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Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand [A Cookbook]
A guide to bold, authentic Thai cooking from Andy Ricker, the chef and owner of the wildly popular and widely lauded Pok Pok restaurants.
After decades spent traveling throughout Thailand, Andy Ricker wanted to bring the country's famed street food stateside. In 2005 he opened Pok Pok, so named for the sound a pestle makes when it strikes a clay mortar, in an old shack in a residential neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Ricker's traditional take on Thai food soon drew the notice of the New York Times and Gourmet magazine, establishing him as a culinary star. Now, with his first cookbook, Ricker tackles head-on the myths that keep people from making Thai food at that it's too spicy for the American palate or too difficult to source ingredients. Fifty knockout recipes for simple and delicious Thai dishes range from Grilled Pork Collar with Spicy Dipping Sauce and Iced Greens to Andy's now-famous Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. Including a primer in Thai techniques and flavor profiles, with tips for modifying local produce to mimic Thai flavors, Pok Pok makes authentic Thai food accessible to any home cook.
After decades spent traveling throughout Thailand, Andy Ricker wanted to bring the country's famed street food stateside. In 2005 he opened Pok Pok, so named for the sound a pestle makes when it strikes a clay mortar, in an old shack in a residential neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. Ricker's traditional take on Thai food soon drew the notice of the New York Times and Gourmet magazine, establishing him as a culinary star. Now, with his first cookbook, Ricker tackles head-on the myths that keep people from making Thai food at that it's too spicy for the American palate or too difficult to source ingredients. Fifty knockout recipes for simple and delicious Thai dishes range from Grilled Pork Collar with Spicy Dipping Sauce and Iced Greens to Andy's now-famous Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. Including a primer in Thai techniques and flavor profiles, with tips for modifying local produce to mimic Thai flavors, Pok Pok makes authentic Thai food accessible to any home cook.
700 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
297 people are currently reading
2163 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
August 28, 2014
Good, although not as enjoyable as I'd hoped. I always find it off-putting when cookbook authors "other" the cuisine with repeated warnings about how unfamiliar, foreign, scary, etc the food is to you, the reader. I know I grew up in an area with an unusually high mix of different ethnicities, but are most people really that scared of "foreign" food? Okay, maybe they are. But for me personally it was annoying and I felt like interrupting to say, "Look, I've had Thai food before, okay?"
Aesthetically, I did not like the font and layout choices. The small print and fact that most recipes began on one page and continued on the reverse are inconvenient if one wishes to use the book while cooking. Most experienced cookbook authors or publishers make an effort to arrange recipes so that a cook can see the full ingredients and instructions at once, for ease of use. Ricker seems to have gone out of his way to break up the entries.
However, the food looks good and Ricker obviously cares about it. I would certainly eat at his restaurant. I even suspect that I'd like him as a person. In fact, I think I'd probably like him better than David Thompson, who sounds like he might be nitpicky and monomaniacal in person. But if you're only getting one book on authentic Thai cooking, definitely get Thompson's rather than this one.
Aesthetically, I did not like the font and layout choices. The small print and fact that most recipes began on one page and continued on the reverse are inconvenient if one wishes to use the book while cooking. Most experienced cookbook authors or publishers make an effort to arrange recipes so that a cook can see the full ingredients and instructions at once, for ease of use. Ricker seems to have gone out of his way to break up the entries.
However, the food looks good and Ricker obviously cares about it. I would certainly eat at his restaurant. I even suspect that I'd like him as a person. In fact, I think I'd probably like him better than David Thompson, who sounds like he might be nitpicky and monomaniacal in person. But if you're only getting one book on authentic Thai cooking, definitely get Thompson's rather than this one.
October 4, 2013
Title: Pok Pok - Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand
Author: Andy Ricker & JJ Goode
Illustrator: Austin Bush
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Published: 10-29-2013
ISBN: 13-978-1-60774-288-3
E-Book ASIN: B00CNQ9SB6
Pages: 304
Genre: Food & Wine
Tags: Cooking, Hobbies
I personally enjoy cooking foods from other cultures, yet when it came to Thai food I bought into the belief that getting the ingredients to make some of the more savory dishes I had at restaurants was next to impossible. Pok Pok literally poked holes in that belief with the simple premise, don't make the dish where a specific exotic ingredients are required. By using the recipes collected from a wide variety of sources that uses ingredients that are much more accessible in the US I can now make these tasty dishes in my own kitchen. Luckily the list of specialized equipment is provided, much of which you probably have if you do much Asian cooking. Pok Pok also provides pictures of many of the ingredients you will be using and the best place you will be able to locate them.
Learn about the different regions of Thailand and the history of the most commonly used equipment. Salads being my favorites I was eager to try Neua Naam Tok, Isaan Flank Steak Salad, and it was delicious. Noodle dishes are quite predominant in Thai cooking. You have to try Stir-Fried Yunnan Ham with Chiles. I was surprised how well it turned out. An unusual dish but if you just look at the picture you will know why I could not pass up on trying Thai-Style Ice Cream Sandwiches. One of the best things about this book is that a quick Bio of the person who provided the dishes. They are very informative.
Do not miss your chance to pick up your copy of Pok Pok.
I was given an Advance Reader Copy of Pok Pok in exchange for my honest review.
Author: Andy Ricker & JJ Goode
Illustrator: Austin Bush
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Published: 10-29-2013
ISBN: 13-978-1-60774-288-3
E-Book ASIN: B00CNQ9SB6
Pages: 304
Genre: Food & Wine
Tags: Cooking, Hobbies
I personally enjoy cooking foods from other cultures, yet when it came to Thai food I bought into the belief that getting the ingredients to make some of the more savory dishes I had at restaurants was next to impossible. Pok Pok literally poked holes in that belief with the simple premise, don't make the dish where a specific exotic ingredients are required. By using the recipes collected from a wide variety of sources that uses ingredients that are much more accessible in the US I can now make these tasty dishes in my own kitchen. Luckily the list of specialized equipment is provided, much of which you probably have if you do much Asian cooking. Pok Pok also provides pictures of many of the ingredients you will be using and the best place you will be able to locate them.
Learn about the different regions of Thailand and the history of the most commonly used equipment. Salads being my favorites I was eager to try Neua Naam Tok, Isaan Flank Steak Salad, and it was delicious. Noodle dishes are quite predominant in Thai cooking. You have to try Stir-Fried Yunnan Ham with Chiles. I was surprised how well it turned out. An unusual dish but if you just look at the picture you will know why I could not pass up on trying Thai-Style Ice Cream Sandwiches. One of the best things about this book is that a quick Bio of the person who provided the dishes. They are very informative.
Do not miss your chance to pick up your copy of Pok Pok.
I was given an Advance Reader Copy of Pok Pok in exchange for my honest review.
July 30, 2015
Picked this up in a charity shop amongst others about Thai cuisine, presumably donated by the same person.
As it is priced only in US and Canadian Dollars I guess it's not sold in the UK.
Firstly a general criticism. Why, oh why, are so many cookbooks printed on such thick paper and with this one, such ridiculously thick covers. This, and the way in which it is bound, makes it impossible to open in anything like a flat position which you need if referring to it whilst cooking the recipe.
That said I enjoyed this cookbook.
The photographs are very useful in seeing what the finished article should look like in a dish in which you are unfamiliar. I also liked the Flavour Profile ( Flavor for Americans which my spell checker does not recognise! ) which tells you what the dish should taste like, i.e., sweet, sour, aromatic, salty etc.
It's not the best Thai cookbook I have, those written by Thai chefs are better, but this is more user friendly and uses only ingredients and recipes that are obtainable in any decent Thai store which luckily I have in my home town.
One thing did surprise me, under Equipment he recommends a flat bottomed Wok, contrary to everybody else who uses the normal round bottomed type. Even more surprising the photo illustrating Equipment clearly shows the latter !
As it is priced only in US and Canadian Dollars I guess it's not sold in the UK.
Firstly a general criticism. Why, oh why, are so many cookbooks printed on such thick paper and with this one, such ridiculously thick covers. This, and the way in which it is bound, makes it impossible to open in anything like a flat position which you need if referring to it whilst cooking the recipe.
That said I enjoyed this cookbook.
The photographs are very useful in seeing what the finished article should look like in a dish in which you are unfamiliar. I also liked the Flavour Profile ( Flavor for Americans which my spell checker does not recognise! ) which tells you what the dish should taste like, i.e., sweet, sour, aromatic, salty etc.
It's not the best Thai cookbook I have, those written by Thai chefs are better, but this is more user friendly and uses only ingredients and recipes that are obtainable in any decent Thai store which luckily I have in my home town.
One thing did surprise me, under Equipment he recommends a flat bottomed Wok, contrary to everybody else who uses the normal round bottomed type. Even more surprising the photo illustrating Equipment clearly shows the latter !
January 25, 2014
This is my new favourite cookbook and hands down my new favourite Thai cookbook.
I've always been a fan of David Thompson's books, but I find his recipes to be quite complicated and time consuming. I'm so happy to have found a cookbook that is easy to follow and has so many of my favourite Thai recipes in it. I didn't think I'd be able to eat like this again unless I went back to Bangkok (oh how I miss kuaytiaw). Of course it isn't quite the same without the heat, the noise, the not always so pleasant vast array of smells - the almost sensory overload that is the experience of Bangkok street food, but it is the closest I'm going to get here in South Australia (tip: in my experience, cranking some Bodyslam always makes you feel a little bit closer to Thailand).
Admittedly, some of the recipes are time consuming in that you need to prepare pastes, stocks etc, but once you have made them, you can stick portions in your freezer making future cook ups a breeze.
Highlights:
Muu Sateh (Pork Satay)
Khao Tom (Thai Rice Soup)
Kaeng Jeut Wun Sen (Bland Soup with Glass Noodles)
I've always been a fan of David Thompson's books, but I find his recipes to be quite complicated and time consuming. I'm so happy to have found a cookbook that is easy to follow and has so many of my favourite Thai recipes in it. I didn't think I'd be able to eat like this again unless I went back to Bangkok (oh how I miss kuaytiaw). Of course it isn't quite the same without the heat, the noise, the not always so pleasant vast array of smells - the almost sensory overload that is the experience of Bangkok street food, but it is the closest I'm going to get here in South Australia (tip: in my experience, cranking some Bodyslam always makes you feel a little bit closer to Thailand).
Admittedly, some of the recipes are time consuming in that you need to prepare pastes, stocks etc, but once you have made them, you can stick portions in your freezer making future cook ups a breeze.
Highlights:
Muu Sateh (Pork Satay)
Khao Tom (Thai Rice Soup)
Kaeng Jeut Wun Sen (Bland Soup with Glass Noodles)
Read
April 7, 2014Made, among other things, Kung Op Wun Sen (shrimp and glass noodles baked in a clay pot) and stir-fried water spinach. Although part of the joy in cooking from this book is in buying the various hard-to-find ingredients, contrary to what Ricker says it isn't the end of the world if you omit one of them, or even use a substitution. I did not cook the Kung Op Wun Sen in a tao, for example. Ricker grudgingly admits in the text that you can use a gas stovetop, and I'll tell you that you won't get the smoky flavors you'd get with a tao, but a Dutch oven will still result in a really nice dish. Don't, however, omit the various dipping sauces he recommends, because the condiments are just as good, and even better than the main dishes in some cases. For example the dipping sauce for the shrimp is really tasty and potent.
Also: if you really like pounding stuff with a mortar and pestle, you're in luck, because I did a lot of that to make the spice pastes. Maybe a good book to cook from when you're angry?
Also: if you really like pounding stuff with a mortar and pestle, you're in luck, because I did a lot of that to make the spice pastes. Maybe a good book to cook from when you're angry?
August 11, 2018
Insufferable white dude pedantry about “authentic Thai food” amidst some impressive, delicious, and impossibly difficult recipes. I have no doubt that this is well-researched and largely accurate representation of the flavors, methods, and even the spirit of Thai cooking, even in instances where we see a version or a take on something traditional, but the voice— at once long-suffering, admonishing, and holier-than-thou— was the worst of mansplaining blather. Sorry, Pok Pok— I’d rather eat bastardized pad Thai with a real Thai human and laugh about it than suffer this joyless lesson in what’s “authentic” according to you.
June 5, 2014
4-4.5 -- i have yet to visit the restaurant, but i thought this was a really beautifully done book. i still feel intimidated by making authentic thai food, but the photographs were amazing, and i mentally ate everything, picking out the meaty bits. mmmmm. i also liked his stories and approach. definitely one i'd consider for my cookbook library-- i really like books that go in depth into specific cuisines!
January 21, 2014
incredibly authentic, and so i will never be able to make one of these recipes. the author plumly states his recipes are not to be tampered with, so unless you are willing to commit to buying your shriveled limes and your galangal root from internet purveyors, this book is a long (but colorful and enriching) f you to home cooks. recommended.
August 2, 2016
Fun! But I will never make anything from this cookbook. I'd rather go out for Thai than go shopping for hard-to-find-in-America ingredients. And any excuse to go to Pok Pok makes me happy.
November 13, 2019
I feel many of the reviews of this book come from those who may not have much experience with truly authentic thai food. Andy Ricker does his best to recreate and capture the thai palate, a task that is greatly varied and difficult to nail down. The stories, accompanying text, show his command of the ingredients at hand, however some recipes are rather lackluster. As a person of Thai heritage, raised on home cooked thai food, cooking thai food myself, and regular frequenter of the best authentic Thai restaurants in Los Angeles, I found this book's strength not in the recipes, but rather in the stories, light history, and imagery. Note: I've only tried 1/2 the recipes or so according to text, and always felt something was missing. Thai food relies so much on the chef's preferences, and adjusting to taste, something this book doesn't communicate.
May 29, 2017
I lived one block up from the original Pok Pok shack when they first opened a decade or so ago. It was an amazing and dangerous place for my bus to drop me off. The air scented with lemongrass, garlic and game hens, roasting on the charcoal grill.
My sister and brother in law bought this cookbook for me when I moved to Seattle and couldn't get my Ike's fish sauce Wings fix as regularly. I make my version of the wings and always get compliments. FISH SAUCE FTW!! I was actually just at the Wing Shop on Milwaukie two days ago getting my latest fix of the OG!
so many fantastic,recipes in this book. I make the Kai yaang with coconut rice and pok pok salad for christmas! Try it!!! I am certain you will like these recipes.
My sister and brother in law bought this cookbook for me when I moved to Seattle and couldn't get my Ike's fish sauce Wings fix as regularly. I make my version of the wings and always get compliments. FISH SAUCE FTW!! I was actually just at the Wing Shop on Milwaukie two days ago getting my latest fix of the OG!
so many fantastic,recipes in this book. I make the Kai yaang with coconut rice and pok pok salad for christmas! Try it!!! I am certain you will like these recipes.
April 18, 2020
As somebody who really enjoys Thai food I had really been looking forward to this book when it was first published and bought it as soon as I was able to. I enjoyed the writing and the personal anecdotes that the author had peppered throughout the book. I found the approach to cooking his particular style of Thai food not very approachable. I have eaten in his restaurant, the food was amazing and one I would definitely go back to. This book however is not one that I turn to on a regular basis. If you ever read the Chez Pim blog from the late 2000s her recipes were way more approachable and easy to follow.her restaurant in San Francisco now actually also has a Michelin star and is also delicious!
December 26, 2017
Interesting take on Thai cooking for American readers
I have not made any of the recipes from this book yet. They are a bit intimidating.
That being said, I love the food at Pok Pok, and have some experience with cooking Burmese food (from family). So I wanted to get into trying out some Thai dishes. I have marked several that seem approachable for a first try.
The background stories are what make this cookbook fun and more informative. You get a sense for where each dish comes from.
I really appreciate the included flavor profiles for each dish, which also reminds me of Burmese cooking.
I have not made any of the recipes from this book yet. They are a bit intimidating.
That being said, I love the food at Pok Pok, and have some experience with cooking Burmese food (from family). So I wanted to get into trying out some Thai dishes. I have marked several that seem approachable for a first try.
The background stories are what make this cookbook fun and more informative. You get a sense for where each dish comes from.
I really appreciate the included flavor profiles for each dish, which also reminds me of Burmese cooking.
March 13, 2019
the recipes in this cookbook are phenomenal. i was never disappointed and often looked forward to the labor of love involved in cooking each meal. the only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is that the amount of special equipment needed, the difficulty of finding some of the ingredients, and the time it takes to make each meal (especially if you need to make the fried shallots or shrimp paste or whatever before you even start a recipe) is a big of a drag if you don't have time or are tired. it's a bit of a niche hobbyist situation.
still, i enjoyed the intense and unusual flavor profiles and i know that when i have time, the effort is entirely worth it.
still, i enjoyed the intense and unusual flavor profiles and i know that when i have time, the effort is entirely worth it.
January 4, 2018
A beautiful cookbook - that makes you want to travel and eat. however I found the ingredients daunting - the thought of having to track them down. Although the recipes looked so much more authentic to what I have eaten in Thailand than many other books. One to go back to when I have the urge to cook thai
February 18, 2018
Great book. Most recepes are new to me. Surprised how many require shrimp paste. Does a fairly good job in showing the regional varietion of Thai cooking. Couldn't agree more that American Thai is an invented menu for americans. If you want the real thing, read this book. I loved the sides on his favorite people from Thailand.
November 18, 2018
This is a great cookbook. The recipes require a certain level of dedication; there's no dumbing-down going on here, and you'll need to be ready to invest in ingredients and equipment. Unfortunately that means I haven't tried many of them, but the ones I have tried have been great.
December 27, 2017
I likely wouldn't cook anything from this book.
March 18, 2017
The recipes look amazing, but have lots of ingredients and take some planning to pull off. Probably wouldn't cook much from this book in practice.
June 1, 2017
I haven't cooked much from this yet, but loved reading about the adventures and learning about new ingredients and styles.
July 4, 2017
Bursting with information, will make you fall in love or reinforce your love of Thai culture. Also just a really gorgeous book
September 26, 2017
Authentic Thai-with some "hacks" to duplicate authentic. Enjoyable read with lots of interesting recipes. Recommend to anyone that is interested in the real deal.
December 16, 2017
Great book on authentic Thai cooking.
It does require upscaling of your kitchen however
It does require upscaling of your kitchen however
July 25, 2018
Very thorough and in-depth, however there are too many hard to find ingredients for me to be able to cook from it.
October 29, 2018
Even though we love Thai Taste, it is nice to have some recipes that we can make at home because the recipes so good!
August 17, 2020
Quality recipes, though sometimes perhaps a little over-complicated. Still was a great reference for after we got back from thailand and were craving some delicious thai foods.
August 18, 2020
Beautiful book. Good explanation of regions, foods and flavors.
January 23, 2021
Beautiful pictures, delicious recipes
February 3, 2021
Great stories and recipes, but too involved for the average home cook to ever do each recipe by the book
March 28, 2021
Interesting stories along with recipes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews