Myint family cookbook hits best book lists: The Thai that binds

Arnold Myint's cookbook dreams shifted dramatically after his mother's death.

The James Beard semifinalist chef grew up in the kitchen of his parents’ International Market & Restaurant. That restaurant first opened in 1975 in the Belmont area of Nashville, bringing Thai food to an audience that had been raised on fried chicken and biscuits.

After spending his young adulthood as a nationally ranked, competitive figure skater, Myint received classic French training at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.

A celebrated drag queen accustomed to performance, glitter and rhinestones, he saw a lane for himself when reality TV started glorifying chefs.

"The cookbook, honestly, was very narcissistic at first," he said. "It was a bucket-list thing: TV show, cookbook, brand trajectory."

Then his mother passed away in 2018. Then his father passed away a year later. Then Myint and his sister, Anna, took over the family business.

They were flooded with messages from community members celebrating what his mother had contributed to Nashville’s food culture. Myint, who was already in talks with an agent about a cookbook, soon reconnected with his Thai roots in a way he never expected.

"That was the lightbulb moment. This book isn’t about me. The journey is mine, but the story is about community."

Myint found his focus: a book to document what his mother built selflessly, without ego, in a place that hadn’t been exposed to this sort of Thai food before.

“Moms Egg Rolls” at the International Market Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

"People started writing to us every day, sharing memories of her," he said. "At first, it was overwhelming."

Then his sister’s therapist suggested having people write things down instead of revealing stories while the siblings were contending with the restaurant's busy service periods.

"We now have filing cabinets full of those notes," Myint said.

Co-owner Anna Myint wears a Sriracha hot sauce costume as she jokes around with fellow employees at the International Market Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

Heirloom dumpling recipe draws raves

The flood of community notes became the catalyst for "Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home" ― honoring Patti Myint, an immigrant from a low-income family in Thailand who built a life's work and purpose through food. The book has since landed on The New York Times' list of The 14 Best Cookbooks of 2025.

A “Pad Krapao” Thai dish, with Thai basil, Thai chili, onion, garlic, green beans, bell pepper, oyster sauce, and rice at the International Market Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

Her influence can be clearly felt in "Family Thai," and on the restaurant's menu, in a recipe for dumplings still recreated faithfully for International Market customers using a family heirloom recipe from Arnold Myint's grandmother.

Myint transcribed the recipe from his grandmother's handwritten cookbook and went through the process with her via phone.

"She called me back and said, 'Don’t ever change this recipe. Don’t deviate. It’s perfect. Be good. I love you,'" Myint said.

A painting of the former King and Queen of Thailand hangs above a new “Family Thai” cookbook written by Arnold Myint, owner of International Market, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

Four days later, she passed away.

"That was our last conversation," he said.

So, the dumplings stay. Not as refined as Myint might make them, but he won’t touch the recipe. The restaurant produces thousands every week.

"And people don’t even think twice when they order them," he said. "They’re nostalgic, they represent discovery, a first taste of something outside the norm. They became a tradition and a ritual ... You can taste the history. This dumpling is something that you just don't challenge. You just take it and accept it."

Not everything in the cookbook leans on family lore. Myint loves translating meat-heavy Thai dishes into plant-based versions. He recreated a crispy rice ball, traditionally made with pork, with red curry rice, preserved radish, toasted coconut and crispy shallots for something that's joyful, and entirely vegan.

That recipe helps illustrate a key theme of "Family Thai" and the story of International Market: Thai flavors told through Southern ingredients.

It's also a love letter to the woman who helped weave Thai food into the fabric of a Southern city. That's shown throughout the book in images of textiles his mom wore, including a quilt made from her old chef coats.

"All the Thai silk you see?" Myint said. "She wore it. She’s in the whole book."

“Yai Pork Shumai” a recipe made by Arnold Myint’s grandmother, Tongyoi Kopsombut, at the International Market Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.

Khanom Jeeb (Yai’s Pork Shumai Dumplings)

Reprinted with permission from "Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home," by Arnold Myint and Kat Thompson. More and ordering info at www.myfamilythai.com.

If I had to select one dish to uphold my yai (my grandmother’s) legacy, it would be these succulent steamed dumplings. They are inspired by the Chinese migrants in Thailand, so many of whom call Bangkok home. The recipe has remained the same for decades, a harmonious blend of ground pork, crunchy water chestnuts, and plump shrimp. I’ve folded these dumplings hundreds of times and have never found a single fault in them. I hold this dish especially close to my heart because the last conversation I had with my mother before she passed away revolved around this very recipe. She told me, "Honey, don’t ever change this recipe. It’s perfect ... be good. I love you."

Ingredients

For the dumplings:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 pound (455 g) ground pork
• 8 ounces (225 g) large shrimp, shelled, deveined, and finely chopped
• ¼ cup (35 g) finely chopped white onion
• ¼ cup (45 g) finely chopped water chestnuts
• ¼ cup (40 g) finely chopped scallions (about 3 scallions)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Neutral oil, such as sunflower, for the steamer basket
• 26 to 28 dumpling skins or store-bought gyoza wrappers, thawed if frozen

For serving:

• Sliced scallions, green parts only
• Fried garlic or store-bought fried garlic
• Pickled onions (optional)
• Dumpling sauce

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the pork, shrimp, onion, water chestnuts, scallions, fish sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, sugar, salt and white pepper and stir to combine. Evenly sprinkle the cornstarch over the top and stir again. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Pour water to come 1 inch up the sides of a saucepan large enough to fit a steamer basket and bring to a boil over high heat. Coat the steamer basket with oil.

Lay 6 wrappers on a clean work surface, keeping the remaining wrappers covered with a damp kitchen or paper towel. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the mixture in the center of a wrapper. Fold the sides of the wrapper around the mixture, leaving the top of the dumpling open with the filling exposed. Place the dumplings in the prepared steamer basket without touching. Repeat with the remaining filling.

Place the steamer basket above the boiling water, making sure the water does not touch the dumplings. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the pork is cooked through to 145°F (63°C) when measured with an instant-read thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes.

To serve:

Serve the dumplings immediately, topped with scallions, fried garlic and/or pickled onions if using, and dumpling sauce. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze in a single layer in a zip-top bag and re-steam from frozen.

Mackensy Lunsford is the senior dining reporter for The Tennessean and the editor for Southern Kitchen. Reach her at [email protected].