Chef Jane is a restauranteur, food educator, and former chef-owner of Bao Wow Restaurant in Portland. With a father who owns a Taiwanese restaurant and a mother who owned a Boba Tea shop, food and small business entrepreneurship have been in her blood since she was born. Her recipes stress the importance of tradition, but with modern flair with inspiration from pop culture, fashion, and media.
There's so much more to Thai cuisine than green curry and Pad Thai! Thailand is a beautiful country rich with luscious green, bountiful rivers, and vast fields that produce some of the most exceptional ingredients I've ever tasted. Mastering this cuisine requires respect for nature and emphasizing the best ingredients you have access to, even if that's picking the best produce from the grocery store.
My favorite cookbook author is David Thompson for his thorough and almost academic rigor in his writing. And his book Thai Food is pretty much the Holy Bible of Thai food! But he's not the only author to make my list; here are my top picks for the best Thai cookbooks.
Some readers might be put off by the authenticity. Because all recipes are true to their origin, some ingredients can be harder to source. But if you are looking to begin a deep study into authentic Thai cuisine, this is the book you need to read. If you're looking for a cookbook that's equally thorough but more approachable, try Thompson's other book Thai Street Food.
Ricker also has a second small book The Drinking Food of Thailand. I'd recommend getting Pok Pok first, but if you enjoy it and like his style, pick up this one next!
Hot Thai Kitchen is an excellent choice for beginners to Thai cuisine who are primarily looking for weeknight dinner recipes. You can also check out her YouTube channel.
I find that An's recipes showcase a true mastery of Thai food as his dishes are often an interpretation of the fundamentals. If you want truly traditional recipes, there are better candidates on this list. But if you want modern and elegant recipes from a world-famous Thai restaurant, this is the book for you.
I would actually recommend starting with her second book, but if you're more interested in the basic takeout and home-cooking style recipes, check out Simple Thai Food.
