You gotta love it – any cookbook that is called, “No Stress”, “2 Ingredients”, “A Meal in a Moment” or “No Cooking Cookbook”. This book truly is Stylish Thai in Minutes and it had my vote before I even opened the cover. I love cooking but I don’t want to spend all my time in the kitchen. A bit of time in the dining room is my goal!
Vatcharin Bhumichitr is probably one of the UK’s most celebrated Thai restaurateurs and authors. His career started in the 70s and he has gone from strength to strength with various food-related projects. He is well respected within the industry and his books are always well received.
Stylish Thai in Minutes is a large-format and sumptuous book with Martin Brigdale and Somachi Phongphaisarnkit supplying the photographs. This collaboration has also produced stunning results for others of Vatch’s cookbooks. There are over 120 recipes that will encourage you to try this marvellously attractive and flavourful cuisine.
Thai food is becoming more popular in the UK. There are many more restaurants and ingredients are more readily available than ever. Thailand has become a popular tourist destination. Those same tourists want to make authentic Thai food at home and Vatcharin Bhumichitr is an authentic Thai cookbook author.
The dishes are divided by type. The chapters start with Appetisers and Snacks and continue through Salads and Soups, Curries and Main Dishes, Noodles and Rice, to Fruit, Desserts and Drinks. The recipes are clear and easy to follow with both cooking and preparation times indicated. Apart from the recipes there are stunning pictures and articles about Thai culture and arts. Vatch’s pride in his homeland is evident.
But it’s the food you are most interested in. The thought of meals that take 30 minutes or less to prepare will have already caught your attention. There is nothing here that is either difficult or time-consuming but the food is uncompromising in its deliciousness.
Heavenly Beef (Nua Sawan) only has five ingredients and takes five minutes to cook. OK, so the meat needs to marinade for an hour but you don’t need to keep it company. Vatch says that in Thailand after marinating the meat is left in the sun for a day to dry. That might be difficult to do in the UK!
Pork with Garlic and Peppercorns is spicy and hot from the pepper rather than the usual chillies. You will love this one, dear reader! Only 3 minutes preparation time and 5 minutes cooking time and it does look stylish.
Stylish Thai in Minutes is a gentle introduction to Thai cooking and I’ll be delving into its lovely pages often.
Stylish Thai in Minutes
Author: Vatcharin Bhumichitr
Published by: Kyle Cathie
Price: £14.99
ISBN 978-1-85626-537-9
Cookbook review by Chrissie Walker © 2018
See more books by Vatcharin Bhumichitr here