Transparent noodle made from starch
Cellophane noodles
![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/90/Cooked_dangmyeon.jpg/220px-Cooked_dangmyeon.jpg) Cooked cellophane noodles
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Alternative names
| Glass noodles
|
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Type
| Noodles
|
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Place of origin
| China
[1]
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Region or state
| East Asia
,
Southeast Asia
|
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Associated
cuisine
| China
,
Indonesia
,
Japan
,
Korea
,
Malaysia
,
Philippines
,
Samoa
,
Thailand
,
Vietnam
,
Myanmar
and
Taiwan
|
---|
Main ingredients
| Starch
(from
mung beans
,
yams
,
potatoes
,
cassava
,
canna
, or
batata
), water
|
---|
|
Cellophane noodles
, or
fensi
(
traditional Chinese
:
粉絲
;
simplified Chinese
:
粉?
;
pinyin
:
f?ns?
;
lit.
'flour thread'), sometimes called
glass noodles
, are a type of transparent
noodle
made from
starch
(such as
mung bean
starch,
potato starch
,
sweet potato
starch,
tapioca
, or
canna
starch) and water. A stabilizer such as
chitosan
(or
alum
, illegal in some jurisdictions) may also be used.
[2]
They are generally sold in dried form, soaked to reconstitute, then used in soups, stir-fried dishes, or
spring rolls
. They are called "cellophane noodles" or "glass noodles" because of their
cellophane
- or
glass
-like transparency when cooked.
Cellophane noodles should not be confused with
rice vermicelli
, which are made from
rice
and are white in color rather than clear (after cooking in water).
Varieties
[
edit
]
Cellophane noodles are made from a variety of
starches
. In China, cellophane noodles are usually made of
mung bean
starch or sweet potato starch. Chinese varieties made from
mung bean
starch are called
Chinese vermicelli
,
bean threads
, or
bean thread noodles
. Chinese varieties made from sweet potato starch are called
fentiao
or
hongshufen
. Thicker Korean varieties made with sweet potato starch are called
sweet potato noodles
or
dangmyeon
.
Cellophane noodles are available in various thicknesses. Wide, flat cellophane noodle sheets called
mung bean sheets
are also produced in China. In Korea,
napjak-dangmyeon
(literally "flat
dangmyeon
") refers to flat sweet potato noodles.
Production
[
edit
]
In China, the primary site of production of cellophane noodles is the town of Zhangxing, in
Zhaoyuan
,
Shandong
province. However, historically the noodles were shipped through the port of
Longkou
, and thus the noodles are known and marketed as Longkou
fensi
(
simplified Chinese
:
?口
粉?
;
traditional Chinese
:
龍口
粉絲
).
[3]
East Asia
[
edit
]
China
[
edit
]
Ants climbing a tree
(?蟻上樹)
In
Chinese
, the most commonly used names are
f?ns?
(
Chinese
:
粉絲
;
lit.
'noodle thread') and
f?ntiao
or
hongsh?f?n
(
Chinese
:
粉
條
or
Chinese
:
紅
薯
粉
;
lit.
'noodle strip' or 'sweet potato noodles'). They are also marketed under the name
saifun
, the
Cantonese
pronunciation of the Mandarin
xif?n
(
Chinese
:
細
粉
;
lit.
'slender noodle', though the name
fans?
(粉絲) is the term most often used in Cantonese.
In China, cellophane noodles are a popular ingredient used in
stir fries
, soups, and particularly
hot pots
. They can also be used as an ingredient in fillings for a variety of Chinese
jiaozi
(dumplings) and
bing
(
flatbreads
), especially in
vegetarian
versions of these dishes. Thicker cellophane noodles are also commonly used to imitate the appearance and texture of
shark's fin
in vegetarian soups. Thicker varieties, most popular in China's
northeast
, are used in stir fries as well as cold salad-like dishes. A popular shanghai cuisine using the ingredient is fried tofu with thin noodles (
Chinese
:
油
豆
腐
線
粉
湯
;
pinyin
:
you dou fu-xian f?n t?ng
). A popular
Sichuan
dish called
ants climbing a tree
consists of stewed cellophane noodles with a spicy ground pork meat sauce.
In
Tibetan cuisine
of
Tibet Autonomous Region
, glass noodles are called
phing
or
fing
and are used in soup, pork curry or with mushrooms.
Japan
[
edit
]
In
Japanese cuisine
, they are called
harusame
(
春雨
), literally "spring rain". Unlike Chinese glass noodles, they are usually made from potato starch. They are commonly used to make salads, or as an ingredient in
hot pot
dishes. They are also often used to make Japanese adaptations of Chinese and Korean dishes.
Shirataki
noodles
are translucent, traditional Japanese noodles made from the
konjac
yam and sometimes
tofu
.
Korea
[
edit
]
Japchae
from Korea
In
Korean cuisine
, glass noodles are usually made from
sweet potato
starch and are called
dangmyeon
(
Hangul
:
當面
;
Hanja
:
唐
麵
; literally "
Tang
noodles"; also spelled
dang myun
,
dangmyun
,
tang myun
, or
tangmyun
). They are commonly stir-fried in sesame oil with beef and vegetables, and flavoured with soy and sugar, in a popular dish called
japchae
(
Korean
:
雜菜
). They are usually thick, and are a brownish-gray color when in their uncooked form.
Recipe
[
edit
]
To make the glass noodles more chewy, add cooking oil (1.236 tablespoons), thick soy sauce (1.2 tablespoons), and 25.23g of glass noodles in boiling water (6 cups), boil for 3 to 4 minutes, almost pour out the water, then boil on a medium heat for 5 minutes to evaporate moisture. Drain it by sifting it, mix it slightly with cooking oil (2 tablespoons) or thick soy sauce, or stir-fry it in a pan.
South Asia
[
edit
]
India
[
edit
]
In
India
, glass noodles are called
falooda
(see
falooda
, the dessert dish), and are served on top of
kulfi
(a traditional ice cream). They are usually made from arrowroot starch using a traditional technique. The noodles are flavorless so they provide a nice contrast with the sweet
kulfi
.
Kulfi
and
falooda
can be bought from numerous food stalls throughout northern and southern parts of India.
Southeast Asia
[
edit
]
Indonesia
[
edit
]
In
Indonesian cuisine
, they are called
soun
or
suun
, probably from
traditional Chinese
:
線粉
;
simplified Chinese
:
?粉
;
pinyin
:
xianf?n
;
lit.
'thread flour' (POJ: suann-hun). Its usually eaten with
bakso
,
tekwan
, and
soto
. In
Klaten
, soun made from
aren
starch.
[4]
Malaysia
[
edit
]
In
Malaysia
, they are known as
tanghoon
(
冬
粉
). They are sometimes confused with
bihun
(
米粉
) which are
rice vermicelli
. Sometimes also known as
suhun
or
suhoon
.
Myanmar (Burma)
[
edit
]
In
Myanmar
, cellophane noodles are called
kyazan
(
?????
;
lit.
'
lotus thread
'
), more specifically called
pe kyazan
(
???????
,
lit.
'
bean lotus thread
'
), which is typically made with mung bean flour. The other form of
kyazan
, called
hsan kyazan
(
????????
), refers to
rice vermicelli
.
Kyazan
is the primary starch used in a Burmese consomme called
kya zan hinga
, and is also used in
Burmese salads
.
Philippines
[
edit
]
Pancit Sotanghon (Lin-Mers,
Baliuag, Bulacan
, Philippines)
In
Filipino cuisine
, the noodles are called a similar name:
sotanghon
because of the popular dish of the same name made from them using chicken and
wood ears
. They are also confused with rice vermicelli, which is called
bihon
in the Philippines.
Thailand
[
edit
]
Yam wun sen kung
: A
Thai salad
made with cellophane noodles and prawns
In
Thai cuisine
, glass noodles are called
wun sen
(
Thai
:
????????
). They are commonly mixed with pork and shrimp in a spicy salad called
yam wun sen
(
Thai
:
??????????
), or stir-fried as
phat wun sen
(
Thai
:
???????????
) and sometimes used as the noodles for
pad thai
.
Vietnam
[
edit
]
Mi?n l??n (eel noodle soup) in Hanoi, Vietnam
Mi?n production in the north of Vietnam
In
Vietnamese cuisine
, there are two varieties of cellophane noodles. The first, called
bun tau
or
bun tao
, are made from
mung bean
starch, and were introduced by Chinese immigrants. The second, called
mi?n
or
mi?n dong
, are made from
canna
(
Vietnamese
:
dong ri?ng
), and were developed in Vietnam. These cellophane noodles are a main ingredient in the dishes:
mi?n ga
(chicken),
mi?n l??n
(eel),
mi?n ngan
(muscovy duck), and
mi?n cua
(crab). These cellophane noodles are sometimes confused with rice vermicelli (
Vietnamese
:
bun
) and
arrowroot
starch noodles (Vietnamese: arrowroot:
c? dong
, arrowroot starch:
b?t dong/b?t hoang tinh/tinh b?t khoai mi
).
Polynesia
[
edit
]
French Polynesia
[
edit
]
In
French Polynesia
, cellophane noodles are known as
vermicelle de soja
and was introduced to the islands by
Hakka
agricultural workers during the 19th-century. They are most often used in
ma?a tinito
, a dish made with cellophane noodles mixed together with pork, beans and cooked vegetables.
Hawaii
[
edit
]
In
Hawaii
, where cuisine is heavily influenced by Asian cultures, cellophane noodles are known locally as
long rice
, supposedly because the process of making the noodles involves extruding the starch through a
potato ricer
.
[5]
They are used most often in
chicken long rice
, a dish of cellophane noodles in chicken broth that is often served at
luaus
.
[6]
Samoa
[
edit
]
Glass noodles were introduced to
Samoa
by
Cantonese
agricultural workers in the early 1900s where they became known as "
lialia
", a Samoan word meaning "to twirl", after the method of twirling the noodles around chopsticks when eating. A popular dish called
sapasui
(transliteration of the
Cantonese
chop suey
) is common fare at social gatherings. Sapasui, a soupy dish of boiled glass noodles mixed with braised pork, beef, or chicken and chopped vegetables, is akin to Hawaiian "long rice".
Health concerns
[
edit
]
There were several
food safety incidents originating in China
. In 2004, a number of companies in
Yantai
, China, were found to be producing
Longkou
cellophane noodles with
cornstarch
instead of green beans, to reduce costs. In order to make the cornstarch transparent, they were adding
sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate
and
lead
-based whiteners to their noodles.
[7]
In December 2010, Czech food inspection authorities inspecting Chinese cellophane noodles determined that 142 mg/kg (0.00227 oz/lb) of
aluminium
had been added to them.
[8]
Above 10 mg/kg (0.00016 oz/lb) is an illegal amount for noodles in Czech and EU markets (see Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 669/2009 and its amendments (EU) No 187/2011, 618/2013 annex I).
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hulin, Belinda (November 10, 2009).
Knack Chinese Cooking
. Globe Pequot Press. p. 150.
ISBN
9780762758463
.
- ^
Paul, Adams.
"Recipe Quest: Shear-Thickening Starch Noodles ? Cooking Issues"
. Retrieved
17 September
2021
.
- ^
"China Vermicelli Manufacturer - Yantai Yinsida Longkou Vermicelli Co., Ltd"
. made-in-china.com.
Archived
from the original on 2007-09-27.
- ^
Waseso, Ratih (6 July 2019).
"Melihat penghasil mi sohun legendaris di Klaten"
.
kontan.co.id
(in Indonesian)
. Retrieved
25 August
2022
.
- ^
Ohnuma, Keiko (Apr 25, 2007).
"The Choice is Clear"
.
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
. Archived from
the original
on June 14, 2008.
- ^
"Chicken Long Rice"
.
'Ono Kine Grindz
.
TypePad
. October 27, 2005.
Archived
from the original on September 27, 2007.
- ^
Yan, Yunxiang (2015).
"14. From Food Poisoning to Poisonous Food: The Spectrum of Food-Safety Problems in Contemporary China"
. In Kim, Kwang Ok (ed.).
Re-orienting Cuisine: East Asian Foodways in the Twenty-First Century
. New York: Berghahn Books. p. 272.
ISBN
9781782385639
.
- ^
"Inspekce zakazala nudle p?vodem z ?iny"
.
Statni zem?d?lska a potravina?ska inspekce
(in Czech). 2010-12-16.
Archived
from the original on 2011-07-18
. Retrieved
2010-12-16
.
External links
[
edit
]
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