Everyday Thai Cooking. Katie Chin

      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.

      The Joys of Thai Cooking

      Bold. Exotic. Diverse. Pungent. Sweet. Sour. Salty. Hot. Sometimes bitter. Crunchy. Bright. Fragrant. Soothing. Unique. Alive. All these words and more come to mind when I think of Thai food.

      My love affair with Thai food began when I was in high school growing up in Minnesota under the tutelage of my famous chef/restaurateur mother, Leeann Chin. I grew up learning the fundamentals of Chinese cuisine: stir-frying, steaming, grilling, deep-frying, creating velvety sauces and intricate dumplings. My culinary worldview was a Cantonese one.

      Then one day that all changed. My mother took me to Arun’s Gourmet Thai Restaurant in Chicago when we went to visit my brother, Bill, who was earning his PhD in mathematics and, suddenly, my taste buds exploded with aromatic essences, piquant flavors, and abundant textures from our eight-course meal.

      Chinese cuisine has had a major influence on Thai cooking. The threads of Chinese techniques and flavors are ever so delicately woven into Thai dishes that I felt an homage to my Chinese heritage with each bite. I was impassioned by the exciting flavors I was experiencing: my first sip of Tom Yum Soup, the crunch of the roasted rice powder in the Larb, the spike of chilies in the Chicken with Thai Chili and Basil and the sour, sweet tangy satisfaction from my first taste of Pad Thai. Finally, the cooling sensation of a mango shake tempered the thrill of culinary sensations I was encountering for the first time.

      After leaving my career as a film and television marketing executive to follow my culinary dreams, I formed Double Happiness Catering and was excited to put my love of bold and exotic Thai flavors to the test in my pan-Asian catering kitchen. Soon I was mincing lemongrass for Thai steamed mussels, simmering large pots of Thai curries and threading pounds of chicken for satays with spicy peanut sauce. My clients went wild and my culinary world view was forever broadened.

      Being aware of my love for Thai food, my husband whisked me off to Thailand for our honeymoon. What an amazing guy! We set forth on our culinary odyssey with open hearts, minds, and palates. We strolled around Bangkok sampling all that Thai street food has to offer, from satays and crispy spring rolls to steaming bowls of noodles and Som Yum Salad. We rented a jeep and traveled along the Mae Hong Son Pass from Chiang Mai sampling this region’s famous Burmese style cooking. We traveled over to the Northeastern province of Issan where we sampled melt-in-your-mouth Shaking Beef (page 81) and delicate rice paper summer rolls influenced by the Vietnamese immigrant population. Heading south, we spent the tail end of our trip island hopping to Phuket, Koh Samui, Pi Pi, and Krabi. There, we were treated to seafood that was so fresh it felt like it was jumping onto our plates from the sea—from crispy whole fish topped with spicy garlic-chili sauces to

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