Close Modal

Cooking Thai

Heritage and Modern Recipes from My Kitchen Notebooks

Through 100 stunning recipes, an award-winning chef shares her Thai culinary heritage, blending intriguing flavors, rich culture, and multi-hued stories.

“This book, like everything Pim does, is an indelible achievement. It’s just the guide I needed through every major category of Thai cuisine—from snacks all the way to desserts—but it’s also a lighthearted, easy-to-read narrative.”—Yotam Ottolenghi

After emigrating to America as an adult with a deep respect for the savors and traditions of her native country, Pim Techamuanvivit noticed assumptions around Thai cuisine being cheap or foreign. Driven to change that perception, she opened multiple Michelin-starred restaurants to celebrate the richness of Thai cuisine and her family’s culinary heritage. Cooking Thai presents a collection of Techamuanvivit’s best recipes and breaks down traditional Thai techniques with simple dishes and cultural insights, encouraging readers to craft their own Thai culinary journeys.

With an explanation of how to source core ingredients, home cooks will be whipping up incredible meals without a hitch. From deeply flavorful dishes like Grilled Shrimp and Lychee Salad and Massaman Curry with Beef Cheeks, Potatoes, and Burnt Shallots to Namprik Gapi Fried Rice and Kin Khao Wings, cooks of all abilities will have an abundance of delectable, sharable recipes at their fingertips.

Cooking Thai showcases Pim’s award-winning culinary prowess as she guides you through the landscape of Thai cuisine, helping you understand the veracity, complexity, and deliciousness it has to offer.
“Whether you’re curious about Thai cuisine or are a veteran in the Thai kitchen, this book will be a revelation. It’s a deep dive into the intricacies and delights of Thai food, chockful of important practical information and sparked with personal insights. Pim has long been a master of this cuisine, and in Cooking Thai we learn that she’s also a brilliant teacher. We’re lucky to be her students.”—Dorie Greenspan, food writer, baker, and cookbook author

“This book, like everything Pim does, is an indelible achievement. Cooking Thai is a rich piece of work—rich in every sense—blending memoir, pantry‑building, and an exhaustive recipe collection that immediately sucked me in.”—Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and cookbook author

“I’m buying a copy for every passionate eater I know.”—Ruth Reichl, food writer and author

“Every page of Cooking Thai abounds with warmth and generosity—pulsating flavors that invite us to the table, and intimate, poignant stories that compel us to stay. It is a real privilege to learn Thai cooking from Pim Techamuanvivit and her elders.”—Hetty Lui McKinnon, food writer and cookbook author

“In Cooking Thai, Pim shares her recipes with easy instructions (and substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients) so you can recreate her tantalizing dishes at home, no matter where you are.”—David Lebovitz, author of Ready for Dessert, My Paris Kitchen, Drinking French, and The Great Book of Chocolate

“I’ve been lucky to enjoy Pim Techamuanvivit’s cooking for more than twenty years, including some of the best tasting meals I can remember. I’ve cooked my way through over a dozen of the recipes, and the resulting meals are arguably the best (and most exciting) cooking to come out of my kitchen in memory.”—Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking

“In Cooking Thai, Pim Techamuanvivit captures the living, breathing soul of Thai food—its heritage dishes, its bold modern expressions, and the ingredient intelligence that makes it all sing. Drawing from decades of kitchen notebooks and family traditions, she guides you through curries, salads, stir-fries, noodles, and more with the rigor of a chef and the warmth of a storyteller.”—J. Kenji López-Alt, author of The Food Lab, The Wok, and Every Night is Pizza Night

“This is a wonderfully creative and engaging Thai cookbook—one that’s truly hard to put down once you start reading. The book is perfect for both home cooks and professionals alike, offering clever tips for cooking abroad—especially when certain ingredients are harder to find outside of Thailand.”—Earl Ninsom, chef/cofounder of Langbaan, EEM, Yaowarat, and James Beard Award Outstanding Restaurant Winner

“This book is definitive. It shows that great Thai cooking is about fundamentals, which she lays out for us so simply. It’s quite thrilling what you can cook from a little book like this.”—Justin Pichetrungsi, James Beard Award–winning chef of Anajak Thai

Cooking Thai is a down-to-earth, candid, practical guide, always alert to the cook’s step-by-step experience, and offering alternatives and adjustments and reassurance just in case unfamiliar ingredients are hard to find or don’t behave.”—Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, Nose Dive, and Keys to Good Cooking

Pim Techamuanvivit has fearlessly pushed boundaries, as noted by the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Food and Wine, and many others. Born and bred in Bangkok, Pim’s longing for the flavors from her childhood drove her to give up a thriving career in Silicon Valley for the restaurant business. Her first project, Kin Khao in San Francisco, received a Michelin star in its second year. Nari in San Francisco and Nahm in Bangkok followed suit. Having successfully sustained Michelin stars and other awards on both sides of the Pacific while also maintaining cancer remission and navigating the global pandemic, Pim is now energized to advance the understanding of Thai cuisine by sharing her knowledge in printed, bound form. Cooking Thai showcases Pim’s culinary prowess as she deftly guides you through the landscape of Thai cuisine, helping you understand the veracity, complexity, and deliciousness it has to offer.

Andrea Nguyen is a culinary bridge builder, leading authority on Asian cuisines, and award-winning author. She has written seven acclaimed cookbooks, including The Pho Cookbook and Ever-Green Vietnamese, which won awards from the James Beard Foundation and International Association of Culinary Professionals. Cooking Thai is her first book collaboration project. A former Saveur contributing editor and Cooking Light columnist, Andrea has also contributed articles and developed recipes for Food & Wine, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Andrea resides in Santa Cruz, California, where she writes, blogs, teaches, and podcasts — a dream life that she could have never imagined when she and her family fled Vietnam in 1975.

About

Through 100 stunning recipes, an award-winning chef shares her Thai culinary heritage, blending intriguing flavors, rich culture, and multi-hued stories.

“This book, like everything Pim does, is an indelible achievement. It’s just the guide I needed through every major category of Thai cuisine—from snacks all the way to desserts—but it’s also a lighthearted, easy-to-read narrative.”—Yotam Ottolenghi

After emigrating to America as an adult with a deep respect for the savors and traditions of her native country, Pim Techamuanvivit noticed assumptions around Thai cuisine being cheap or foreign. Driven to change that perception, she opened multiple Michelin-starred restaurants to celebrate the richness of Thai cuisine and her family’s culinary heritage. Cooking Thai presents a collection of Techamuanvivit’s best recipes and breaks down traditional Thai techniques with simple dishes and cultural insights, encouraging readers to craft their own Thai culinary journeys.

With an explanation of how to source core ingredients, home cooks will be whipping up incredible meals without a hitch. From deeply flavorful dishes like Grilled Shrimp and Lychee Salad and Massaman Curry with Beef Cheeks, Potatoes, and Burnt Shallots to Namprik Gapi Fried Rice and Kin Khao Wings, cooks of all abilities will have an abundance of delectable, sharable recipes at their fingertips.

Cooking Thai showcases Pim’s award-winning culinary prowess as she guides you through the landscape of Thai cuisine, helping you understand the veracity, complexity, and deliciousness it has to offer.

Praise

“Whether you’re curious about Thai cuisine or are a veteran in the Thai kitchen, this book will be a revelation. It’s a deep dive into the intricacies and delights of Thai food, chockful of important practical information and sparked with personal insights. Pim has long been a master of this cuisine, and in Cooking Thai we learn that she’s also a brilliant teacher. We’re lucky to be her students.”—Dorie Greenspan, food writer, baker, and cookbook author

“This book, like everything Pim does, is an indelible achievement. Cooking Thai is a rich piece of work—rich in every sense—blending memoir, pantry‑building, and an exhaustive recipe collection that immediately sucked me in.”—Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and cookbook author

“I’m buying a copy for every passionate eater I know.”—Ruth Reichl, food writer and author

“Every page of Cooking Thai abounds with warmth and generosity—pulsating flavors that invite us to the table, and intimate, poignant stories that compel us to stay. It is a real privilege to learn Thai cooking from Pim Techamuanvivit and her elders.”—Hetty Lui McKinnon, food writer and cookbook author

“In Cooking Thai, Pim shares her recipes with easy instructions (and substitutions for hard-to-find ingredients) so you can recreate her tantalizing dishes at home, no matter where you are.”—David Lebovitz, author of Ready for Dessert, My Paris Kitchen, Drinking French, and The Great Book of Chocolate

“I’ve been lucky to enjoy Pim Techamuanvivit’s cooking for more than twenty years, including some of the best tasting meals I can remember. I’ve cooked my way through over a dozen of the recipes, and the resulting meals are arguably the best (and most exciting) cooking to come out of my kitchen in memory.”—Heidi Swanson, author of Super Natural Cooking

“In Cooking Thai, Pim Techamuanvivit captures the living, breathing soul of Thai food—its heritage dishes, its bold modern expressions, and the ingredient intelligence that makes it all sing. Drawing from decades of kitchen notebooks and family traditions, she guides you through curries, salads, stir-fries, noodles, and more with the rigor of a chef and the warmth of a storyteller.”—J. Kenji López-Alt, author of The Food Lab, The Wok, and Every Night is Pizza Night

“This is a wonderfully creative and engaging Thai cookbook—one that’s truly hard to put down once you start reading. The book is perfect for both home cooks and professionals alike, offering clever tips for cooking abroad—especially when certain ingredients are harder to find outside of Thailand.”—Earl Ninsom, chef/cofounder of Langbaan, EEM, Yaowarat, and James Beard Award Outstanding Restaurant Winner

“This book is definitive. It shows that great Thai cooking is about fundamentals, which she lays out for us so simply. It’s quite thrilling what you can cook from a little book like this.”—Justin Pichetrungsi, James Beard Award–winning chef of Anajak Thai

Cooking Thai is a down-to-earth, candid, practical guide, always alert to the cook’s step-by-step experience, and offering alternatives and adjustments and reassurance just in case unfamiliar ingredients are hard to find or don’t behave.”—Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, Nose Dive, and Keys to Good Cooking

Author

Pim Techamuanvivit has fearlessly pushed boundaries, as noted by the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Food and Wine, and many others. Born and bred in Bangkok, Pim’s longing for the flavors from her childhood drove her to give up a thriving career in Silicon Valley for the restaurant business. Her first project, Kin Khao in San Francisco, received a Michelin star in its second year. Nari in San Francisco and Nahm in Bangkok followed suit. Having successfully sustained Michelin stars and other awards on both sides of the Pacific while also maintaining cancer remission and navigating the global pandemic, Pim is now energized to advance the understanding of Thai cuisine by sharing her knowledge in printed, bound form. Cooking Thai showcases Pim’s culinary prowess as she deftly guides you through the landscape of Thai cuisine, helping you understand the veracity, complexity, and deliciousness it has to offer.

Andrea Nguyen is a culinary bridge builder, leading authority on Asian cuisines, and award-winning author. She has written seven acclaimed cookbooks, including The Pho Cookbook and Ever-Green Vietnamese, which won awards from the James Beard Foundation and International Association of Culinary Professionals. Cooking Thai is her first book collaboration project. A former Saveur contributing editor and Cooking Light columnist, Andrea has also contributed articles and developed recipes for Food & Wine, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Andrea resides in Santa Cruz, California, where she writes, blogs, teaches, and podcasts — a dream life that she could have never imagined when she and her family fled Vietnam in 1975.