Why buy it?
Revealing the recipes behind the fast and fiery dishes that fly off the table at his popular quintet of Sydney Thai restaurants, Spice I Am, chef, owner and author Sujet Saenkham shares the traditional food he grew up with in this vibrant cookbook that reignites Thai cuisine. Far from the lacklustre takeaway offered from your local Thai joint, Sujet’s flavour-packed recipes showcase the regional food throughout the country, taught to him by his mother, grandmother and in-laws. These homestyle dishes are rich, herby and smack with authentic flavour and mouth-numbing heat.
Intrepid food lovers will relish exploring this intense and diverse cuisine, from the coconut-heavy dishes of Suet’s home in Central Thailand, to the turmeric flavoured seafood feasts in the South, Sujet offers something new to learn and carefully adapts each recipe to work within the Australian home. Fry up kra prao gai sap (basil minced chicken) for an effortless midweek meal or warm up with aromatic soups or blazing curries, like tom ha gai (chicken, coconut and galangal soup) or gaeng pla bak cha pru (southern-style fish curry with betel leaves). The bright and colourful design and detailed photography come together to form an essential beacon on your bookshelf.
Cookability
Thai cooking is famously fast. Flash-fried, quickly grilled or simply thrown into a pot to simmer and stew, Sujet’s recipes are ideal weeknight meals. A quick trip to your local Asian grocer to pick up the freshest herbs, spices and aromatics will ensure the sweet and sour pungency hits at first bite.
Thai cooking is famously fast. Flash-fried, quickly grilled or simply thrown into a pot to simmer and stew, Sujet’s recipes are ideal weeknight meals. A quick trip to your local Asian grocer to pick up the freshest herbs, spices and aromatics will ensure the sweet and sour pungency hits at first bite.
Must-cook recipe
Spend a little longer in the kitchen to make gaeng kea wanna nua toun (slow-cooked beef and eggplant curry). After simmering for the better part of an afternoon, tender, fall-apart beef is thrown together in a vibrant green coconut curry with apple and pea eggplants, basil, lime leaves and, of course, those requisite shards of chilli.
Most surprising dish
Delicate and textural, yum hua plee (banana flower salad) is a unique dish to add to your salad stockpile. Coconut chicken is tossed with fine strands of banana flower heart and mixed together with sweet chilli jam, fish sauce and sour tamarind for a completely balanced dish.
Kitchen wisdom
Whip up Sujet’s curry pastes in advance to make dinner ready in a flash. They’ll last for up to two months in the freezer.
Ideal for
Those desperate to fire up their weeknight meals with exciting Thai fare and leave that stack of takeaway menus out for recycling.
Cook the book
Chicken and lemongrass salad Source: Rob Palmer
Stir-fried vermicelli with bean curd Source: Rob Palmer
Prawns with tamarind sauce Source: Rob Palmer
Chicken, coconut and galangal soup Source: Rob Palmer
