15 Types Of Rice Noodles, Explained

Noodle varieties are almost endless. You can have noodles made from wheat that are chewy and dense, or noodles made from buckwheat that are grey and nutty. There are also noodles made from mung bean, zucchini, tapioca, and last but not least, rice. While there are many types, rice noodles are hot contenders in the noodle race when comparing beauty, versatility, and deliciousness.

Rice noodles are undeniably fun to eat, slurp, and chew, but have you ever taken a moment and wondered where they come from, what they are made of, and what makes them so amazingly delicious? Whether extruded through a little press that makes many noodles at once or rolled out in sheets like pasta, rice noodles come in countless varieties and make up countless more dishes.

You can find rice noodles made with glutinous rice or those that are mixed with tapioca. If you are lucky, you may even be able to find rice noodles that are fresh, and therefore, chewy, tender, and perfectly slippery. The best fresh rice noodles are either rolled, steamed, or boiled on the spot. If you are not able to find these, then opting for dry versions is also a good second choice. Dry rice noodles rehydrate well and can hold up very nicely in stir-fries and soups. Better yet, thanks to these noodles' mellow flavor and absorbent nature, they will soak up whatever sauce you put on them and become a mouthful of flavorful goodness.

These noodles, as their name suggests, are used in pho. Pho is the ultimate comforting noodle soup that can be garnished with meat, vegetables, tofu, greens, and many different kinds of sauces. But regardless of what else goes in your pho, the most essential component of a good pho is the noodles. Báhn pho are slightly thick yet still flat and slightly chewy, slippery, and delightful.

While fresh báhn pho can be regularly found in noodle shops in Vietnam, it is less likely that you will be able to stumble upon these noodles in their fresh form in the U.S. However, do not lose hope — dried báhn pho is an adequate alternative to fresh báhn pho, and all you have to do is rehydrate the noodles in boiling water before adding them to your pho. You can also use báhn pho in salads because these noodles do well in both hot and cold dishes.

These lovely, chewy, and opaque rolls are not technically noodles, but they are so delicious and very much made from rice, so we had to include them. Bành cuôn are rice crepes or cakes that are steamed and then filled with a variety of fillings like veggies, herbs, meats, mushrooms, and other proteins. They are different from bánh tráng (which are most famously used for making spring rolls) because bành cuôn are steamed and then eaten warm while they are still chewy, soft, and supple.

Furthermore, bành cuôn are thicker than bánh tráng and are often made with some percentage of tapioca flour for texture. The tapioca flour, like in bánh canh, adds a lovely chewiness that also makes the rice cakes easier to fill and roll. To make wonderful bành cuôn you need either premade bành cuôn mix or grind flour into a paste yourself. Then, this batter must be steamed in a very thin sheet and delicately removed from the steamer so that it stays intact enough to hold fillings.

Perhaps the most famous Thai dish out there, pad Thai is a fantastic triumph of taste. Hitting umami, sweet, salty, bitter, and sour, pad Thai is magical in its ability to balance all of the major tastes and hence, bring our mouths on a true flavor journey. While the sauce of pad Thai is essential, so are the noodles, and that is what we are here to talk about. Sen lek, the noodles used in pad Thai, are medium wide, thin, and hold up well in a stir fry.

Another rice noodle that is only usually available dry in the U.S., sen lek can often be found fresh in Thailand which would result in an even more tender noodle. You can also find these noodles in two thicknesses, with sen lek being the name for thinner noodles and sen yai referring to a slightly wider version.

Kway teow noodles are strips of rice cake that have been cut apart to resemble noodles. These noodles, which are said to have originated in Guangzhou, are commonly eaten in southern Chinese cuisine as well as in other parts of Southeast Asia. Literally translating to rice cake strips, kway teow are wonderfully chewy and hold up very well in stir-fries. This makes sense considering that har kway teow derives much of its deliciousness from "wok hei", the wonderful sear that comes from a very hot wok.

While kway teow is from Guangzhou, they are most commonly known for their spotlight role in the beloved Malaysian dish char kway teow. Char kway teow is a medley of many proteins and veggies and can include things like shrimp, pork, tofu, and Chinese sausage. These components, along with the kway teow noodles, are all stir-fried together in a very hot wok and then seasoned with a sauce made from oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine.

A delicious dish made from delicious noodles, chow fun is a wonderfully savory, salty, and very chewy dish that makes anyone feel satiated and comforted. In addition to being absolutely scrumptious, chow fun is one of the most well-known Chinese dishes available in the U.S. today. This is because when Chinese immigration to the U.S. began, the majority of people who came were from the province of Guangdong. Therefore, signature Guangdong dishes, such as chow fun, remain staples in Chinese-American cuisine.

So now, a bit more about the actual noodles. Chow fun noodles are made from rice flour and are very flat. They can be found fresh in many stores, and this is the recommended way to eat them. Rehydrating dry chow fun noodles will simply not be the same. The texture of fresh rice noodles is incomparable and will result in a final dish that is fantastically chewy, tender, and perfect. To make your slab of rice noodles more pliable you can microwave them for about 30 seconds, or run them under hot water to separate the individual layers.

Silver needle noodles, as their name suggests, are in the shape of needles. But unlike the name suggests, these noodles are not silver. Instead, they are slightly translucent and very chewy, which makes them hugely popular across Southern China and beyond. Originally from the Hakka people, but now also associated with Guangzhou cuisine, silver needle noodles are less like noodles and are more short torpedoes that are very chewy and filling.

These noodles used to be made from rice that was then blended into a paste and boiled. However, today it is more common to find silver needle noodles that are made partly or entirely from wheat. The addition of wheat makes the silver needle noodles shinier, somewhat translucent, and almost silvery. If you make your own silver needle noodles at home, then feel free to add rice flour. You can also use other starches like corn starch or tapioca starch to achieve an even chewier texture.

Perhaps the chewiest noodle on this list, tteok are technically rice cakes that are eaten in countless ways. These little noodles are mouthfuls of happiness and the wonderful chewiness of each tteok will make your teeth stick, and smile. You may be most familiar with tteok from the dish tteokbokki, which is a Korean rice cake dish featuring tteok smothered in a red, spicy sauce.

Tteokbokki is sweet, spicy, savory, and absolutely mouth-watering. If you have had this wonderful meal you will know how delicious tteok are, and why you need to stock up on these rice cakes. You can find them in the freezer section of many stores, and they are also available dried. If you can only find the dried version then make sure to either bake or boil the tteok all the way through so that you get the ultimate chew that these rice cakes are loved for.