That you have gotten so far into this book likely indicates that you are no stranger to Thai food and that you have a more-than-casual interest in doing some real Thai cooking. If so, read on, for this book presents recipes for a generous selection of dishes as they are prepared by and for Thais themselves. In particular, the recipes represent the cuisine of Bangkok, probably the most varied in the country.

    The recipes have been developed and refined by a leading expert on Thai cookery, Sisamon Kongpan, a home economist educated in Thailand and the United State, who currently teaches at the Department of Home Economics of the Institute of Technology and Vocational Education in Bangkok, a post she has held since 1974. Sisamon has spent a considerable part of her career in her cookery laboratory, where one of her major concerns has been systematizing the “pinch-of-this-dash-of-that” sort of measurement so typical of traditional Thai cookery. In her more than three decades as a teacher, Sisamon has had thousands of students, some from far away as Japan and America, and she has reached many more through her video tape and her publications. She is the author of more than ten cookbooks on Thai as well as other cuisine and contributes regularly to the cooking pages of leadind magazines and newspaper. Her recipes are thus accurate and thoroughly tested.
            
    Here at the outset it is well to say something about certain procedures used in preparation of the dishes. The object of much Thai cookery is to produce something to be eaten with rice. It is rice, after all, that for thousands of years has supported the peoples of the river valleys that today comprise Thailand. Rice provides the wherewithal for life; other foods make eating rice more enjoyable and interesting. Now, to be eaten with rice, a food should, first, be in a form such that it can be mixed with rice easily, and secondly, be extremely flavorful so as to be tasty after being diluted by mixing with rice. Consequently, to facilitate mixing and to release their full flavor, many ingredients are cut into small pieces or pounded to paste
                  
    For cutting, an assortment of knives and a sturdy chopping block, often a section of the trunk of a tamarind tree, are standard equipment. It is with a knife and the block that chopped meats are made. Although if you wish, you may use a meat grinder or purchase ground meats at the butcher’s. Also note that in some of the recipes in this book, the quantities of such ingredients as the ginger, lemongrass, and coriander root are given in spoonful, and so these must be sliced up into small pieces in order to be measured.
                     
    Pounding is done with mortar and pestle. Inexpensive but serviceable glazed earthenware mortars are used with hardwood pestles. More lasting is a mortar and pestle of stone, for the stone remains smooth and easy to clean. A disadvantage of stone is the weight, and so it is wise to consider carefully your actual needs, and then to buy the smallest stone mortar that will meet them. When available, an electric blender can undertake much of the work of the mortar and pestle.
                     
    Prior to pounding, some ingredients are roasted to soften them, to dry them so they crumble more easily, or to release flavor and aroma. Roasting is typically done over a bed of coals. Large items can be placed on a gridiron over the coals. Smaller items such as shallots or chillies are impaled on bamboo skewers and then placed on the gridiron. Seeds, such as coriander and cumin seeds and also peanuts, are parched, or pan roasted: they are placed in a dry frying pan (kra-tha) over low heat and continually stirred with a spatula until done. In all roasting, a low heat and regular turning are necessary to ensure that the items are evenly heated throughout. When available, an oven can be used for roasting.
                     
    Once ingredients are prepared, they are often combined in a frying pan. The frying pan (kra-tha) has a round, rather than a flat, bottom. Because of the curvature, most of the oil collects in a pool, so relatively little oil need be put in the pan to obtain a good depth of hot oil to fry spices, meats, and other ingredients. This pool, however, is small, so the ingredients must be continually moved through it. Consequently, frying often requires constant stirring and turning with a spatula. Since the pan is curved, the spatula (ta-lio) has a curved scraping edge, and since it is used to dip up sauces, it is best if it is shaped like a shovel, with a solid blade (no perforations) and upturned margins.
                     
    One final piece of equipment found in Thai kitchens is a steamer (lang-thueng), which includes a wide pot with a high-domed lid and one or more trays that can be stacked up above the pot. The rims of the pot, the tray(s), and the lid all fit one another so as to hold steam reasonably well, and care should be taken in handling and storage lest the rims become deformed. Once steaming has begun, it should not be interrupted until the food is done; therefore, there should be an adequate supply of water in the pot. It is recommended that the pot be filled three-quarters full and then heated. While the water is heating, the food can be arranged in the steamer tray(s). When the water boils, the heat may be reduced; however, a good volume of steam should continue to be evolved. The tray(s) may then be fitted to the pot, covered with the lid, and the food allowed to steam. At the end of steaming, the lid is removed, then the trays are removed and separated, and the food is allowed to cool as necessary. The steamer may then be reloaded, first checking that there is adequate water in the pot.
                  
    The remainder of this introduction is a listing of some of the ingredients used in the recipes. The primary purpose is to specify the meaning of the English name used in the recipes for some ingredients by giving the name of that ingredient in Thai. It is hoped that this will assist in locating ingredients in Thai food stores and markets

Main Dish
- Shrimp in Sauce
- Three-Flavored Spareribs
- Two Colored Shrimp Balls
, etc.

Single Dish
- Papaya Salad
- Sweet Fried Dried Beef
- Coconut Rice and Som Tam
, etc.

Sweets & Juice
- Compressed Sticky Rice with Banana
- Golden Dumplings
- Golden Drops
, etc.