Serves 4-6.
Ingredients
3/4 lb rice vermicelli or banh pho noodles
1 Tbsp rice bran, vegetable or peanut oil
1 lb extra-lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
3 scallions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms (any type), chopped
1 tsp to 1 Tbsp chili paste with garlic, to taste
2 tsp oyster sauce
3 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
Directions
In a large bowl, soak the rice noodles in warm (not hot) water for 20 minutes, until they are pliable. Leave them in the water until you are ready to cook. Do not discard the soaking water.
Preheat a wok (or large frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef (or turkey), and stir-fry until no longer pink. Break up any clumps with your spatula.
Add the scallions, bell pepper and mushrooms, and continue to stir until the vegetables are just softened. Stir in the chili paste, and cook for 20 seconds.
Pour the oyster sauce and soy sauce into the pan, along with 2 cups of the noodle soaking water. Let the sauce in the pot come up to a simmer. Then, lift the rice noodles out of the soaking bowl, and add them directly to the wok. Begin to stir the noodles into the liquid in the wok, gently pulling the meat mixture from the bottom of the pan up and over the noodles. The heat of the mixture in the pan will cook the noodles in 2-3 minutes and the liquid will absorb quickly, so be sure to get everything well combined. Stir constantly; the noodles will tend to stick to the bottom of the pan as the starchy liquid evaporates. If needed, add a bit more of the soaking liquid from the bowl into the wok, until the noodles are cooked through but still have some "bite".
Serve hot.