cookbooks

Jean Paré’s ’80s-culture recipes—basic, creamy, made with processed foods—may be unhip today, but they taught me to love cooking.

Pad gaprao, sometimes written (incorrectly) as pad kra pao, is a true staple of the Thai diet. It’s sold by street vendors and at fancy restaurants, and made at home all over the country. I call this the “old school” version because it’s the old style that differs from the newer variants that are more popular today. It’s much simpler, seasoned with only fish sauce, and has no vegetables, so the flavour of the basil really shines. Modern variations include soy sauce, oyster sauce, and veggies like onions and long beans. There’s no wrong way to do it, and I want to share this piece of history before it disappears—and also because it’s much simpler to make than modern versions, but equally delicious! —Pailin Chongchitnant

From Vancouver to Moncton, it’s easy to get lost in these dreamy indie-owned specialty stores.

Toronto chef Nuit Regular changed the way the city’s diners viewed Thai cuisine—and she hopes her new cookbook, Kiin, will do the same for how people cook it at home.

Don’t know what to get your foodie friends for the holidays? We’ve rounded up 13 of our favourite cookbooks of the year for every kind of chef (or non-chef)