Pad Thai Nok Style

Nok’s restaurant and her kitchen were both minuscule, but they were spotlessly clean and very well organized. Though southern Thailand is heavily Muslim, Nok is Buddhist; she had a spirit house behind the bar where they prepared delicious, fresh-squeezed fruit juices, smoothies, and shakes. Like most chefs, she had her mise-en-place indeed in place before she began.

Nok explained to me that she prepared two basic types of Pad Thai and that we would be making both—stuffed and