Thai Cellophane Noodles with ground meat

I've bookmarked this recipe from my Thai cookbook for a while now. It looked quick and easy to make so I thought to give it a try.

Like all the Thai dishes I've made, the rule of thumb is to always have all the ingredients ready to toss in the wok because cooking is quick. This recipe called for something called "Magic Paste," which supposedly was found at Thai markets. Well I couldn't find it, so I googled to see what was in a Magic paste. All it was are cilantro and garlic pounded together using a mortar and pestle to create a paste. Cool. I can see how important the magic paste is to this dish. It is the flavor of the dish and it was delicious and really easy to make. We all loved our dinner tonight.

7 oz cellophane noodles

2 Tbsp. oil

1 Tbsp. magic paste (4 cloves garlic and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, pounded together using a mortar and pestle to create a paste)

8 oz ground meat (pork, chicken or turkey)

1/2 green or red thai chili, seeded and finely chopped (use 1-2 whole chili if you like it spicy)

3 cups bean sprouts

3 spring onions

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fish sauce

2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

1 Tbsp. light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar or dry sherry

2 Tbsp. chopped peanuts, for garnish

fresh cilantro for garnish

1) Soak noodles in boiling hot water in a bowl for 10 minutes. Drain and snip noodles to shorten the strands. Set aside.

2) Heat oil in a wok or large pan. Add magic paste and cook for 2-3 seconds. Add ground meat, making sure to break up large pieces. Cook for 2-3 minutes until brown.

3) Add chili and mix well. Add bean sprouts and spring onions and mix well. Add noodles, soy sauce, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce, sugar, and rice vinegar and stir until well incorporated. Continue cooking until noodles are heated through.

4) Place noodles on a serving dish and top with chopped peanuts and chopped cilantro.