Pad Korat

In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering-hot. Add the garlic, shallot, and chile powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and toss, cooking until browned all over but not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soybean paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and 1 cup water, mixing until combined. Add the dried noodles.

Cook, stirring, until the noodles have softened and absorbed the water, 2 to 3 minutes (you can always add more water if the noodles look too dry). Once the noodles have soaked up the sauce, push them to the side of the pan and add the beaten eggs. Swirl the pan in a circle to spread out the eggs, letting them sit undisturbed for a minute, then stir and mix them into the chicken and noodles until they’re mostly cooked but slightly wet (like a soft scramble), about 1 minute. Add the bean sprouts and scallions, toss again to mix, and then remove the pan from the heat, letting the bean sprouts and scallions wilt in the residual heat.

To serve, place the noodles in a serving bowl or divide among the plates. Serve with lime wedges, fish sauce, and chile powder, so everyone can season their noodles as desired. If you have a lot of hungry people in your house, you can easily double this recipe. Sometimes I use up to two pounds of dried noodles—my big wok gets so full I have to have Chrissy hold it while I stir!—and it disappears in no time anyway. In my experience, you can never have too much.

Roasted Chile Powder

Roasted chile powder is one of my most essential ingredients because it adds both earthiness and heat. If you can’t find dried Thai chiles at the market, any small dried red chile will work. 2 cups dried red chiles, such as Thai, de árbol, or japones. Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you have an oven hood fan, turn it on. Spread the chiles evenly across a sheet pan and roast for about 6 minutes, checking them halfway through. The chiles are done when they change color from red to a very dark reddish brown. Watch closely near the end to make sure they don’t burn.

Transfer chiles to a plate and let cool completely. Place them in a mortar and grind with the pestle until they’re the size of red pepper flakes (or use a spice grinder or small blender on high speed for 10 to 15 seconds; make sure the blender is totally dry). Store the chile powder in an airtight container; it keeps for about 3 months or longer if kept in the freezer.