• 2 ounces (mung) bean thread noodles
  
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns -- toasted and ground
  
• 3 cloves garlic -- chopped
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger -- chopped
  
• 4 Tablespoons cilantro -- chopped
  
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1/4 onion -- cut into thin wedges
  
• 1/3 pound raw, unpeeled shrimp -- deveined
  
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
  
• 1 Tablespoon dry sherry
  
• 2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce -- nuco man or nam pla
  
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  
• 1 cup chicken stock
  
• 1 stalk celery -- sliced 1/4" thick
  
• 3 green onion -- cut in 1" pieces
  

1) Cover the bean threads with hot water; let them soak for 30 minutes, then drain and cut, if necessary, into 12-inch lengths.

2) Meanwhile, place the peppercorns in a mortar and pound into a coarse powder. Add the garlic and ginger and half of the cilantro and pound into a coarse paste. Set aside. (I, not having such an implement, just minced and smashed the garlic, ginger and cilantro on a board and covered it with fresh ground pepper.) Also I added all 4 Tablespoons of the cilantro right off the bat, by accident. Excellent.

3) In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sugar, sherry or rice wine, fish sauce, sesame oil and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Keep handy.

3) Heat the oil in the pot over medium. Wait until the pan gets hot, then add the garlic paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onions and shrimp and stir-fry until the shrimp just turns pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

4) Return the pot to the stove. Add the soy mixture. Bring to a boil and add the bean threads, stirring so the noodles are well covered with sauce.

5) Add the celery and green onions. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

6) Stir in the reserved shrimp and the remaining 1/2 cup of stock and cook until just hot, about 2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

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NOTES : I made all kind of mistakes with this and it was still great.