Crofton Creek Press: Thai: Pure & Simple

t
Thai Pure & Simple

by Somnuk "Sandy" Arpachinda
with Bill Haney

Price: $15.00
ISBN: 0-9700917-3-7

In Thai Pure & Simple, Somnuk "Sandy" Arpachinda shares the secrets that have made her the "mother of Thai cooking" in Michigan. This exciting new book presents the recipes for dishes that have delighted thousands of regular customers to Sandy’s restaurants in the northern suburbs of Detroit.

Thai is the hottest cuisine in America, but home chefs are often put off by the techniques and ingredients needed to cook authentic Thai meals. In Thai Pure & Simple, Sandy has customized her recipes for home preparation. And she sprinkles these pages with a few dishes that are seldom if ever found on a restaurant menu. The result is more than one hundred recipes for the exotic, nutritious, and pleasing tastes of Thailand. And all can be made simply and quickly in your kitchen with ingredients that are readily available.

The book also includes descriptions of Thai ingredients, tips on how to use them, and nuggets of advice from a restaurateur who is an outstanding chef in her own right. Plus you’ll find insights into Thai traditions, legends, and history.

Thai Pure & Simple is certain to make it easy and enjoyable for you to prepare the same dishes you enjoy at your favorite Thai restaurant.

Author Somnuk "Sandy" Arpachinda and her husband, Montree, founded Bangkok Cuisine in 1983, introducing diners in metropolitan Detroit to the delights and taste thrills of Thai cuisine. Not only did Bangkok Cuisine become one of the most popular Thai restaurants in the Midwest, it spawned three additional Thai restaurants owned and managed by the Arpachinda family, including sons Pongrat ("Danny") and Rapeepat ("Rexy"). Sandy was born in Bangkok and learned Thai cooking in Thailand from master chefs.

Articles:
Somnuk Arpachinda, author of Thai Pure & Simple, was featured in a 3-page spread in Food section of the Detroit Free Press on March 12. This is a very comprehensive article by Sylvia Rector on Sandy that has a great deal of information on Thai food and cooking. Click here to see the article.

The Detroit News recently ran a very nice article by Molly Abraham on the Rexy Bangkok Cuisine restaurant that has just opened in Royal Oak, Michigan. This restaurant is run by Rexy Arpachinda, son of Somnuk Arpachinda, author of Thai Pure & Simple, and features many of the same recipes detailed in the book. Click here to see the article.

Enjoy this recipe from Thai Pure & Simple:

Pad Kra Tiem Prik Tai
Stir Fry with Garlic and Black Pepper

1 pound sliced chicken, beef, or pork (shrimp, if desired)
2 tablespoons roasted garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup water chestnuts, sliced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Brown Sauce (see below)

In a heavy skillet or wok, bring oil to medium low heat, add chopped garlic and cook until brown. Set garlic aside for later use.

Bring oil to medium high heat, add meat or shrimp and cook until done.

Add all other ingredients except roasted garlic and cook until mixture is done.

Add Brown Sauce, stirring in, and cook until mixture is hot.

Pour mixture onto a serving platter, top with sprinkled roasted garlic, and accompany with a serving bowl of white rice.

(Makes 2-4 servings)

Brown Sauce

1/4 cup mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 cup water

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until blended.

Thai Tips:
One important factor often overlooked in cooking at home is serving food quickly on warm plates. This can make a huge difference - and not just with Thai cuisine. Americans often serve up food on cold dishes or let the dished-up food sit before it is served and eaten. In a good Thai restaurant, the food is placed in front of the diner within two minutes of coming out of the wok.