This recipe can be found in the free digital cookbook, Eat, Read, Love: Recipes from the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, and was inspired by my book Codename: Dancer.

6 oz. dried rice noodles

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. canola oil, plus extra for stir-frying

10 oz diced chicken

½ cup of ½ inch pieces of scallion

3 red chili peppers, chopped

2 Tbsp. garlic, chopped

¼ cup vegetarian mushroom sauce (find in Asian market or online – this is the vegetarian version of oyster sauce)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

3 Tbsp. sugar

¼ cup bean sprouts

½ cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Soak noodles in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, cover, and set aside. Mix cornstarch with 1 tsp canola oil. Pour over diced chicken and stir to coat. In another bowl, stir together mushroom sauce, lemon juice, and sugar. Heat 3 Tbsp. canola oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook until brown. Set chicken aside, increase heat to high, then add 3 more Tbsp canola oil. Add scallions, chili peppers, and garlic and stir-fry until garlic just browns.

Add noodles and stir until they’re coated. Add mushroom sauce mixture and stir. Add chicken back in, stir.

Add remaining ingredients one at a time, stirring all the while: bean sprouts, sunflower seeds, basil, red pepper, black pepper. Serve piping hot!

Note: This is the closest I’ve found to real Pad Thai without containing any of the common allergens found in the traditional recipe: shellfish, peanut, sesame, egg, or soy. Of course, if you don’t have food allergies, you may prefer the taste of the original.