Rice noodles explained

Rice noodles
Country:	China
Region:	East Asia and Southeast Asia
Type:	Noodle
Main Ingredient:	Rice flour, water
Variations:	Bánh canh, bánh phở, khanom chin, kuān tiáo, lai fun, mixian, rice vermicelli, sevai, shahe fen

Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodles. Rice noodles are most common in the cuisines of China, India and Southeast Asia. They are available fresh, frozen, or dried, in various shapes, thicknesses and textures. Fresh noodles are also highly perishable; their shelf life may be just several days.

History

The origin of rice noodles dates back to China during the Qin dynasty when people from northern China invaded the south. Due to climatic conditions, the northern Chinese have traditionally preferred wheat and millet which grew in cold weather while the southern Chinese preferred rice which grew in hot weather. Noodles are traditionally made out of wheat and eaten throughout northern China so to adapt, northern cooks tried to prepare "noodles" using rice, thus inventing rice noodles. Over time rice noodles and their processing methods have been introduced around the world, becoming especially popular in Southeast Asia.^[1] In India, idi-appam, strings of cooked rice, was known in ancient Tamil country around 1st century AD, as per references in the Sangam literature, according to food historian K. T. Achaya.^[2]

The shelf life may be extended by drying and removing its moisture content. Studies of drying rice noodles were conducted by the International Food Research Journal.^[3]

Varieties

Round thick varieties

• Bánh canh – thick Vietnamese noodles. The Vietnamese word bánh refers to items such as noodles or cakes that are made from flour, and canh means "soup."
• Lai fun – a short and thick variety of Chinese noodles, also referred to as bánh canh by Vietnamese
• Nan gyi thoke – thick round rice noodles mixed with specially prepared chicken curry and chili oil.
• Nan lat – medium thick round rice noodles used in Burma^{[4] [5]}
• Silver needle noodles – a variety of Chinese noodles. It is short, about 5 cm long and 5 mm in diameter. Similar to Lai Fun but has a tapering end resembling a rat's tail. More commonly known as silver needle noodle in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and rat noodle or "mouse tail noodles" in Malaysia and Singapore and Locupan in Indonesia. They are also known as pin noodles.^[6] In Thailand they are known as Giam Ee noodles.^[7]

Flat thick varieties

• Bánh phở – thick fresh rice noodle used in popular Vietnamese phở noodle soups.
• Shahe fen/chao fen/chow fun – wide chinese noodles made from rice.
• Migan – type of rice noodle from the Dai people, a Tai cultural group from Yunnan Province, China. It is made from ordinary non-glutinous rice. It is primarily defined by its relatively broad and flat shape
• Juanfen – similar to Migan
• Sen lek – narrow flat rice noodle in Thailand^[8] Used in such dishes as pad thai, Sukhothai rice noodles and in noodle soups. Its full name would be kuaitiao sen lek
• Nan byar – flat rice noodles used in Burma^[9] byar/pyar means flat.^[10]
• San see^[11]

Thin varieties

• Khanom chin – fresh, thin rice noodles in Thai cuisine which are made from rice sometimes fermented for three days, boiled, and then made into noodles by extruding the resulting dough through a sieve into boiling water. Burmese mont bat (မုန့်ဖတ်) or mont di (မုန့်တီ), are similar to this.
• Rice vermicelli – thin form of noodle sometimes referred to as "rice noodles" or "rice sticks"

Others

• Mixian – a type of rice noodle from the Yunnan Province, China, made from ordinary non-glutinous rice. In many areas there are at least two distinct thicknesses produced, a thinner form (roughly 1.5 mm or 0.059 inches in diameter) and a thicker form (roughly 3.5–4 mm or 0.14–0.16 inches in diameter).

Pasta made from brown rice flour is also available (in health food stores in Western nations) as an alternative to wheat flour-based noodles for individuals who react poorly to gluten.

Dishes

Burmese

• Baik kut kyee kaik
• Kat kyi kaik
• Kyar san kyaw
• Kyay oh
• Meeshay
• Mohinga
• Mont di
• Nan gyi thohk
• Nanbyagyi thoke
• Rakhine kyarzan thoke
• Shan khauk swè (similar to Yunnan mi xian)^[12] – a "soup version" of meeshay without gel, and fish sauce instead of soy sauce, with flat or round noodles, where the soup is part of the dish itself, rather than as consommé. Also known as Khaut sew or Shan style noodles.^{[13] [14] [15] [16]}

Cambodian

• Kuyteav
• Num banhchok

Chinese

• Beef chow fun
• Cart noodle
• Chao fen – Also known as Chow Fun in many Chinese restaurants in North America
• Clay-Pot Lao Shu Fen
• Crossing-the-bridge noodles
• Laoyou rice noodles
• Luosifen
• Mixian (noodle)
• Rice noodle roll
• Singapore-style noodles

Filipino

• Mami bihon
• Pancit bihon
• Pancit choca
• Pancit luglug
• Pancit Malabon
• Pancit miki-bihon – round egg noodles with bihon, a hybrid type of stir-fried noodle.
• Pancit palabok
• Pancit sinanta – consists of flat egg noodles, bihon, clams and chicken, with broth colored with annatto and served with pinakufu, a variant of dango

Indonesian

• Bihun
• Bihun goreng
• Bakso
• Ketoprak (dish)
• Kwetiau ayam
• Kwetiau goreng
• Kwetiau kuah
• Kwetiau Medan
• kwetiau sapi
• Lakso
• Soto

Lao

• Feu or Fer
• Khao piak sen
• Khao poon
• Khao soi
• Khua mee / pad lao – stir-fried noodles mixed with lightly scrambled egg. It is the equivalent of pad thai in Thai cuisine^{[17] [18] [19]}
• Mee ka tee

Malaysian

• Char kway teow
• Kway chap
• Laksa
• Mee siam

South Indian/Sri Lankan

• Idiyappam^[20]
• Sevai

Singapore

• Beef kway teow
• Crab bee hoon
• Hokkien mee
• Katong laksa
• Satay bee hoon

Thai

• Khanom chin
• Khao soi
• Kuai chap – it is a soup of pork broth with rolled up rice noodle sheets (resulting in rolls about the size of Italian penne), pork intestines, "blood tofu", and boiled egg.
• Kuai tiao khua kai
• Kuai tiao nam tok – noodle soup darkened with raw blood
• kuaitiao ruea aka boat noodles
• Mi krop
• Nam ngiao
• Phat khi mao
• Pad thai
• Phat si-io – stir-fried noodles in dark soy sauce
• Rat na – gravy noodles
• Sukhothai rice noodles

Vietnamese

• Bún Cá Rô - Bún is (rice) noodles, Cá is fish, Rô is a type of fresh water fish found in Vietnam^[21]
• Bánh canh – Vietnamese soup with thick rice noodles
• Bánh cuốn – sheet of rice flour filled with spiced minced pork and mushroom
• Bánh hỏi
• Bún bò Huế – rice vermicelli in soup with beef, lemon grass and other ingredients
• Bún chả
• Bun Goi Da (Soc Trang Goi Da noodle soup) — “bun” means noodles, “goi” means spring roll, “da” means eating in Vietnamese slang. Its ingredients consist of pork, rice noodles, shrimp, and vegetables. Tamarind sauce adds a sour taste.
• Bún kèn aka trumpet rice noodle soup — A dish (of Cambodian origins) that is a specialty of Phú Quốc.^{[22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32]}
• Bún mắm
• Bún nước kèn — a speciality of Châu Đốc, in An Giang Province^[33]
• Bun Nuoc Leo (Rice Noodle Cooked with Fish Broth)^[34]
• Bún ốc
• Bún riêu – rice vermicelli in soup with crab meat
• Bún thịt nướng
• Bún quậy — Stirred(quậy) Shrimp Noodles(Bún). Fish paste and shrimp paste are finely ground, mixed well and stirred. Then, boiling water and noodles water are added immediately and served fresh.^[35] Alternatively, the diner has to stir the shrimp, fish, meat, with the broth before eating this dish.^[36]
• Cao lầu
• Gỏi cuốn / Summer roll
• Hủ tiếu – A version of kuay teow that became popular in the 1960s in Southern Vietnam, especially in Saigon. There are different types of noodles for Hu Tieu, such as soft rice noodles, egg noodles, or chewy tapioca noodles.
• Mì Quảng
• Miến gà rẫy — chicken rice noodles of Phú Quốc
• Phở

See also

• Vietnamese cuisine
• List of Vietnamese culinary specialities
• Noodle soup

References

1. Book: Liu . Y.L. . Processing technology of rice and its products . 2010 . China Light Industry Press . China . 84–85.
2. Book: The Story of Our Food. K. T. Achaya. November 2003. 80. Universities Press. 81-7371-293-X .
3. Ismail . M.H. . Law . C.L. . Hii . C.L. . International Food Research Journal . 23 . Suppl . S195–S202 . December 2016 . Transparency phenomena of flat-rice noodles (kuew teow) at drying at soaking variation . www.ifrj.upm.edu.my . 26 June 2018.
4. Web site: Epic Guide to Delicious Local Foods in Mandalay. 7 March 2019.
5. Web site: Uniquely Mandalay Foods.
6. Web site: pin rice noodles.
7. Web site: All About Noodles, Sen Guay Tiew – Thai Noodles for the Beginner Episode I.
8. Web site: Types of noodles in Thailand. 10 October 2016.
9. Web site: A Burmese Food Pop-Up Hyde-ing In Plain Sight In My Own 'Hood At Jonas On Hyde.. 19 March 2014.
10. Book: nan-byar-ghi-thoke meaning. 9781472959508. Aye. Mimi. 13 June 2019.
11. Web site: Burmese Food Primer: Essential Dishes To Eat In Myanmar. 22 February 2017.
12. Web site: Shan Khauk Swè. 10 July 2017.
13. Web site: BEST BURMESE FOOD: WHAT TO EAT IN MYANMAR. 6 January 2017.
14. Web site: THROUGH TIME & PLACE WITH A BOWL OF NOODLES.
15. Web site: Eating in Burma.
16. Web site: 21 Most Popular Burmese Foods To Fall In Love With 2022. 4 March 2022.
17. Web site: Kua Mee (Pad Lao). 16 May 2021.
18. Web site: Khua Mee (Fried & Caramelised Rice Noodles). 30 June 2021.
19. Web site: KUA MEE. 29 January 2018.
20. Web site: String Hoppers.
21. Web site: Bún Cá Rô Noodle Soup.
22. Web site: A Speciality of Phu Quoc, Bún Kèn is a Tropical Island in a Bowl.
23. Web site: Ha Tien trumpet rice noodle soup.
24. Web site: Bun Ken Phu Quoc - rich and delicious flavor.
25. Web site: 10 Must Try Phu Quoc Foods & Where to find them.
26. Web site: Bun Ken - Another type of unique noodle at Phu Quoc island, Vietnam.
27. Web site: Ken Vermicelli (Bún Kèn).
28. Web site: Ken noodles Phu Quoc: A local delicacy that leaves a delicious aftertaste.
29. Web site: Bún Kèn – Vietnamese Fish Curry.
30. Web site: Bún kèn, a speciality of Phú Quốc Island.
31. Web site: Searching for the Elusive Vietnamese Noodle Dish Bún Kèn.
32. Web site: Red Boat Fish Sauce recipe: Bún kèn (Coconut Fish with Noodles).
33. Web site: Bun nuoc ken: Chau Doc’s speciality.
34. Web site: Top 11 Best Dishes in Mekong Delta.
35. Web site: TOP 6 SPECIAL FOODS YOU SHOULD NOT MISS IN PHU QUOC ISLAND.
36. Web site: 8 Famous Breakfast Dishes in Phu Quoc to Taste.