It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking
by Kasma Loha-unchit
Kasma's second cookbook was Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood.
It Rains Fishes won the 1996 Julia Child Cookbook Award as the Best International Cookbook of 1995. More than just a recipe book, it is a book about Thai cooking that shows how food and cooking are a direct means for understanding Thai culture, legends and traditions. Personal and traditional stories interweave with information on all major Thai ingredients. The focus extends beyond blindly following recipes to learning how to use the major flavors to create true "Thai" dishes whether one is following a recipe or not. Kasma's second cookbook is Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood published in 2000.
It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and the Joys of Thai Cooking by: Kasma Loha-unchit, Pomegranate Artbooks, May 1995 (224 pages, $29.95), Softcover, ISBN: 0876543565.
Although now out of print you should be able to find a second-hand copy from one of the available vendors.
"I think It Rains Fishes is one of the best cookbooks of all time. I think everyone should read this book!" (Christine Keff of Flying Fish Restaurant in Seattle)
See also Reviews of It Rains Fishes.
Table of Contents
It Rains Fishes
Blessed by the Rice Mother
Thanking the Rice Goddess
"Grandma Six Fingers" and Heart Values
Traditions and Ceremonies Around the Rice Mother
Thanking the Water Spirits
A Rice Goddess Folk Tale
Rice Bucket Ways
Dining Thai-Style
Monkey Business
"The Best Rice in the World": Jasmine Rice
"Perfect Rice" Every Time
Sticky Rice – A Special Chewy White Rice
Black Sticky Rice: A Nutty Whole-Grain
Recipes
Coconut-Flavored Sticky Rice with Mangoes
Sticky Rice and Corn Pudding
Black Sticky Rice Pudding
A Story of Alchemy: A Folktale
The Art and Joys of Thai Cooking
"When in Doubt, Add Fish Sauce"
Creating Harmonies with Primary Flavors
The Hot Flavor and Its Sources
The Magic Elixir of Thai Cuisine: Fish Sauce
Other Sources of Saltiness – includes Shrimp Paste
The Sour Flavor and Its Sources
The Sweet Flavor and Its Sources – includes Palm Sugar
Balancing Flavors: An Exercise
Recipes
Broccoli with Thai Oyster Sauce
String Beans with Roasted Chillie Sauce
Of Chillies, Spices and "Mice"
Of Chillies and "Mice"
Which Is Hot and Which Is Hotter
What To Do When You Are On Fire
The Life-Enhancing Qualities of Chillies
Peppercorns: The "Thai Pepper"
Recipe
Garlic-Peppered Shrimps
Fresh Herbal Flavors Distinguish Thai Cuisine
The Foundation
Mints and Basils, Holy and Not
The Supporting Roles
Recipes
Hot-and-Sour Prawn Soup
Spicy Basil Chicken
Things Your Mother Never Told You About Coconut
Monkey Business
Coconut – A Natural Food-and-Refreshment Package
"Cream of the Crop" – Coconut Milk (Gkati)
To Crack a Coconut
Preparing a Coconut for Pressing Milk
Coconut Milk – Canned and Frozen
Coconut Milk: High in Cholesterol? NO!
Coconut: A Fruit, a Nut, or a Seed?
Recipes
Coconut Seafood Soup with Galanga
Grilled Coconut Cake
Coconut Egg Custard
Bananas in Coconut Milk
Curry – A Way of Cooking, Not a Yellow Powder
The Many Faces of Thai Curries
Curries Simplified
Assembling A Curry
Paste-Making: A Gratifying Experience
Recipes
Easy Green Curry with Pork
Green Curry with Fish/Shrimp Dumplings
Easy Massaman Curry with Chicken
Massaman Curry with Goat or Lamb
Crispy Fried Catfish Coated with Red Curry Sauce
"Sea Breezes" Cool Hot Summer Days
Creating a Breezy Harmony: Blending Flavors and Ingredients
Calling Up the Sea Breeze: Assembling the Salad
A Southern Sea Breeze
Recipes
Hot And Sour Squid Salad
Spicy Mussel Salad
Spicy Cashew Salad}
Squid Tales and Cleaning Tips
"Solar" Squid
More Squid Tales
Other Thoughts on Squid and Cleaning Squid
Cleaning Squid: A Quick and Easy Method
Recipe
Garlic-Peppered Squid
Fish and More Fish
A Most Unforgettable Fishing Trip!
A Few Favorite Ways to Fix Fish
Recipes
Spicy Seafood Noodles – "Drunken" Noodles
Steamed Striped Bass with Chillie-Lime Sauce
Roasted Fish in Banana Leaf
Crispy Fried Red Snapper or Grouper with Chillie-Tamarind Sauce
Southern Fried Turmeric Catfish
The Flying Morning Glory
Wokking Over Red Hot Flames
Flying into the Night
Recipe
"Red-Flamed" Morning Glory
Thai Fast Food: Crowded Sidewalks and Waterways
A Sampling of Street Cuisine
Recipes
Savory Grilled Coconut-Rice Pancakes
Fried Bananas
Miang Kam
Pad Thai Noodles
Hot and Sour Dry Rice Noodles
Heart Culture, "Soul Food"
Some Important Heart Values
Food for Soul and Spirit
Order Information:
It Rains Fishes is currently out of print. It originally was published in 1996 by Pomegranate Artbooks. The cover price was $29.95 (softcover) plus state sales tax, where applicable. You should still be able to find a second-hand copy at many places where used books are sold.