Name: Jasmin's Pad Thai
Yield: Makes 1 serving
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons red onions, finely chopped; A dash of peanut or olive oil; Shrimp (deveined), or calamari (cleaned and sliced) or chicken or pork (thinly sliced); An egg; A small handful of thai rice noodles; 1/2 a cup (max) of chicken stock or water; 4 to 5 glugs of fish sauce; A heaping tablespoon tamarind sauce*; 1/2 tablespoon palm sugar or unrefined caster sugar; A pinch or 2 of crushed red chile flakes; A handful of bean sprouts; 3 or 4 scallions, cut into 3-inch sticks; 2 to 3 tablespoons raw cashews, coarsely chopped; Fresh lime wedges and cucumber slices; *Tamarind sauce—of course you can buy this already prepared, but it's an entirely different sauce when it's fresh: place a small handful (about 2 to 3 tablespoons) of dried, vacu-packed tamarind nuggets in a bowl and cover with very hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes to soften. Use your hands to squish the nuggets until the water becomes really thick and gloopy. You'll notice your hands getting really soft, so spread a good amount of it all over your arms and face. Great for the skin. Anyway, using a rubber spatula, rub the sauce through a strainer, leaving the pits behind. Store the sauce in an airtight mason jar (keeps about a week). Rinse off your arms and face.

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Jasmin's Pad ThaiKeith Ferris/The Culinary Instit

Jasmin is a piece of work. Her single-word name only enhances her celebrity status. She's the chef/proprietor of her eponymous quintessential beach hut restaurant on the northern tip of Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. A tall, sexy native with long jet black hair and flowing silk dresses, she's as sharp as a razor blade and intimidating as hell. If you ask her a question, she stops, squints her eyes dubiously, and raises an eyebrow. She's the Queen Bee here. Her worker bees are the little barefoot gypsy kids who live on the beach, the happiest kids I've ever seen. They take her orders, serve her food, and assist her in effortlessly knocking out the freshest and most delicious Thai dishes around—her clientele buzzes in from every surrounding island. "Just bring us whatever you'd like" (I try to skip the questions). I'll kick back with a Singha and watch those iconic longtail boats pull up with ice crates of screamingly fresh local fish, and I'm eating perfectly executed delicacies fifteen minutes later. Here's a woman who is truly about abundance, joie de vivre, and a spirit so vibrant that it inspires everyone. A true domestic goddess. She graciously taught me this classic in her (outdoor) kitchen on the beach.

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