Bangkok: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of Thailand by Leela Punyaratabandhu is a glorious tribute to Thai cuisine. Leela is the voice behind the blog SheSimmers which she created in November 2008 in the memory of her mother, the cookbook addict, who inspired her love for cooking. Leela shares on her site that her mother's philosophy in life was based upon a statement attributed to Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536): When I get a little money I buy books, and if any is left I buy food and clothes. Replace "books" with "cookbooks" and you'll get my mother. Oh, Leela we get your mother.

Bangkok is absolutely gorgeous and shares 120 recipes that capture the true spirit of the city - from heirloom family dishes to restaurant classics to everyday street eats to modern cosmopolitan fare. The author's first book, Simple Thai Food: Classic Recipes from the Thai Home Kitchen, is wonderful but here in Bangkok - she has hit all the notes.

Stories of cook shops, Lumphini Park (which reminds me of Central Park in NY), dry noodles and more fill the pages that aren't splattered with beautiful photographs and tempting recipes. Crispy Angel Hair Rice Noodles with Beef and Chinese Broccoli Stalks, Braised Spareribs in Salted Soybean Sauce on Rice, and Egg Net Parcels with Pork-Peanut Filling are a few examples of the caliber of recipes here. I particularly love that Leela has included a fairly substantial Sweets chapter. It is always refreshing to dive into the sweet aspect of international cuisines that aren't known for their desserts.

Special thanks to Ten Speed Press for sharing this gorgeous Beef Green Curry with our members. Be sure to head over to our contest page to enter our giveaway. You want this book.

 

Beef green curry
KAENG KHIAO WAN NUEA - Serves 4

CURRY PASTE

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
1 teaspoon coarse salt (omit if using a food processor)
1 tablespoon finely chopped galangal
1 tablespoon paper-thin lemongrass slices (with purple rings only)
1 teaspoon finely chopped makrut lime rind
½-inch piece turmeric root or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon packed Thai shrimp paste
5 fresh green Thai long chiles, deveined and coarsely chopped
7 fresh green bird's eye chiles
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro roots or stems
5 large cloves garlic
¼ cup sliced shallots, cut against the grain

CURRY

½ cup freshly extracted coconut cream, or ½ cup canned coconut cream plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin coconut oil
½ cup coconut milk
2 pounds untrimmed boneless well-marbled chuck steak or rib-eye steak, thinly sliced against the grain on a 40-degree angle into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons fish sauce, or as needed
1 teaspoon packed grated palm sugar, or as needed
4 makrut lime leaves, lightly bruised and torn into small pieces
Fresh green Thai long or bird's eye chiles, stemmed and halved lengthwise
¼ cup packed Thai sweet basil leaves

Here is the most satisfying and delicious beef green curry I've ever made. It's thicker than most versions, with just enough sauce to coat the meat-khluk khlik, as a Thai would say-and it is heavier on cumin. It has no vegetables-not even eggplants, allowing the beef to take center stage with the fragrance of the paste and the sweet, creamy coconut milk sharing the spotlight. The only perfuming herb is bruised and torn makrut lime leaves. Although the curry is intensely green it isn't very hot, as the veins of the chiles have been removed. But then I top it with fresh green chiles, vibrant and fragrant, reinforcing the fresh chiles in the paste as well as ratcheting up the heat. Finally, I drizzle some fresh coconut cream on top. This is beef green curry at its best. 

To make the curry paste, in a small frying pan, toast the coriander and cumin over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a mortar, add the peppercorns, and grind to a fine powder. Add the salt, then, one at a time, add the galangal, lemongrass, lime rind, turmeric, shrimp paste, chiles, cilantro, garlic, and shallots, grinding to a smooth paste after each addition. Alternatively, combine all of the ingredients except the salt in a food processor and grind to a smooth paste.

To make the curry, put the paste and coconut cream in a 4-quart saucepan, set over medium-high heat, and stir until the fat separates and you can smell the dried spices, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beef, the coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar, stir well, cover, turn the heat to medium, and cook until the beef is no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce and/or sugar if needed. Check the consistency and amount of the sauce and add water if needed. For this curry, I like just enough sauce to coat the meat-like pot roast. Stir in the lime leaves, fresh chiles, and basil leaves.

The curry can be transferred to a serving dish and served right away with rice, or it can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated overnight and then reheated the next day (the flavor will be even better). When you serve the curry, top it with the coconut cream.

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