Rice Noodles - Rice Stick

Rice Noodles - Rice Stick
Noodle Skein

[Chao Ching (China)]

Rice noodles are widely used in every Asian region where rice is grown and eaten. Not long ago. even here in Los Angeles, they were available in only a couple sizes and only dried. Now vast quantities of fresh noodles are produced in Los Angeles and Orange counties and every Asian market has at least one or two varieties - others have more than ten varieties. Dried are available in a dozen or so sizes as well, imported from Thailand, Vietnam and China.

The photo shows the most typical form, a 4 ounce skein of 0.04 inch / 1 mm diameter "rice stick", generally packed 4 to a bag. These were made in China. Caution: these must not be confused with the similar appearing bean thread noodles - the two have very different cooking properties. Read the label.

These products are generally labeled in Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and English, but the names I give are English and Vietnamese (accents omitted) because the Thai and Chinese characters are uninterpretable to me.

Fresh Rice Noodles
Rice Sheet These are found in markets serving Asian communities from Korean on south to Indonesian. The Korean markets around here generally have only the sheet form which you can cut to whatever width you desire and then unwrap. Markets serving Southeast Asian communities may have more than 10 varieties, some of which are shown below. The sheets are very thin and coated with oil so they can be unwrapped from the bundle.

Buying & Storing: These are intended to be purchased and used on the day they are made, but will still be OK the following day or a little more if unopened - then they will start to mold and get a strange flavor. Different brands vary in thicknesses and I tend to prefer the slightly thicker ones.
Do not refrigerate. Refrigeration changes the texture of the noodles and they will break up when you try to peel them off the bundle, even if you have warmed them back up.

Cooking: If a recipe calls for dried rice noodles use twice the weight fresh. These noodles are fully cooked and need only be warmed. When handling them in stir fries and the like you need to cook them for a very short time or they'll start sticking to the pan and breaking up. Dried noodles are a little more tolerant.

Dried Rice Noodles
Wide Noodles Dried rice noodles are found in a wide variety of shapes and forms. The most common form is shown in the photo in the header of this page, 0.040 / 1 mm diameter in 4 ounce skeins. The photo specimens, made in Thailand and called Banh Pho, are the widest commonly found, 0.34 inches by 0.025 thick in 4 ounce skeins. This noodle will expand to about 0.58 inches wide when fully soaked in warm water.

Buying & Storing: These will be found in any market serving an East or Southeast Asian community. Store in a sealed bag to prevent entry of moths and they will last indefinitely.

Cooking: If a recipe calls for fresh, use 1/2 the weight dried. Soak in warm water for about 1/2 hour depending on size and shape. Cooking time is very short but longer than for fresh noodles and the amount of liquid in the recipe should be increased slightly. The are a little easier to use than fresh in stir fries because they tend not to stick to the pan and break up as much as fresh.

Banh Trang - Spring Roll Wrappers
Wide Noodles These are used in Thailand and Vietnam to make various spring rolls, both fresh and deep fired. They are extrememely thin and take practice handling. The photo specimens are 8-1/2 inches diameter and 0.007 inch / 0.18 mm thick (yes, that's 7 thousandths of an inch).

Buying & Storing: These will be found in any market serving an East or Southeast Asian community. Store in a sealed bag to prevent entry of moths and they will last indefinitely.

Cooking: These are first moistened just enough to make them flexible. I do this by laying them on a damp cloth and brushing them with water. In a few seconds they're ready to use. They are then folded and rolled into packets which may be served as-is or deep fried depending on the recipe used. Handling them takes a little practice.

Rice Flake - Banh Uot
Noodle Squares These are not common but are available in Los Angeles. The photo specimens, made in Thailand, are 2 inch x 2 inch random squares 0.025 inch thick. All buying, storage and cooking considerations are exactly as for regular rice noodles described above.

Rice Noodle - Fine - Bun Que Lam
Noodles These are 0.04 / 1 mm diameter similar to the skein form shown in the header photo but straight and cut to a length of 7-3/4 inches. These were made in China but clearly intended mostly for Vietnamese cuisine. All buying, storage and cooking considerations are exactly as for regular rice noodles described above.

Fresh Rice Noodles - precut
Precut Noodles These are precut fresh rice noodles. They are just like the more common sheet form but precut to a particular width - you just need to unfold and fluff them for use. All other conditions and handling are exactly as for the sheet form described above.

Rach Gia - Cheesecloth Noodles
Sheets This Vietnamese form is a bit unusual. It's sold in folded sheets just like other fresh noodle forms but the sheets are composed of a roving of thin strands - it looks a lot like a folded up sheet of cheesecloth.

I'm not sure yet just how this one is used, officially, but in one of my experiments I deep fried it to produce something very like vegetarian pork rinds.