Let's Talk About Rice Noodles & Glass Noodles
The world of fen and how to choose, cook, and pair them
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After spending all of August cooking with different types of wheat noodles, I devoted October to rice and glass noodles. Quite voluntarily, and with no regrets.
It’s no exaggeration to say that China has an incredible variety of rice and glass noodle dishes. I grew up in several Sichuan cities, each with its own signature bowl: the brothy, delicate rice noodle soup with bamboo and beef from Mianyang; the thicker, freshly made noodles with fried dough from my mom’s hometown of Nanchong; and in Chengdu, the chewy, QQ-textured, hot-and-sour suan la fen. Head a few hundred kilometers southeast to Guiyang and you’ll find fermented thick rice noodles with beef and lamb; go south to Yunnan and you’ll encounter a dozen more regional specialties.
The World of Fen
In Mandarin, both rice and glass noodles are generally called fěn (粉), in contrast to miàn (面), which refers to wheat-based noodles. Chinese cooks have been working with fen for centuries: the 6th-century text Qimin Yaoshu recorded an early version made by pressing a rice-and-broth paste through a horn pierced with holes, an ancestor of today’s rice noodle press. The result was described as “jade-colored, bouncy, and smooth,” comparable to fine wheat noodles.
Unlike wheat noodles, rice and glass noodles are difficult to make at home, requiring precise temperature control and specialized tools. Most people buy them fresh or dried. When shopping, check the ingredient list: look for rice, mung bean, or sweet potato starch, ideally just starch and water. The shape and thickness determine how the noodles are used, which is part of what makes Chinese noodle culture so deeply regional and endlessly fascinating.
And they’re naturally gluten-free!
Rice Noodles
Rice noodles alone could fill an entire book. Known variously as mi fen (米粉), mi xian (米线), or fen gan (粉干), they’re staples across China’s southern provinces. They have a pleasant, bouncy bite and a slippery smoothness that holds up in soups without turning clumpy.
Rice noodles are made by washing, soaking, grinding, mixing, and steaming rice into sheets (like Cantonese ho fun), or by cooking the batter, then extruding it into strands (as in Guangxi’s fresh-pressed mifen), and optionally drying them (this graphic is helpful to learn how they’re made). The basic ingredients are rice and water, sometimes with added other types of starch for elasticity.
Across China’s street food scene, a lot of rice noodles are made fresh. Some regional versions use fermentation, such as Guizhou‘s suan fen (酸粉) or Yunnan’s suanjiang mixian (酸浆米线). In Europe, where fresh noodles are rare, dried versions from Chinese, Vietnamese, or Thai brands are most common. Below are the three main types and how to use them.
Thick, Round Rice Noodles
These thick, round noodles are wonderfully versatile. Products are also called laifen (濑粉), fen gan (粉干), and reference their origins—Jiangxi Laifen, Guangxi (or Guilin Mifen), and Yunnan Mixian are the most famous. I like those around 1.5 to 2 millimeters thick; they’re excellent in soups, stir-fries, or dry-tossed dishes. If you can’t find Chinese brands, a close variety is the Vietnamese bún bò Huế noodles. You can use them in dishes like Crossing-the-Bridge noodles from Yunnan, Zunyi lamb rice noodles, Hunan Dry-Tossed Rice Noodles, Liuzhou luo si fen with river snail.
How to cook them: Soak in lukewarm or cold water, then cook separately in boiling water according to the package directions. Once tender, rinse under cold water to remove excess starch, and store in a bowl of cold water until ready to use.
Try them in:
Flat Rice Noodles
Flat rice noodles, known as he fen/ ho fun (河粉), and sometimes guo tiao / kway tieu (粿条) in Hakka and Teochew communities, are slightly softer than round rice noodles and shine in both soups and stir-fries.
You can find flat rice noodles in various sizes. For Beef Chow Fun, if you can’t find fresh noodles, dried flat rice noodles about 10 mm wide make the best substitute. Thai and Vietnamese brands work well (the same kind used for Pad See Ew). For soups like Cantonese rice noodle soup or Nanning’s “Old Buddy” noodle soup (老友粉) from Guangxi, choose narrower noodles, such as 3-5 mm wide (also used for Pad Thai).
How to cook them: Soak inn room-temperature or warm (not hot) water until pliable (takes about 30-45 minutes). For soups, parboil briefly before serving. For stir-fries, cover with boiling water for 30 seconds, rinse under cold water, drain, pat dry, and toss with a bit of oil to prevent sticking.
Try them in: Beef Chow Fun
Rice Vermicelli
Rice vermicelli are thin, delicate strands similar in appearance to glass noodles but made from rice rather than bean starch. They’re sometimes labeled “rice sticks.” Use them in stir-fries or soups like Fujian stir-fried Noodles, Singapore rice noodles, or Mianyang rice noodle soup from Sichuan.
Two popular and widely available varieties are Jiangmen Paifen (江门排粉) from Guangdong and Xinzhu mifen (新竹米粉) from Taiwan.
How to cook them: Soak in lukewarm water for 10–20 minutes, or cook directly in boiling water until tender. Soaking isn’t mandatory since they cook quickly.
Glass Noodles
Glass, or cellophane noodles, also known as fen si (粉丝), are made from the starch of beans or tubers, most commonly mung beans, peas, or sweet potatoes. Traditional production involves grinding, extracting starch, forming a paste, heating, extruding, boiling, and drying. In Chinese cooking, they’re generally divided into bean starch noodles (豆粉丝) and potato starch noodles (薯粉丝).
Mung Bean Glass Noodles
When people say “glass noodles,” they often mean these ultra-thin, transparent mung bean threads (also known as mung bean vermicelli), especially longkou fensi (龙口粉丝) from Shandong, with its iconic blue-and-red dragon packaging. They’re made primarily from mung bean starch, sometimes blended with pea starch.
Mung bean noodles are slippery, springy, and excellent at absorbing flavor. They’re often used as a supporting ingredient rather than the star, think Nanjing duck blood and tofu soup (鸭血粉丝汤), Xi’an lamb and flatbread soup (羊肉泡馍), or served with seafood like scallop and shrimp. In northern China, they’re sometimes chopped and mixed into dumpling fillings.
How to cook them: Soak in room-temperature or warm water for about 10–15 minutes until soft. Add directly to dishes that will continue cooking, or boil for 1–2 minutes if serving immediately.
Try them in:
A broader version, fen pi (粉皮), is often used in cold salads. Fresh starch noodles are also common, such as Sichuan’s liangfen (凉粉), a jiggly, savory jelly made from pea or mung bean starch.
Sweet potato starch noodles
Sweet potato starch noodles, hongshu fen (红薯粉), are beloved in Sichuan and Chongqing, especially in noodles and stir-fried dishes like Ants Climbing a Tree. Broader versions, kuan fen (宽粉), are popular in hot pot and hot-pot-adjacent street food like maocai (冒菜). You’ll also find sheet-like shao pi (苕皮), used for grilling or hot pot as well.
How to cook them: Soak the noodles for at least 2 hours until pliable. Then cook in the broth until completely through. The soaking step is a must.
Try them in:
You’d also find potato starch noodles, sometimes labeled shuijing fensi (水晶粉丝, “crystal noodles”), are less common but appear in hot pot and street snacks. In Sichuan, you can even find noodles made from the roots of fern (蕨根粉), prized for their translucent chew.
Thank you for such a fascinating and illuminating piece! I admit, when I visit my local Chinese supermarket, I am often woefully undereducated about which noodle to pick, so this has helped me immensely. And now I am incredibly hungry 😂
Lovely article!!!