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 home: that it's too spicy for the American palate or too difficult to source ingredients. Ricker shares more than fifty of the most popular recipes from Thailand and his Pok Pok restaurants—ranging from Khao Soi Kai (Northern Thai curry noodle soup with chicken) to Som Tam Thai (Central Thai–style papaya salad) to Pok Pok’s now-classic (and obsessed-over) Fish-Sauce Wings. But Pok Pok is more than just a collection of favorite recipes: it is also a master course in Thai cooking from one of the most passionate and knowledgeable authorities on the subject. Clearly written, impeccably tested recipes teach you how to source ingredients; master fundamental Thai cooking techniques and skills; understand flavor profiles that are unique to Southeast Asian cuisine; and combine various dishes to create show-stopping, well-balanced meals for family and friends. Filled with thoughtful, colorful essays about Ricker’s travels and experiences, Pok Pok is not only a definitive resource for home cooks, but also a celebration of the rich history, vibrant culture, and unparalleled deliciousness of Thai food.

A cookbook featuring 50 recipes for Thai drinking food--an entire subset of Thai cooking that is largely unknown in the United States yet boasts some of most craveable dishes in the Thai canon, inspired by Andy Ricker's decades in Thailand and his beloved restaurant, Whiskey Soda Lounge. A celebration of the thrill and spirit of Thai drinking food, Andy Ricker's follow-up to Pok Pok brings the same level of authority, with a more laid-back approach. Just as America has salted peanuts, wings, and nachos, Thailand has its own roster of craveable snacks: spicy, salty, and sour, they are perfect accompaniments for a few drinks and the company of good friends. Here, Ricker shares accessible and detailed recipes for his favorites: phat khii mao, a fiery dish known as "Drunkard's stir-fry; kai thawt, Thai-style fried chicken; and thua thawt samun phrai, an addictive combination of fried peanuts with makrut lime leaf, garlic, and chiles. Featuring stories and insights from the Thai cooks who taught Ricker along the way, this book is as fun to read as it is to cook from, and will become a modern classic for any lover of Thai cuisine.

From chef and bestselling author Andy Ricker comes this definitive guide to the most delicious and time-honored noodle dishes of Thailand with recipes anyone can make at home. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY CHICAGO TRIBUNE From iconic dishes like phat thai and phat si ew to lesser-known (at least Stateside) treasures like kuaytiaw reua (boat noodles), noodles represent many of the most delicious and satisfying dishes in the Thai culinary canon. In POK POK Noodles, chef Andy Ricker shares recipes for his favorites—including noodle soups, fried noodles, and khanom jiin, Thailand's only indigenous noodle. Filled with stunning food and location photography and the thoughtful, engaging storytelling that has earned Ricker legions of fans, this book will become an instant classic for armchair travelers and lovers of Thai food and culture.

Chin's story speaks for the many Chinese who worked in urban laundries and restaurants, but it also introduces an unusually articulate man's perspective on becoming a Chinese American."--BOOK JACKET.

Now featuring new instructions, new illustrations, and new information, The Principles of Knitting—beloved by knitters everywhere and one of the most requested out-of-print books for years—finally gets the revision that fans have been clamoring for! A treasured guide beloved by knitters everywhere, the classic book The Principles of Knitting is finally available again in a fully revised and updated edition. This is the definitive book on knitting techniques, with valuable information for everyone from beginners to experienced knitters. June Hiatt presents not only a thorough, thoughtful approach to the craft, but also a passion for carrying on the art of knitting to future generations. She has repeatedly tested the various techniques and presents them with clear, easy-to-follow instructions—as well as an explanation of what each one can contribute to your knitting. Informed by decades of experience and thousands of hours of practice, this comprehensive resource offers a variety of ways to approach every skill and technique and offers solutions that can help solve the most challenging aspects of any knitting project. The Principles of Knitting has been totally rewritten—new instructions, new illustrations, and new information. While the basics of knitting have not changed much, June’s understanding of the material has deepened over the last twenty-five years, and she’s eager to share what she has learned with the knitting world. In addition, the book has been reorganized to make it easier to use and has a gorgeous new design. Reading The Principles of Knitting is like having a knitting mentor by your side who can answer any knitting question you have in an honest, intelligent, informed manner.

If you love to eat Thai food, but don’t know how to cook it, Kris Yenbamroong wants to solve your problems. His brash style of spicy, sharp Thai party food is created, in part, by stripping down traditional recipes to wring maximum flavor out of minimum hassle. Whether it’s a scorching hot crispy rice salad, lush coconut curries, or a wok-seared pad Thai, it’s all about demystifying the universe of Thai flavors to make them work in your life. Kris is the chef of Night + Market, and this cookbook is the story of his journey from the Thai-American restaurant classics he grew eating at his family’s restaurant, to the rural cooking of Northern Thailand he fell for traveling the countryside. But it’s also a story about how he came to question what authenticity really means, and how his passion for grilled meats, fried chicken, tacos, sushi, wine and good living morphed into an L.A. Thai restaurant with a style all its own.

Rattana Pok survived the unthinkable, savage and brutal regime of Pol Pot in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The prophecy of doom stated: "There will be bloodshed of an elephant's abdomen; there will be houses in which no one lives; and there will be walkways on which no one walks." In his childhood memoir, "When Slaves Became Masters," Pok wrote a tragic and gripping real-life narrative of his experiences growing up in Cambodia, one of the cruelest regimes that the world had ever experienced, after the fascist regime of Adolf Hitler. The United Nations' official death toll of the Cambodian holocaust is 1.75 millions, about 1/4 of the entire national population, died from starvation, mistreated illnesses, excessive forced hard labor, and murder. Pok's experiences and his family represent the experiences of several hundreds of thousands of families who had fallen victims to the Khmer Rouge regime. This non-fiction book will provide the readers with comprehensive understanding of Cambodia's history, tragic past, custom and culture. The book does not only describe the compelling tragedy, survival and reunification of his family members but also humors and romances of the times.