Once confined mostly to specialty food aisles in big-city supermarkets, Thai food has sprung into the American restaurant landscape in full force. In Waltham alone, there are four exclusively Thai restaurants and another four "Asian fusion" restaurants that serve Thai dishes. As Thai food has worked its way into the mainstream, Pad Thai has been at the forefront. Easily the most famous and commonly ordered Thai dish, Pad Thai is a shining example of the textures and tastes that have made the cuisine so wildly popular. Nevertheless, every restaurant and every cook makes the dish their own way. "Pad Thai" roughly translates as "Thai stir-fry," so it's no wonder that such an ambiguous title can lead to so many varieties. Despite its exotic flavors and appeal, Pad Thai is a fairly simple dish that can be made at home with ingredients now stocked in the Asian aisle of just about every supermarket in the world. Often you can even find the sauce pre-made in jars at supermarkets and ethnic groceries. But for the best results, make your own.

The most traditional sauce is made by mixing 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of fish sauce, two tablespoons of tamarind paste and one tablespoon of paprika. If you can't find tamarind paste, an alternative is to mix 1/4 cup of fish sauce, one tablespoon of soy sauce, three tablespoons of lime juice and two tablespoons of brown sugar. For vegetarians, you can replace the fish sauce with two tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon of water and one tablespoon of rice vinegar.

The next step is to prepare the tofu. First, drain the tofu and remove it from its packaging. Slice the block into half-inch strips and wrap them in paper towels. Press down gently on the tofu to absorb as much water as possible. Mix the soy sauce and lime juice in a bowl and marinate the tofu in it for 30 minutes. Sprinkle on the cumin and cayenne and place the tofu pieces on a greased baking pan in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, turning them after 15. Cut the tofu into cubes, and set aside to cool.

Boil the rice noodles according to the package directions. Rice noodles cook very quickly, so as soon as they are done, drain them and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Toss with a tablespoon of vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking while the rest of the dish is prepared. In a large, hot wok or frying pan over medium to high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and beat in the eggs, stirring quickly to scramble. As soon as the eggs are cooked, remove and set aside. Add to the wok another tablespoon of oil, and add the tofu and garlic. Fry for four minutes, and then stir in the noodles and your sauce ingredients. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another five minutes or until all the sauce as been absorbed by the noodles. Remove from heat and toss with the egg, peanuts, scallions and bean sprouts. Garnish with the basil and the lime wedges and serve with your favorite garlic chili sauce on the side.