A guide to bold, authentic Thai cooking from Andy Ricker, the chef and owner of the wildly popular and widely lauded Pok Pok restaurants.
ANDY RICKER worked in restaurants all over the world before settling in Portland, Oregon, where he opened his first restaurant, Pok Pok. He has since gone on to open Whiskey Soda Lounge, Pok Pok Noi, and Sen Yai in Portland, and Pok Pok Ny and Pok Pok Phat Thai in New York City. Andy and his restaurants have been featured in Food Wine, Saveur, and Bon Appetit. He splits his time between New York and Portland, OR.
"In this groundbreaking masterwork, Andy Ricker weaves together
superb recipes, enlightening cultural narratives, meaningful
personal essays, and an incomparable insight into the essence of
Thai foodways. But perhaps this book's greatest achievement is the
honest, uncompromising way it brings real Thai cookery right into
American readers' homes. The bar has been set for ethnic cookbooks
going forward."
--Andrew Zimmern
"Everything I know about Thai food I learned from Andy
Ricker--how to order it, how to eat it, and now, how to cook it.
Pok Pok is destined to be the Thai bible for every
adventurous home cook. Part memoir, part cooking manifesto, it
beautifully and passionately shows Ricker's no-nonsense approach to
one of the world's most exciting cuisines. When my daughters ask
why they grew up eating so much khao soi kai, papaya salad, and
laap pet isaan at home, I'll tell them they have Andy Ricker--and
this book--to thank.
--Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drink editor, Bon Appetit
"More than a Thai cookbook or even a regional Thai cookbook, this
is a book about people: the street and market vendors, home cooks,
and restaurant owners who Andy Ricker has met and studied with for
over two decades in Thailand. In Pok Pok, Andy shares their
stories, skills, and ideas--and his own passion for discovering a
cuisine by going door to door. Oh yeah, and he makes some insanely
delicious food along the way."
--Francis Lam, writer and judge on Top Chef Masters "You'd be
hard-pressed to find better Thai food than what Andy Ricker is
serving at Pok Pok. And now, with his cookbook, we finally get to
see the people, places, and experiences that were the inspiration
for it all."
--David Chang, chef/owner of Momofuku "This book, as far as I'm
concerned, is an argument ender. When Andy says 'make som tam lao
like this, ' it's like Jacques Pepin telling you how to make an
omelette. The matter is settled. Previously, I would never have
even attempted to prepare most of these dishes in my home. I had
always felt that Thai food was best left to the experts. But this
book has given me hope and confidence."
--Anthony Bourdain In his introduction, Ricker makes the modest
proclamation that his cooking knowledge is limited when measured
against Thailand's vast cuisine. However, this limitation has had
no visible effect on his success, given that his eatery, Pok Pok,
was recently rated by Bon Appetit as the eighth most important
American restaurant. All one really needs to know about Ricker, and
this finely detailed cookbook and travelogue, comes at the start of
his recipe for fish-sauce wings. Sounding like a gourmand Allen
Ginsberg, he writes, "I've spent the better part of the last twenty
years roaming around Thailand, cooking and recooking strange soups,
beseeching street vendors for stir-fry tips, and trying to figure
out how to reproduce obscure Thai products with American
ingredients." He spills out his acquired knowledge here across 13
chapters and nearly 100 recipes. Lessons learned along the way
include the beauty of blandness as exhibited in his flavor-balanced
"bland soup" with glass noodles, and waste not, want not, as
showcased in recipes for stewed pork knuckles and grilled pork
neck. Ricker's prose, as aided by food writer Goode, is
captivating, whether he is discussing America's obsession with
sateh, or when profiling characters he's encountered in his
travels, such as Mr. Lit, his "chicken mentor" and Sunny, his
"go-to guy in Chiang Mai."
--Publisher's Weekly Starred Review
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |