At the same time, I’m always looking for ways to make life easier, healthier, and less draining—saving time and energy, and if it saves money too, that’s a bonus.

I’ve never wanted to call myself a chef, or any kind of cooking professional, because I’m not. I’m Pradichaya—who fell deeply in love with the Thai food my grandparents and parents exposed me to while I was growing up. That love is what brought me here, in front of you, and in front of the world.

I cook simply, mostly simple and approachable dishes, with the occasional difficult dish that asks more of the body. In my 30s and 40s, I studied Thai cooking with several “aunties”—friends of my mom, and distant cousins of my maternal grandmother. From them, I learned how to make intricate, beautiful dishes—the kind I watched my mom cook but was afraid to attempt myself.

As Thais like to say, much of that knowledge has “gone back to the teacher.” In other words, it’s sitting in a notebook somewhere. I haven’t felt the urge to cook those delicate dishes in my Las Vegas kitchen.

You can follow a recipe, but you can’t truly learn how to cook just from one. That’s especially true in Thai cooking. I’m not here to make you a “perfect” Thai cook—there’s no such thing anyway. What fun would that be?