Pepper Teigen Releases Debut Cookbook April 2021

This April 13th, Pepper Teigen, the beloved mom of Chrissy Teigen, releases her debut cookbook, The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes From Everyone’s Favorite Thai Mom (Clarkson Potter; $29.99). The cookbook features many of the dishes that made Chrissy fall in love with food and cooking, in addition to stories about Pepper’s early days living in the U.S., how she learned to cook Thai dishes with American ingredients and substitutes, and what it’s like to live with America’s favorite food family.

 

ABOUT PEPPER

Lovingly known as “Pepper Thai” for her love of spicy chiles, Pepper Teigen has become America’s most well-known Thai mom and Yai (grandma). Her passion for food goes back to her childhood growing up in the small town of Isaan in Thailand, where her first job was cooking and selling coconut pancakes to commuters each day before school. When Pepper married Chrissy’s dad, she moved to America and helped him operate a bar he owned in Washington, where she cooked food with Thai flavors for the bar patrons. She became an expert at improvising with American ingredients when Thai ones, like green papaya and Thai basil, were hard to find. She not only kept her love of Thai food and traditions alive — even in the small towns where she lived in Idaho, Utah and Washington — but also used food to introduce her daughters, Chrissy and Tina to her Thai culture. Today, Pepper is widely featured on Chrissy’s Instagram and on the Cravings’ website, where she shares her cooking tips and Thai recipes as part of her popular “Pepper’s Corner” video series.

 

THE DETAILS

With over 85 recipes, The Pepper Thai Cookbook features family-style dishes ranging from traditional Thai recipes to American recipes with Thai flavors. Chapters and recipes include:

 

  • Always Snacking: Thai Beef Jerky, Crispy Shrimp Toast, Chili-Lime Fried Cashews & more
  • Salads but Not Boring: Spicy Basil Melon Salad; Thai Steak Salad; Green Papaya Salad & more
  • Yai’s (Grandma’s) Specialties: Pok Moo (Pork and Ginger Rice Porridge); Thai Glazed Ribs; Miles’s Tofu Soup; Luna’s Broccoli Beef & more
  • Eat Your Veggies: Hot Basil Eggplant; Veggie Summer Rolls; Pad Thai Brussel Sprouts & more
  • Feeling Fancy: Larb Burgers; Stir-Fried Curry Crab; Sticky Caramelized Shrimp Lettuce Wraps & more
  • Back Home in Korat: Thai BBQ Pork; Khao Man Gai (Poached Chicken with Chicken Fat Rice); Homestyle Khao Tod (Crispy Rice Salad) & more
  • Queen of Leftovers: Fridge-Cleaning Fried Rice; Fried Chicken Larb; Nam Prik Moo Sloppy Joes & more
  • I Love My Wok: Seafood Pad Cha; Bacon-Pineapple-Curry Fried Rice; Stir-Fried Spaghetti with Chile Jam and Sun-Fried Tomatoes & more
  • Curries & Stews: Roasted Veggie Green Curry; Massaman Beef Curry; Spicy Coconut Tom Kha & more
  • A Little Dessert: Kanom Krok (Thai Coconut Pancakes); Pineapple Soft Serve with Spicy Candied Coconut; Crispy Fried Bananas and more
  • Pepper’s Pantry: Traditional Sticky Rice; Pickled Chili Vinegar; Spicy Garlic-Lime Fish Sauce and more

The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes From Everyone’s Favorite Thai Mom is co-written by Garret Snyder, with photography by Jenny Huang, and a foreword by Chrissy Teigen. Follow Pepper on Instagram @pepperthai2.