This week's guest editor is JJ Goode, the writer behind Andy Ricker's new cookbook, Pok Pok. This week, JJ shares some of his favorite recipes from the book, interviewed Andy about Thai cooking, and convinced us all to pick up a book and get in the kitchen.
Today, we'll take one last journey into Pok Pok's Thailand -- and we're giving away copies of the book!
Chefs often enjoy putting their own spins on food, reinterpreting or playing off classic dishes, making them fresh while establishing their own styles and identities. But Andy Ricker’s respect for Thai food, developed over his 20 years of travel to Thailand, is so powerful that its replication is his life’s work. No shortcuts, no substitutions, no cheating -- just dishes so true and accurate, that they are indistinguishable from their Thai archetypes.
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Here are the recipes JJ Goode shared this week that made Thailand seem so close to home.
Andy Ricker's Yam Khai Dao (Fried Egg Salad)
Pok Pok's Salt-Crusted Fish with Chile Dipping Sauce
Pok Pok's Khao Niaw Mamuang (Sticky Rice with Mango and Salty-Sweet Coconut Cream)
Photos by Austin Bush
We're giving away 3 copies of Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand! To enter, leave a comment telling us about a recipe you've picked up while traveling. We'll pull winners next week!
Written by: Lisa Ruland
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62 Comments
SuzannahJane
November 13, 2013
Last time I was in Stockholm my husband and I did a meatball tour and I'm still trying to perfect it at home :)
cookinginvictoria
November 11, 2013
While travelling in Ireland many years ago, I fell in love with delicious, slightly crumbly Irish brown bread, which I have tried to recreate it in my own kitchen. In Galway I liked it best slathered with sweet butter and topped with smoked salmon . . . heaven on earth!
Leigh A.
November 11, 2013
My favorite recipe that I've picked up while traveling is tofu in tomato sauce that was served every where in Vietnam, especially in and around Hanoi.
Geri B.
November 10, 2013
was taken out to a local restaurant in Santorini on our honeymoon and were introduced to fava. Started ordering it everywhere while there & asking for people tips on how to make it.
Andrea
November 10, 2013
Norwegian sukker brod (sugar bread, or delicious cake!) while living in Panama, from a fellow volunteer, and tamales from my host family.
Isi
November 10, 2013
It's got to be greek feta salad whilst visiting the tiny greek island of amorgos. Simple but beautiful and always reminds me of that trip!
Emily L.
November 10, 2013
i lived in thailand for seven months and som tam sai khao neow (papaya salad with sticky rice) was by far my favorite street food- i think i ate it almost everyday! i've been trying to recreate it with ingredients available in the US with recipes from wonderful thai friends.
Darlene W.
November 9, 2013
Haven't really picked up any recipes while traveling but I'd love to win the cookbook! Thanks!
Jennifer J.
November 9, 2013
I learned how to cook Ethiopian food as a (non-Ethiopian) teenager hanging out with the maids & cooks I knew in Gondar Province. Specifically, I learned duba wot: spicy pumpkin stew that I rarely find on restaurant menus. I like to make it for friends who can handle the heat, during the winter months, when we all need some warmth.
sks4321
November 9, 2013
Tandoori chicken with a side of cumin-spiced cauliflower from a roadside stand on the way to the Taj Mahal!
AmyL
November 9, 2013
Hainan chicken with rice while I was in Singapore. Simply yet delicious street food.
Kitchen B.
November 9, 2013
Churros con chocolate in Barcelona. Its now become a favourite in our home!
Katie N.
November 8, 2013
A recipe for baked ginger chicken wings (picked up from my travels to the bookstore)! :D
missfats
November 8, 2013
I've recently been trying to recreate Nasi Lamak, my favorite dish while traveling through Malaysia! Not nearly as spicy as the original, but it's getting close!
dkkporter
November 8, 2013
I traveled to a small town in CA (Solvang) and brought home a delicious recipe for Danish Pancakes. Now that we live in WA and are unable to visit as often as we'd like, it's a comforting way to recreate the taste at home! As for Pok Pok, I've wanted to go for as long as I can remember but can't seem to wait for the 1-2 hours it takes to get a table. Would LOVE a copy of this book to try Andy Ricker's food at home...especially his chicken wings!!! Legendary up here in the Portland area!
Loves F.
November 8, 2013
Ooh, I want this book! My favorite recipe I picked up from my travels is... a frozen boozy drink! The monkey-la-la, from the Honduran island of Roatan, in the Caribbean ocean. Pretty much every bar on the island has them, with a little twist at each different place. The main ingredients are coconut cream, vodka, and Kahlua, blended up all frosty and amazing. Some also had rum, chocolate sauce, cinnamon, etc. Sitting on the most gorgeous beaches, sipping monkey lalas...amazing!
fernetaboutit
November 8, 2013
My boyfriend grew up in Bosnia and had to flee to the US during the war. Since then he's been homesick for the flavors he grew up eating, so when we finally made it over there to visit, I was sure to pick up as many recipes and tips as possible. Our favorite has been to perfect our Burek (meet filled pastry) recipe. Now I think I love it almost as much as he does!
kumalavula
November 8, 2013
while in the peace corps on the ecuadorean coast, i learned to make fried plantains drenched with cumin and garlic. thanks for veronica who owns one of the best restaurants on the coast, i am now the go-go person for when the weather gets warm and a cold beer and a good ceviche needs accompaniment in terms of what are oftentimes known as patacones or tostones :)
Sietske V.
November 8, 2013
Perhaps not quite fair, but life in general is still a travel to me. Travel with a very much extended stay..
I've travel all over Europe, spent many a summer in Spain, Croatia.. France.. and at home: Holland. But it was a visit to the United States that changed my life. It was like I came home.
My first few truly Southern meals I was hesitant. It's hard to believe how much of an acquired taste things like biscuits and gravy can be. Grits. Chili fries.
I grew up eating things like blood sausage, smoked eel and raw pickled herring. It can be unfathomable to Americans that a thing like mac 'n cheese does not exist abroad.
So to shorten this story: I learned to cook Southern food.. 10 years after my first visit I live in the US now, loving it, learning new things still. This year I discovered Paw Paw and Collard greens.
I've travel all over Europe, spent many a summer in Spain, Croatia.. France.. and at home: Holland. But it was a visit to the United States that changed my life. It was like I came home.
My first few truly Southern meals I was hesitant. It's hard to believe how much of an acquired taste things like biscuits and gravy can be. Grits. Chili fries.
I grew up eating things like blood sausage, smoked eel and raw pickled herring. It can be unfathomable to Americans that a thing like mac 'n cheese does not exist abroad.
So to shorten this story: I learned to cook Southern food.. 10 years after my first visit I live in the US now, loving it, learning new things still. This year I discovered Paw Paw and Collard greens.
Hannah R.
November 8, 2013
artisanal shrubs- first experience was at Delancey in Seattle- their rhubarb shrub was mind-blowing!
the T.
November 8, 2013
I travel around in anime shows. I developed a taste for japanese style curry watching them, and it reminded how good breaded and deep fried meat can be, as here http://flic.kr/p/gCxDwQ or here http://flic.kr/p/gARXa1
Janet M.
November 8, 2013
We lived in the Middle East for some years and chickpeas, eggplant, and lamb became staples on our table. Baba ganoush remains my favorite dip for bread, falafel, veggies ...
Susan C.
November 8, 2013
As a child I loved to cook and my family encouraged me to tackle things in the kitchen as much as possible on my own. We had an old beat up Spanish cookbook in a paperback, and I found the "potato frittata" recipe and adopted it as one of my favorites. In college when I was on a budget, I'd make it frequently as it was good hot or cold and very cheap to make. Since then, I've been to Spain twice and found, to my delight, that the Tortilla Espanola is practically a staple there, served in all the tapas bars and even in sandwiches! I've since learned to make it with a more authentic recipe and it's a real go-to for me when I can't make it to the grocery store, if I need comfort food, or I just don't know what to make. Yum!
Marice
November 8, 2013
Years ago, at my brother's friend in Rome, Italy, I was introduced to white lasagna with peas...you can call it a vegetarian dish. I keep forgetting to try to make it myself.
Another particular food I liked was in an edible bird's nest and some particularly stuffed olives, breaded and I think fried. They are a local food from a particular town of Italy.
Another particular food I liked was in an edible bird's nest and some particularly stuffed olives, breaded and I think fried. They are a local food from a particular town of Italy.
Michelle D.
November 8, 2013
In Germany, I picked up so many recipes for pork cutlets done a million different ways. Whenever I make one of the dishes (esp rahmschnitzel) I'm instantly back in Deutschland.
zahavah
November 8, 2013
I was in Panama and had an amazing ceviche. I sought out the chef, had coffee with her the morning of my flight home, and she gave me the recipe. Love it. Very different from Peruvian ceviche.
Jessica D.
November 8, 2013
I loved Wagamama's Chicken Tama Rice when I lived in London. I haven't tried making it myself yet.
Katie
November 8, 2013
On a recent trip throughout Italy, I learned how to make a to-die-for ricotta pie. While apprehensive about the addition of candied fruit, it ended up being one of the most incredible things I've ever tasted. The scenery didn't hurt either!
ChefJune
November 8, 2013
I discovered Cervelle de Canut -- a lovely herbed cheese spread http://food52.com/recipes/22768-cervelle-de-canut-fresh-cheese-with-fines-herbes during my very first meal in Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France. I fell in love, and made some the first weekend I was back home. It's so easy to make and versatile that I almost always have a bowl of it in my fridge, just waiting to be shared.
Allison (.
November 8, 2013
I discovered rabokki (ramen + tteokbokki rice cakes = ra-bokki) when I was living in Korea, and now I make it quite often!
nerdling
November 8, 2013
Years ago, when my husband and I were vegan, we made our first visit to New Orleans. We had a wonderful cab driver who gave us lots of pointers about where to eat, and gave us his grandmother's succotash recipe as we were driving. Though he wasn't even close to a vegetarian, he felt it was unfair that people think the South hates vegetables.
kathyo894
November 8, 2013
I studied abroad in France while in college and, while I'd like to say that I learned gourmet French recipes, instead I learned to make an awesome lentil curry and potato omelet (2 separate dishes) since I was a poor student!
Becca A.
November 8, 2013
I'll never forget eating basil sorbet! I was so apprehensive but it sticks out as one of the best things I ever ate and then made!
Farbodd G.
November 8, 2013
I discovered Szechuan Peppercorns in China and have been using them in all kinds of dishes. I took a salt & pepper crab recipe that I had in Chengdu and have been adapting it to fried chicken/chicken wings.
sarabclever
November 8, 2013
I studied abroad in Spain and can't imagine not making Spanish Tortilla at least once a month!
mrslarkin
November 8, 2013
We are in love with Colony Pizza in Stamford, CT, where they make THE best thin-crust hot oil pizza. I make my own now by infusing olive oil with hot peppers and drizzling the oil onto the pizza. As the pizza bakes, the cheese practically fries. It's a hot mess.
happyxbelly
November 8, 2013
I stayed with a woman in Madrid who taught me how to crema catalana late one evening just because I said it was my favorite dessert. She looked in her fridge, pulled out a couple of ingredients and told me in broken English that it's the easiest thing to make. It was the kindest thing as I had only paid for the room and it was completely unnecessary for her to actually cook for me. It was so simple, but she made it with care and love and it's better than any recipe I can find online.
raspberryeggplant
November 8, 2013
The first time I had khao soi was at Pok Pok in Portland back in 2006 - I fell in love with it there and have made it many times since in my own kitchen. Thankfully, I live just a few blocks from the Pok Pok in Brooklyn so I can get the original version that I love pretty much whenever I want it!
Sara
November 8, 2013
While visiting a friend, she prepared homemade falafel that was outstanding. And easy to make at home. It's become a staple as a quick, vegetarian meal that is very tasty!
Fog C.
November 8, 2013
Troncones, Mexico - had my first REAL margarita that was made with fresh lime juice and not the sticky sweet and sour mix they use stateside so often. 2 shots of tequila, juice of 1 lime, 1/2 shot of triple sec, and half a teaspoon of agave nectar. Delicious!
gerdie
November 8, 2013
italy, gelato, loved it and became such a regular, they told me how easy it is to make at home :)
S C.
November 8, 2013
On a trip to India for my 40th birthday, a street vendor talked me out of my intimidation of making curry dishes.
Eleaca B.
November 8, 2013
While traveling to Portland I rediscovered a love for food. It kind of ruined me. I won't settle for anything but the best ingredients. I bought recipe books that I normally wouldn't. I try cooking with ingredients that I never have before. One if the things I do now is a lot of cheese boards. I learned you can even have them at breakfast. Who knew?!
melissav
November 8, 2013
When in Ucluelet in BC, the chef at a restaurant we really enjoyed told me the secret to their tender octopus was to beat it in the stand mixer using the dough hook.
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