It takes a second to simply understand what rice noodles, or simply rice noodles, are. You just need water and rice flour and you are all set to prepare it easily. Wherever you go in Asia, in almost all Asian cuisines, you will find these noodles to hold a very special place as an essential and absolutely delicious food item. Interestingly, it has gained considerable popularity in America as well. That’s why today we will discuss how to cook fresh rice noodles.
If you ask me what I love the most about the rice noodles, I would say their springy and slightly chewy texture. And I believe this feature of this food item draws the most attention. There is sometimes even a kick of vinegar and citrus ensured by umami dressing. Thus, the noodles offer a salty texture! Ah! Superbly delicious!
Basically, the rice noodle stir-fries are most popular nationwide, such as the Drunken Noodles and Pad See Ew. But, I will tell you about all the ways to cook rice noodles. Remember, it is always somewhat different to cook these noodles compared to other types of pasta. SO, get along with me!
Where did the rice noodle come from?
The International Food Research Journal conducted research on rice noodles a few years back. According to their findings, they found the origin of this food item in China, exactly when the people of northern China invaded the south.
Back then, the climate was such that, the northern Chinese used to prefer the millet and wheat, on the contrary, the southern Chinese used to prefer the rice of hot weather. This way, the northern Chinese used to prepare noodles out of wheat, and later on, succeeded to prepare using rice. Thus, this tradition was adopted countrywide and the rice noodles got popular.
In Asian markets, these noodles are very common. You will also get them from the refrigerated section as well. However, in the USA, you will find noodles labeled as rice noodles/noddle or rice steak.
Types of rice noodles
Different countries have their own type of rice noodles. Thus, we get so many varieties of these noodles. However, they are mainly of 4 kinds as below:
- The wide ones: People use this type of rice noodles in dishes like Pad See Ew. This type shares the same width as pappardelle pasta.
- The medium ones: Here comes the “Stir-Fry” noodles or “Pad Thai” noodles. Yes, the stir-fry is nothing but the medium ones of rice noodles. In width, these noodles are ¼-inch or you can just mention linguine. But, like fettuccine, in some places, you can even find wider noodles. With this type of noodles, recipes like Rice Noodles with Vegetables are popular.
- The thin ones: This type of rice noodle is sold under the labeling of Pad Thai” rice noodles. These are ⅛-inch wide and in shape, they also look like the flat linguine or spaghetti.
- The very thin ones: You may find this type of noodles labeled as “vermicelli” or “angel hair.” Why so? Because it quite resembles the angel hair pasta. Most people use this type only for Singapore Noodles.
Well, enough for now! Now, let’s get back to How to cook fresh rice noodles!
Ingredients
- The medium rice noodles, which we also know as “Pad Thai” noodles or “Stir-fry Rice Noodles” (8-14 ounces)
You will find these in your local grocery store labeled as “Rice Stick Noodles”.
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil some water quickly on high and then turn off the heat.
- Now, you can either place the medium noodles in the pot to the boiling water, or you can pour in the water in the rice noodles in a big and wide bowl. Then, cover it tightly.
- To separate, swish around the noodles very briefly.
- Then, take 8-10 minutes at most to soak these noodles. The noodles will be chewy, yet tender by this time.
- To finish off, drain off the noodles.
At last, use fairly cold water to briefly rinse off the noodle and then serve you.
Other Cooking Methods
Unarguably, now you know how to cook fresh rice noodles. But there are other ways to cook these noodles for utmost comfort. You can opt for any of these processes:
1. The Quick Boil method: Just set the temperature to high and boil the noodles as soon as possible. It will take 2-6 minutes at most. Then, take down from the heat, rinse using clean cold water. But remain vigilant while cooking so you don’t overcook the noodles.
2. The Hot water method; longer soak: For the Pad Thai, it is also very convenient and popular to use hot tap water in some recipes. The water must not be boiling and you will have to take fully 30 minutes for soaking. So, it takes a bit more time, but ensure that the noodles don’t get too soft.
3. The Cold-water method; longer soak: Here, you will use cold water only, and more and more time to soak the noodles. It takes several hours at the least. But one barely ends up with over-soaked noodles in this process.
How to store
- For storing a few days, up to 3 days, store the noodles in the refrigerator.
- If you just want to use the noodles the day after tomorrow, you can keep the noodles stacked. It is easier for this purpose. But, as the noodles get dry in this process, use hot water to get the noodles ready to use.
- But, if you want to use the noodle for noodle soups, slow down! Just use fresh water and slowly separate the pieces and then use it in the soups!
Nutritional Information
Fresh rice noodles are not that rich in nutritional value, rather it lets you enjoy the taste mostly. Yet, it offers:
| Serving (per serving) | Nutritional Value | Daily Value |
| Calories | 156 (639 kJ) | – |
| Total Fat | 4.5 g | 14% |
| Sodium | 54 mg | 15% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 2 g | 13% |
| Dietary Fiber | 0.8 g | 2% |
| Sugars | – | – |
| Protein | 14 g | 34% |
| Calcium | 21 mg | 19% |
| Iron | 4.5 mg | 14% |
| Iron | 34 mg | 17% |
FAQ
Are these noodles gluten-free?
Yes, simply they are as there is nothing else in the noodles except the water and rice flour.
Which is better pasta or rice noodles?
As the nutritional value chart shows, these noodles are not much healthy. The regularly enriched pasta offers a lot more minerals and vitamins compared to the noodles. There are 83 grams of folate in a portion of regular pasta, while only 3 grams in rice noodles! The pastas even offer folic acid, thiamin, iron, riboflavin, etc.
When I had known for the first how to cook fresh rice noodles, I was so happy that I went to my mom straight and had her eat the noodles right away. Since then, it has been a long journey for me with these rice noodles. I have gathered experience of cooking all types of rice noodles all the way.
Today I’m glad that I have shared this recipe with you. Let me know your thoughts!
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