Many Thai books populate my cookbook shelf and some are more useful than others. The widely available vegan Thai friendly Thai cookbooks are not very good, so I mainly stick with the well known and accurate collections and references listed below.
- Thai Food by David Thompson. This is the number one English language Thai cookery book to own, a bible of Thai cookery.
- Thai Street Food by David Thompson. A good complement to the above.
- Pok Pok: Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes, and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand by Andy Ricker. While some recipes are very meat centric, Andy knows his stuff and the detail he goes into when describing recipes and ingredients is inspiring.
- Simple Thai Food by Leela Punyaratabandhu of shesimmers.com. Leela was born in Thailand but lives in the United States, and writes one of the best Thai food blogs in English that you’re likely to find. She has a way of presenting food that may otherwise seem complicated into understandable and precise terms. It helps that she accompanies much of her writing with personal stories that give life to her words.
While none of these resources are vegan, many have vegan friendly recipes or those that can be easily adjusted. The lack of rigidity and promise of flexibility and adaptation are some of the many things that make Thai food so special.
Where to find Thai ingredients in London
In the UK, especially in London, most necessary ingredients are accessible. The list below is by no means comprehensive.
- New Loon Moon supermarket, Chinatown
- Loon Fung, Chinatown
- Thai Smile Supermarket, Hammersmith
- Sri Thai, West Kensington
- Art Muay Supermarket, South Kensington (Earls Court)
- Tawana Thai Supermarket, Bayswater
- Paya Thai Market, Richmond
- Hoo Hing, multiple locations
- Wing Tai, Brixton
- London Star Night, London Fields
- Longdan, multiple locations
- Taste of Siam Supermarket, Camden
If there’s a particular ingredient you’re looking for, feel free to get in touch and I’ll let you know if I’ve seen it anywhere in particular.
Order Thai ingredients online
You can also order online from these reputable UK Thai food retailers:
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