The Book of Thai Cooking

Colorful photography by Gill dominates this instructional volume on the basics of elegant Thai cooking--a cuisine that is contemporary, the author contends, because of its healthful vegetables, ``evocative aromas, subtle blends of herbs and spices and contrasting textures and tastes.'' Sparse but adequate text covers most of what we need to know, with a solid section on unusual Thai ingredients and Western substitutions. The recipes--illustrated both on the plate and in preparation--are captivating. They range from ``egg nests'' stuffed with shrimp, pork and vegetables to mussels with basil (Thai basil, but common garden basil will do) and mango with sticky rice. The volume's only major flaw reflects the fact that it was written and produced in Britain. A recipe for chile flowers makes no mention of utilizing rubber gloves for protection; the substitution given for palm sugar, a common Thai ingredient, is white and demerera sugar. American cooks will search--and won't be able to find--the demerera, a raw sugar product similar to but not the same as the raw sugar marketed here. (June)