From chef James Syhabout of two-Michelin-star restaurant Commis, an
Asian-American cookbook like no other--simple recipes for cooking
home-style Thai and Lao dishes
James Syhabout's hugely popular Hawker Fare restaurant in San Francisco
is the product of his unique family history and diverse career
experience. Born into two distinct but related Asian cultures--from his
mother's ancestral village in Isan, Thailand's northeast region, and his
father's home in Pakse, Laos--he and his family landed in Oakland in
1981 in a community of other refugees from the Vietnam War. Syhabout at
first turned away from the food of his heritage to work in Europe and
become a classically trained chef.
After the success of Commis, his fine dining restaurant and the only
Michelin-starred eatery in Oakland, Syhabout realized something was
missing--and that something was Hawker Fare, and cooking the food of his
childhood. The Hawker Fare cookbook immortalizes these widely beloved
dishes, which are inspired by the open-air "hawker" markets of Thailand
and Laos as well as the fine-dining sensibilities of James's career
beginnings. Each chapter opens with stories from Syhabout's roving
career, starting with his mother's work as a line cook in Oakland, and
moving into the turning point of his culinary life, including his
travels as an adult in his parents' homelands.
From building a pantry with sauces and oils, to making staples like
sticky rice and padaek, to Syhabout's recipe for instant ramen noodles
with poached egg, Hawker Fare explores the many dimensions of this
singular chef's cooking and ethos on ingredients, family, and eating
well. This cookbook offers a new definition of what it means to be
making food in America, in the full and vibrant colors of Thailand,
Laos, and California.
