There are a few things that are just better at a restaurant. For years, Pad Thai was at the top of that list. No matter how many recipes I tried, I never could get the proportions and ingredients quite right. That was until my friend Sara came back from a two-year trip to The Philippines. She worked for the Peace Corps and during one of her breaks, was able to visit Thailand. During her visit, she took a cooking class that utilized a creative combination of ingredients and explored the tasty flavors of soups, noodles, and desserts.

Upon returning home, she walked me through the steps of creating the perfect Pad Thai and gave me a copy of her cookbook. The fact that this recipe comes from an actual cooking school in Thailand makes the flavors that much more enticing.

Although a few of these ingredients may not be part of the staples in your pantry, once you buy them, they last for a long time, and will be there the next time you want to make Pad Thai for your family. Thailand is a country I would love to visit someday. Until then, I'll have to live vicariously through the traditional Thai cuisine I cook.

The key to mastering this recipe is to have everything prepped before you start cooking. My husband and I learned this the hard way when we tried to chop the ingredients just before adding them to the wok. This resulted in half the ingredients flying onto the floor as we went into a chopping frenzy. The end result was a disaster of a kitchen and a less than perfect Pad Thai. Since then, we've learned our lesson. Prep everything, and then heat the wok. Have one person in charge of stirring, while the other person adds ingredients. The actual cooking time takes about 7-10 minutes, and you'll find your Pad Thai AND your kitchen will look much better if you follow these simple steps. Enjoy!

Pad Thai Sai Kai

Ingredients:

One package of dried rice noodles (found in the Asian food section of your market)

• Pre soak these in hot water for 1 hour. They should be only slightly firm when you cook them.

1 lb. medium sized prawns (peeled and deveined)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

5 cloves minced garlic

2 c. raw bean sprouts

2 bunches of chopped green onion

2 eggs

2 tbsp. brown sugar

4 tsp. fish sauce (found in the Asian food section of your market)

2 tbsp. white vinegar

1/2 c. ground peanuts

2 tsp. ground dried red chili powder.

1 lime (cut into wedges)

Use a wok or large frying pan

• Heat the oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for about two minutes, stirring often

• Add prawns, bean sprouts, and green onion; stir often until prawns are cooked

• Crack eggs into pan and stir rapidly until the eggs become scrambled and slightly dry

• Add noodles, fish sauce, brown sugar, 1/2 of the ground peanuts (1/4 c.), 1 tsp. of chili powder

• Continue stirring until noodles become soft and translucent

• Remove from heat and serve immediately

• Serve with ground peanuts, chili powder, and lime wedges