Instructions: To prepare chicken , combine garlic, shallots, cilantro, fish sauce, lime juice and pepper in blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into shallow dish. Add chicken pieces and turn to coat evenly with marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat barbecue or broiler. Cook chicken for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until outside is brown and inside is no longer pink. Baste with marinade during cooking. Discard any leftover marinade.

Meanwhile, to prepare Pad Thai, place noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand for 8 to 10 minutes, until softened but still firm. Drain well.

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chili paste. Reserve.

Heat oil in large skillet ot wok. Add garlic and cook gently until fragrant but not brown. Stir in reserved sauce and heat thoroughly.

Add beaten eggs. Allow to set slightly and then stir into mixture. Add noodles and toss gently. Add bean sprouts.

Turn noodles onto serving platter. Garnish with peanuts, green onions and chopped cilantro. Serve with hot or cold chicken.

NOTES : Linda Stephen, who began teaching at my school twenty years ago, fell in love with Thai cuisine during a year spent working in Australia.

She then studied cooking in Thailand, and now has a great ability to simplify Thai recipes as well as invent her own. The marinade for this chicken is also delicious spread on steak or lamb chops, and sometimes Linda slices the chicken or meat and serves it in or on the Pad Thai noodles. Pad Thai often contains bits of tofu, shrimp and chicken, but this version is meatless. You can serve it with the cilantro chicken or other meats, or as a vegetarian dish on its own.

book Simply HeartSmart Cooking With Bonnie Stern.

Makes 6 servings.

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