Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand [A Cookbook] — Regional & Cultural

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🌍 Regional & Cultural

Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand [A Cookbook]

Name: Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand [A Cookbook]
Price: 35.00 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781607742883

✍️ Ricker, Andy

Reader Score

4.6

(1 review)

$35.00

In stock — ready to ship Ships in 1–2 business days

📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A practical guide to authentic Thai street food by chef Andy Ricker.

Ricker challenges the notion that Thai cooking requires obscure ingredients or extreme heat. He demonstrates how to replicate the flavors of Portland's Pok Pok restaurant using accessible items. The book emphasizes technique over complexity, showing readers how to balance sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements. It includes a primer on fundamental skills like using a clay mortar and pestle. The recipes are organized by dish type rather than course, allowing cooks to build complete meals from scratch. This approach demystifies the cuisine for American kitchens.

Key Themes

Thai street food wok techniques flavor profiles

Literary Context

The book reflects Ricker's decades of travel through Thailand and his 2005 establishment of Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon. It draws on traditions from roadside restaurants, homes, and the sounds of pestle striking clay mortars to present a traditional take on Southeast Asian cuisine.

Ricker, Andy

📚 all books by this author (2) →

Difficulty

●●● Challenging

Recommended For Fans Of

Madhur Jaffrey · Ken Hom · David Thompson's 'Thai Food' · Rick Bayless

🌍

Regional & Cultural

🏛 Ten Speed Press 📅 2013 📔 Hardcover ISBN: 9781607742883

📚 This Book in Collections

🥢 Asian kitchens

📝 Description: Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand [A Cookbook]

Andy Ricker brings his decades of travel through Thailand to this collection of bold, authentic recipes. After opening Pok Pok in Portland in 2005, he sought to share the country's famed street food with American audiences. The book addresses common misconceptions that Thai cuisine is too spicy or difficult to prepare at home. It offers fifty knockout recipes for simple dishes, including Grilled Pork Collar with Spicy Dipping Sauce, Iced Greens, and the famous Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. The text functions as a master course in Thai cooking, teaching readers how to source ingredients and understand unique Southeast Asian flavor profiles. Ricker provides tips for modifying local produce to mimic traditional tastes, making the cuisine accessible to any home cook. The volume includes colorful essays about his travels and experiences alongside clearly written, impeccably tested recipes. It covers techniques ranging from Northern Thai curry noodle soup with chicken to Central Thai-style papaya salad. This book suits cooks interested in regional Southeast Asian traditions and wok methods. It is less suitable for those seeking quick, simplified fusion dishes or those unwilling to engage with traditional ingredient sourcing. The work stands as a practical guide grounded in the chef's direct experience with roadside restaurants and home kitchens across Thailand.

💎 Expert review

“

🍳

Eatbook Family editorial team

Cookbook desk

Ricker’s text functions as a rigorous master course in Thai cooking rather than a casual collection of quick meals. It is deeply rooted in the chef’s direct experience with roadside restaurants across Thailand, offering essays on travel alongside impeccably tested recipes. However, this book is strictly for those willing to engage with traditional ingredient sourcing and understand unique Southeast Asian flavor profiles. It is less suitable for cooks seeking quick, simplified fusion dishes or those unwilling to navigate the specifics of regional produce. The work stands as a practical guide grounded in decades of travel, challenging the notion that Thai cooking is too difficult for American kitchens. While it may intimidate beginners due to its focus on technique over simplicity, it rewards dedicated students with authentic results.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Home cooks passionate about authentic Southeast Asian flavors will find immense value in this practical guide to Thai street food. Andy Ricker demystifies the cuisine by focusing on technique and accessible ingredients, proving that complex tastes do not require obscure items or extreme heat. Readers gain a master course in balancing sweet, sour, salty, and spicy profiles while learning essential skills like using a clay mortar. The book is ideal for those willing to engage with traditional ingredient sourcing and wok methods. It offers fifty tested recipes organized by dish type, allowing cooks to build complete meals from scratch. For enthusiasts of regional cuisines who want to replicate the bold tastes of Portland's Pok Pok restaurant at home, this volume provides the necessary depth and cultural context.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Eatbook Family —

⭐ eatbookfamily.com editorial review Editorial rating 4.6/5

★★★★★

Home cooks seeking authentic Thai flavors without obscure ingredients or extreme kitchen heat. Ideal for those willing to learn foundational techniques like using a mortar and pestle to balance sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements in accessible American kitchens.

Reader rating

4.6

Based on 1 reviews

Eatbook Family editorial team

Ricker’s text functions as a rigorous master course in Thai cooking rather than a casual collection of quick meals. It is deeply rooted in the chef’s direct experience with roadside restaurants across Thailand, offering essays on travel alongside impeccably tested recipes. However, this book is strictly for those willing to engage with traditional ingredient sourcing and understand unique Southeast Asian flavor profiles. It is less suitable for cooks seeking quick, simplified fusion dishes or those unwilling to navigate the specifics of regional produce. The work stands as a practical guide grounded in decades of travel, challenging the notion that Thai cooking is too difficult for American kitchens. While it may intimidate beginners due to its focus on technique over simplicity, it rewards dedicated students with authentic results.

❓ Frequently asked questions

No, Ricker demonstrates how to replicate flavors using accessible items found in standard American kitchens, though he does include a primer on using a clay mortar and pestle for fundamental skills.

306 pages, hardcover.

Published in 2013 by Ten Speed Press.

Orders ship from a US warehouse. The shipping cost is shown before you pay, and returns are accepted within 30 days.

📖 Who should read this

📜 Historical context

Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok stands out among regional cookbooks by challenging the myth that Thai cuisine requires specialized equipment or exotic pantry items. Published by Ten Speed Press, it focuses on replicating Portland restaurant flavors through technique rather than complexity, offering a structured primer for building complete meals from scratch.