Rice noodles

Rice noodles, or simply rice noodle, are noodles made from rice. The principal ingredients are rice flour and water. 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 East, Southeast Asia and South 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.

Not to be confused with Rice vermicelli.
Rice noodles
Thin rice noodles in dried form
TypeNoodle
Place of originChina
Region or stateEast Asia, Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
Main ingredientsRice flour, water
VariationsMí fěn, Shāhé fěn, Mi xian, Bánh canh, Bánh phở, Idiyappam, Sevai, Khanom chin
A rice noodle dish in a pan

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]

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.[2]

Varieties
  • Mí fĕn (米粉, rice vermicelli, also known by many other names in a number of Asian countries)
  • Hé fĕn (河粉, also called ho fun)
  • Mí xiàn (米线, from Yunnan Province)
  • Bánh canh
  • Bánh phở
  • Idiyappam (இடியாப்பம்)
  • Sevai (சேவை|சேவை/சந்தகை/சேமியா)
  • Khanom chin (Thai: ขนมจีน)
  • Kuān tiáo (宽条, or 宽粉)


In Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala, Sri Lanka, Laos, Singapore, and Malaysia, a type of rice noodle known as idiyappam is usually made fresh at home and tends to be tender with a distinctive texture. A variation of idiappam, known as sevai in Tamil Nadu, is used as the base in savoury preparations; it is also called santhakai in the Coimbatore region of Tamil Nadu. A similar preparation, shyavige, is popular in Karnataka. 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 are allergic to wheat or gluten.

Dishes made from rice noodles
Closeup of pad thai, a Thai dish made from rice noodles
Boiled rice noodles

Cambodian

Chinese

Hokkien mee

Burmese

Filipino

Indonesia

Lao

Malaysian

Thai

Vietnamese

See also

References
  1. Liu, Y.L. (2010). Processing technology of rice and its products. China: China Light Industry Press. pp. 84–85.
  2. Ismail, M.H. "Transparency phenomena of flat-rice noodles (kuew teow) at drying at soaking variation" (PDF). www.ifrj.upm.edu.my. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
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