The market · Grains and flours · Southeast Asia, East Asia
Rice noodles
Noodles of rice flour and water — soft, slippery and gluten-free.
mild · slippery
What to do with it
MinangkabauSoto PadangA clear, spiced beef broth poured over crisp-fried beef, rice vermicelli and potato fritters, with crackers and rice alongside.No one here has made it yet
ThaiPad thaiThin rice noodles stir-fried with tamarind, fish sauce and palm sugar, egg, tofu and prawns, with beansprouts, chives and crushed peanuts.No one here has made it yet
VietnamesePhởFlat rice noodles in a clear, spiced beef broth, with thin slices of beef and a handful of herbs.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseBún chảGrilled pork patties and pork belly in a warm, sweet-sour fish sauce dressing, with cold rice noodles and herbs.No one here has made it yet
VietnameseGỏi cuốnRice paper wrapped round prawns, pork, rice noodles, lettuce and herbs, eaten fresh with a dipping sauce.No one here has made it yetVietnameseBún bò HuếThick, round rice noodles in a beef and pork broth sharp with lemongrass, deepened with fermented shrimp paste and reddened with chilli oil.No one here has made it yetMalaysianCurry laksaNoodles in a rich, spiced coconut curry broth, with tofu puffs, prawns, chicken, bean sprouts and a spoonful of sambal.No one here has made it yetMalaysianAssam laksaThick rice noodles in a sour, spicy broth of flaked mackerel and tamarind, heaped with pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint and torch ginger flower, with sweet prawn paste on top.No one here has made it yetTeochewKway chapWide, flat rice sheets in a dark soy broth, with a plate of braised pork, offal, tofu and eggs from the lou pot.No one here has made it yetYunnanCrossing-the-bridge noodlesA bowl of scalding broth under a layer of fat, with raw sliced meats, quail's egg, vegetables and rice noodles added at the table, in that order.No one here has made it yetPersianFaloodehFine starch noodles frozen in rose-water syrup to a crunchy, icy sorbet, sharpened with lime juice or sour cherry syrup.No one here has made it yetKinds
- Wide (sen yai / ho fun)
- Fresh sheets, for pad see ew and beef ho fun.
- Medium (sen lek)
- Dried; the pad thai noodle.
- Vermicelli (sen mee / bee hoon)
- Thin, for soups, spring rolls and salads.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Southeast Asian and Chinese grocers; fresh ones in the chiller.
- Worth knowing
- Soak dried noodles in warm, not boiling, water until pliable but still firm — they finish in the wok.