Taiwanese Pork and Noodles (Lo Ba)

For the Noodles:
Prepare a large bowl (ice bath) with 12 ice cubes and 4 cups of water, set aside.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, then add the dry rice noodles and boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and let the noodles sit in the hot water for another 2 minutes. Drain the noodles, then immediately add them to the prepared ice bath to stop the cooking process, let sit for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

For the sauce:
In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, the vinegar, warm water and the sugar and whisk together well. Set aside.

Heat a fry or saute pan over medium high heat. When hot add in the cooking oil, shallots, garlic, star anise and cinnamon stick and saute until fragrant about 30 seconds. Add the ground pork breaking the meat into small pieces and cooking until the browned. Once the meat has cooked throughout, add the soy-vinegar mixture and simmer for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Serve over rice noodles.