ingredients.

3 HEAT a wok, add half the oil and, when hot, stir-fry the chicken pieces and garlic together. Stir-fry until the chicken pieces change colour and are cooked through. Remove from the wok and keep warm.

4 WIPE the wok with paper towels, then add the remaining oil and stir-fry the onion with most of the basil leaves and chillies for 3 minutes.

5 RETURN the chicken to the wok, add the fish sauce and sugar and

mix well.

6 TURN onto a hot serving dish and garnish with the chilli flower and remaining basil leaves. Serve at once.

Prawn Satay (Goong Satay)

Makes 16 • Preparation time: 10 minutes,

plus 30 minutes marinating time

Cooking time: 3–4 minutes

2 tsp sugar

6 coriander/cilantro stems, stalks only

1 garlic clove

1cm/½in piece fresh root ginger, peeled

and sliced

½ green chilli, deseeded and finely shredded

3 tbsp sunflower oil

16 large raw prawns/shrimp, heads removed,

peeled but tails left on

1 recipe quantity peanut sauce (see page 28),

to serve

lettuce leaves and chunks of cucumber, to

serve

1 SOAK 16 bamboo or wooden skewers in water to cover.

2 PLACE the sugar, coriander/cilantro stalks, garlic, ginger and chilli in a

mortar with the oil and use a pestle to pound to a fragrant paste. Pour

the paste over the prawns/shrimp, mix thoroughly and leave to marinate

for 30 minutes while you make the peanut sauce.

3 THREAD the prawns onto the soaked skewers. Place under a hot grill/

broiler until the prawns are pink and cooked, turning as necessary. Allow

about 3–4 minutes only.

4 SERVE with the peanut sauce and chunks of cucumber on a lettuce-lined

serving dish.

 

Easy Thai Cookbook by Sallie Morris was published on the 19th of July 2018 and is priced at only £14.99. The cookbook can be purchased from www.amazon.co.uk/Easy-Thai-Cookbook-Step-step

Written by Tegan LeBon

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