Rice noodles, or simply rice noodle, are

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, In ...

s made with

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

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

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Asia. They are available fresh, frozen, or dried, in various shapes, thicknesses and textures. Fresh noodles are also highly perishable; their

shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a ...

may be just several days.

History

The origin of rice noodles dates back to China during the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

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 Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. 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 The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes ...

, according to food historian K. T. Achaya. 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.

Varieties

Round thick varieties

Bánh canh ''Bánh canh'' () are a thick Vietnamese noodles that can be made from tapioca flour or a mixture of rice and tapioca flour. "Cake" refers to the thick sheet of uncooked dough from which the noodles are cut. *''Bánh canh cua'' – a rich, th ...

— 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 — large thick round rice noodles used in Burma * Nan lat — medium thick round rice noodles used in Burma * 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. In Thailand they are know as Giam Ee noodles.

Flat thick varieties

* Bánh phở — thick dried rice noodle used in popular Vietnamese beef noodle soups. Phở uses a common Chinese Rice noodle called "Ho Fun" *

Shahe fen ''Shahe fen'' (沙河粉), or simply ''he fen'' (河粉), is a type of wide Chinese noodle made from rice. Its Minnan Chinese name, translated from the Mandarin 粿條 (''guotiao''), is adapted into alternate names which are widely encounter ...

/chao fen/chow fun — wide chinese noodles. Also known as shahe fen / he fen (Mandarin), ho fun, hofoen, hor fun, sar hor fun, etc (Cantonese), kway teow, (literally "ricecake strips" in Minnan Chinese) or Sen Yai * 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 Used in such dishes as

pad thai Pad thai, phat thai, or phad thai ( or ; th, , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', , 'Thai stir fry'), is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noo ...

, Sukhothai rice noodles and in noodle soups. Its full name would be kuaitiao sen lek * Nan byar — flat rice noodles used in Burma byar/pyar means flat. * San see — sticky flat rice noodles from

Shan State Shan State ( my, ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, ; shn, မိူင်းတႆး, italics=no) also known by the endonyms Shanland, Muang Tai, and Tailong, is a state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos ( ...

of Burma * Guay jub / kuay jab / kuai chap — Thai rolled rice chips or rice flake sheets

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 strips, sometimes referred to as rice sticks. Also known as bí-hún, bīfun, bíjon or bihon, bee hoon, bihun, num banh chok, bún, mee hoon, Sevai and Sen Mee

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 Brown rice is a whole grain rice with the inedible outer hull removed. This kind of rice sheds its outer hull or husk but the bran and germ layer remain on, constituting the brown or tan colour of rice. White rice is the same grain without the h ...

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 made from rice noodles

Burmese

* Baik kut kyee kaik * Kat kyi kaik * Kyar san kyaw — ‘Kyar zan’/‘Kyar san’ means ’thin noodles’ in Burmese, and ’kyaw’ means fried. It is made with thin rice noodles, vermicelli and various vegetables, chicken, pork and seafood. * Kyay oh *

Meeshay Meeshay (, ; also spelt mi shay, mee shay, mee shei) is a Burmese cuisine dish of rice noodles with a meat sauce. The dish originated from the Chinese ''mixian'' ( simplified Chinese: 米线) and became a specialty of the Shan people of Eastern ...

* Mohinga * Mont di *

Nan gyi thohk ''Nan gyi thoke'' ( my, နန်းကြီးသုပ်‌, ; also spelled ''nangyi thoke'' or ''nangyi dok'') is an '' a thoke'' salad dish in Burmese cuisine, made with thick round rice noodles mixed with specially prepared chicken curry a ...

* Nanbyagyi thoke * Rakhine kyarzan thoke * Shan khauk swè (similar to Yunnan ''mi xian'') — a "soup version" of

meeshay Meeshay (, ; also spelt mi shay, mee shay, mee shei) is a Burmese cuisine dish of rice noodles with a meat sauce. The dish originated from the Chinese ''mixian'' ( simplified Chinese: 米线) and became a specialty of the Shan people of Eastern ...

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, these are, thin noodles served with a peppery soup topped with either chicken or pork and pickled vegetables.

Cambodian

Kuyteav ''Kuyteav'' ( km, គុយទាវ, UNGEGN: ) is a Cambodian noodle soup consisting of rice noodles with pork stock and toppings. A popular breakfast dish in Cambodia, ''kuyteav'' can be found at marketplace stalls, roadside vendors, resta ...

* Num banhchok

Chinese

* Beef chow fun *

Cart noodle Cart noodle () is a noodle dish which became popular in Hong Kong and Macau in the 1950s through independent street vendors operating on roadsides and in public housing estates in low-income districts, using carts. Many street vendors have v ...

* Chao fen — Also known as Chow Fun in many Chinese restaurants in North America * Clay-Pot Lao Shu Fen *

Crossing-the-bridge noodles Crossing-the-bridge noodles is a rice noodle soup originating from the Yunnan province of China. It is one of the best-known dishes in Yunnan cuisine. Description Crossing-the-bridge noodles have over a century of history and are listed as a ...

* Laoyou rice noodles * Luosifen *

Mixian (noodle) ''Mixian'' () is a type of Rice noodles, rice noodle from the Yunnan Province, China. It is made from ordinary non-glutinous rice, glutinous rice, and it is generally sold fresh rather than dried. Production The processing of ''mixian'' in Yu ...

* 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 Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. It is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rather ...

, 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 Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. It is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different Asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rather ...

Bihun goreng ''Bihun goreng'', ''bee hoon goreng'' or ''mee hoon goreng'' refers to a dish of fried noodles cooked with rice vermicelli in both the Indonesian and Malay languages. In certain countries, such as Singapore, the term ''goreng'' is occasionally ...

Bakso Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word ''bakso'' may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. '' ...

* Ketoprak (dish) * Kwetiau ayam *

Kwetiau goreng ( Indonesian for 'fried flat noodle') is an Indonesian style of stir fried flat rice noodle dish. It is made from noodles, locally known as , which are stir fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, beef, chicken, fried prawn, crab ...

* Kwetiau kuah * Kwetiau Medan * kwetiau sapi * Lakso * Soto

Lao

* Feu or Fer * Khao piak sen * Khao poon *

Khao soi ''Khao soi'' or ''khao soy'' ( th, ข้าวซอย, ; lo, ເຂົ້າຊອຍ , my, အုန်းနို့ခေါက်ဆွဲ ,) is a Chin Haw dish served in Laos and northern Thailand. A comparable dish, '' ohn no khao sw ...

* Khua mee / Pad Lao — Savory, sweet, caramelized fried noodles, traditionally topped with a fried egg omelette. It is the equivalent of

Pad Thai Pad thai, phat thai, or phad thai ( or ; th, , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', , 'Thai stir fry'), is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noo ...

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

Mee ka tee ''Mee ka tee'' ( lo, ໝີ່ກະທິ), also known as ''mee ka tee Lao'', ''mee ka tee Vientiane'', ''Laotian pork curry noodle soup'', ''mee kati'', ''mee kathi'' or ''mee gati'', is a Laotian red curry and coconut milk egg drop noodle s ...

Malaysian

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

South Indian / Sri Lankan

* String Hopper/ Idiyappam *

Sevai Sevai (Hindi : सेवई), shavige (Kannada: ಶಾವಿಗೆ), saemia and santhakai (Tamil: சந்தகை) is a type of rice vermicelli popular in India. While typically made from rice, varieties made out of other food grains like ...

Singapore

* Beef kway teow * Crab bee hoon * Hokkien mee * Katong laksa *

Satay bee hoon Satay bee hoon is a dish invented by Singaporean due to cultural fusion between Malay or Javanese with the Teochew people who immigrated to Singapore. Satay bee hoon sauce is a chilli-based peanut sauce very similar to the one served with sa ...

Thai

* Khanom chin *

* 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 — Boat noodles have been served since the period of Plaek Phibunsongkhram in 1942, and were originally served from boats that traversed Bangkok's canals. Type of the noodles for boat noodle are several, thin rice noodles, egg noodles, sen yai (wide broad rice noodles), and sen lek (narrow flat rice noodles). *

Mi krop ''Mi krop'' ( th, หมี่กรอบ, ), also spelled mee krob, is a Thai dish consisting of deep-fried rice vermicelli noodles with a sweet and sour sauce. Mi krop means "crisp noodles". The citrusy, sour note in the sauce often comes fr ...

* Nam ngiao * Phat khi mao *

Pad thai Pad thai, phat thai, or phad thai ( or ; th, , , ISO: ''p̄hạd thịy'', , 'Thai stir fry'), is a stir-fried rice noodle dish commonly served as a street food in Thailand as part of the country's cuisine. It is typically made with rice noo ...

* Phat si-io - stir-fried noodles in dark soy sauce * Rat na - gravy noodles * Sukhothai rice noodles

Vietnamese

– Vietnamese soup with thick rice noodles *

Bánh cuốn ''Bánh cuốn'' (, ''rolled sheets'') is a Vietnamese dish originating from Northern Vietnam. In Vietnamese cuisine ''Bánh cuốn'' is made from a thin, wide sheet of fermented rice batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground p ...

– sheet of rice flour filled with spiced minced pork and mushroom *

Bánh hỏi ''Bánh hỏi'' ( is a Vietnamese dish consisting of rice vermicelli woven into intricate bundles and often topped with chopped scallions or garlic chives sauteed in oil, served with a complementary meat dish. The strings of noodles are usuall ...

* Bún chả * Bún bò Huế – rice vermicelli in soup with beef, lemon grass and other ingredients * Bún kèn Bún kèn is a rich, fishy, crunchy, sweet and sour concoction that makes use of Phu Quoc island’s abundant seafood and tropical fruit. The fish-based broth also contains coconut milk and lemongrass, giving it a thicker consistency, an amber colour, and a distinctive tang. * Bún mắm * Bún ốc * Bún riêu – rice vermicelli in soup with crab meat * Bún thịt nướng * Bún quậy – A seafood noodle soup native to Phu Quoc Island but with roots in the central coastal region of the mainland, bún quậy literally means ‘stirring noodles’. * Cao lầu *

Gỏi cuốn ''Gỏi cuốn'' or nem cuốn, salad roll, summer roll, fresh spring roll, spring roll, rice paper roll, is a Vietnamese dish traditionally consisting of pork, prawn, vegetables, ''bún'' (rice vermicelli), and other ingredients wrapped in Viet ...

/ Summer roll *

Hủ tiếu or is a dish eaten in Vietnam as breakfast. It may be served either as a soup () or dry with no broth (). became popular in the 1960s in Southern Vietnam, especially in Saigon. The primary ingredients of this dish are pork bones, mixed wi ...

– 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 *

Phở Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants ...

References

{{Rice dishes Noodles Vietnamese cuisine