Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I felt the need to write a review of this book based on some of the other reviews, which I read when debating whether to purchase this book and which nearly led me to purchase something else. After receiving and using this cookbook, I really feel that some of the negative reviews were unfair. For clarification, let's start off with what this book isn't - a comprehensive, 100% authentic review of Thai.cuisine. This is not the Thai version of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". If you a) are cooking for your Thai grandmother or b) want to exactly re-create the meal you enjoyed at that noodle shop in Bangkok and are willing and able to go to all the related trouble, this book is not for you. And that's totally okay. That said, if you're considering a book titled "Quick and easy Thai", you are probably someone who is willing to trade at least some measure of authenticity for ease of preparation. That is exactly what this book aims to do. The author readily admits when and where she alters the original recipes to save time or because a traditional ingredient is very difficult to find in the US. For those of you who have grown up in Western countries and have only enjoyed Thai food in Western restaurants, chances are you won't be able to detect the difference. I certainly cannot, and being able to create Thai food at home with a minimum of difficulty is more important to me at this stage of my life (busy with a toddler who has very little patience to wait for dinner). In the future, when my children are older, I would love to spend a little more time and create truly authentic-tasting Thai food. Until then, this book is perfect. By the way, I have tried four recipes so far from this book - the massaman, green chicken, and red shrimp curries, and the Chiang Mai noodles. All were delicious. The Massaman curry is scrumptious and mild enough to serve to children (this is normal for a Massaman curry) and the Chiang Mai noodles are out of this world. One additional note: I have tried Thai recipes using American brand as well as Thai brand curry pastes. I find Thai brands to be more flavorful and significantly more spicy. If this appeals to you, I think Amazon carries some brands of Thai curry pastes such as Maesri. I recommend seeking them out. I highly recommend this book as an introduction to Thai cooking for anyone with a love of Thai food but limited time or access to ingredients. In fact, even if you can access the more authentic ingredients but have limited time/knowledge to put them together, this is the book for you. Simply substitute better ingredients where the author recommends it, and you will have a wealth of tasty Thai weeknight meals at your fingertips.