Cook the rice noodles in boiling water for few minutes until soft. Drain off water and rinse with cold water and set aside
Heat oil in a pan and saute star anise for 2 minutes. Add onion and garlic to the oil and saute for 5 minutes until fragrant. Add pork and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add in tomato and salt. Stir-fry for another minute then add water, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Have a taste and add more salt if needed. Remove the star anise prior to serving
Prepare the toppings by mixing the cornstarch powder with water. Put them in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture started to bubble and thickened. Set aside. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for about 30 seconds
Serving:
Place 1 Tbsp beansprouts, 1 tsp fermented bean paste, about 1-2 Tbsp fermented mustard leaves, 1/2 tsp of fish sauce and 1 tsp ground peanuts on each individual serving platter. Add the noodles in and stir everything to combine. Add in about 3-4 Tbsp of the meat sauce over the noodles and 1 Tbsp cornstarch jelly. Sprinkle fresh coriander, green onion, crispy garlic, chili flakes and fish sauce over the noodles. Mix well just before you ready to eat. Add in some hard-boiled eggs. You can also have all the toppings on the side and let your guests dress their own noodles
Notes
At the time I made this Mandalay Mee Shay I did not have a medium thick rice noodles and I just use regular thin rice noodles. The rice noodle used in Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue is definitely a perfect thickness for this Mee Shay. It is usually labeled as "Gui Lin Rice Noodles" and you'll see the word "Bun Bo Hue" on the package too