Fried Hor Fun With Beef

Fresh rice noodles, called "hor fun" or "chow fun," in Chinese recipes, are sold stacked in square sheets and should be sliced by hand into noodles. Soft, slippery and white, they have a supple chewiness that adapts well to stir-frying. Look for them in the refrigerator cases of Asian grocery stores. The light and dark soy sauces called for here will mainly affect the color of the dish
you can use whatever soy sauce you have on hand or look for the different grades of soy sauce in ethnic markets. If rice sheets are not already cut, cut them into 3/4-inch strips. Place in a bowl and pour boiling water over to cover, gently shaking strips apart with a pair of chopsticks. Immediately drain and cool under running water. Drain well and mix with 1 teaspoon peanut oil to prevent sticking. Heat remaining 1/4 cup peanut oil in a hot wok, cook for 2 minutes, then cool. Mix 2 tablespoons of this cooked oil with beef, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce and cornstarch mixture, and marinate for 30 minutes. Mix dark soy sauce, remaining light soy sauce and sugar and set aside. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons cooked oil in a hot wok and cook ginger and green onions for 1 minute, then remove. Add beef mixture and stir-fry for 1 minute, until it changes color. Remove beef and set aside. Add bean sprouts to wok and stir-fry for 1 minute. Lift out and set aside. Add drained noodles and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture and stir well. Return beef and bean sprouts to the wok and stir, mixing thoroughly. Serve on a large platter or in small Chinese bowls. --- Adapted from "Noodle" by Terry Durack Per serving: 460 calories, 16 grams protein, 18 grams fat (percent calories from fat, 36), 57 grams carbohydrates, 35 milligrams cholesterol, 1,065 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.