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How Chrissy Teigen Became "Proud" of Her Ancestral Thai Food — and How it Improved Her Cooking
And she credits her Thai heritage with her heavy use of this ingredient.
Cravings author and social media maven Chrissy Teigen is currently working on her second book of wondrous recipes and relatable copy. The star, who is pregnant with her second child with husband John Legend, hinted at some of the recipes we can expect from cook book No. 2 during an interview for Chase Sapphire's Talking Travel series. Spoiler: They're close to home and pay homage to her Thai heritage.
Though Thai food used to make her feel "embarrassed," Chrissy Teigen's thoughts on Thai cooking are all about family (her mom is from Thaliand), embracing her roots, and using "endless amounts" of garlic.
"I used to be embarrassed of Thai food’s weird smells as a little kid (especially the strong garlic scent)," she said, according to People, "but now I crave all of the different Thai spices and use endless amounts of garlic in my recipes. I’ve come to be proud of my heritage, instead of shying away from it." Teigen also said her mom frequently cooks Thai food at home and some of those recipes will be featured in her forthcoming cook book.
Obviously, she has visited her mother's homeland before. She reminisced, "Although I’m not great at speaking Thai, it was amazing eating authentic boat noodles, visiting the Taling Chan floating market in Thonburi, and learning Muay Thai fighting." She even gave Anthony Bourdain a tour!
Perhaps the most important question any restaurant buff has on their mind is... where does the famous foodie like to eat in Thailand? Answer(s): Nahm and Le Normandie.
Duly noted.
Originally published December 8, 2017