It’s hard for me to choose a favorite noodle, but in terms of cooking convenience, vermicelli rice noodles are hard to beat. You can throw them in a noodle soup, stir-fry them, or dip them in a hot pot. (And I will sooner give up lamb than rice noodles when I hot pot, which is saying ALOT.) Rice vermicelli will cook in no time, perfect if you’re in a hurry or just plain lazy.
Called mifen (米粉) in Mandarin and fensi (same characters) in Cantonese, these super-thin rice noodles are almost always sold dry. If you’re making other meat and vegetable dishes, you can whip up a very basic stir-fried vermicelli with just onions, scallions, garlic, and ginger. Or if it’s a one-dish meal you’re after, add some shrimp, chicken, beef, or pork.
To prep rice vermicelli for cooking, just soak them in cold water for 15 to 25 minutes, or in warmer water for under 10 minutes if you’re in a hurry. (Careful not to oversoak.) Once you stir-fry your meats and vegetables, add the sauce and noodles and stir well for a few minutes until they dry up. (The crispy parts that stick to your pan are a bonus.)
Below is a very basic but flavorful recipe for stir-fried vermicelli. Feel free to elaborate!
Oh, I also love dipping stir-fried vermicelli in congee. Odd, yes, but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it.
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Stir-Fried Vermicelli with Garlic and Scallions
Serves 4
- 8 ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small piece ginger, minced
- 1 stalk scallions, cut to 1-inch lengths
- Soak the vermicelli in cold water for 15 to 25 minutes, until they are softened. (If you’re in a hurry, soak it in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes; the warmer the water, the faster it’ll take.) Careful not to soak for too long, or they will be too soggy to stir-fry. With a colander, drain out the excess water.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine, water, sugar, and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the onions, garlic, and ginger until fragrant and the onions begin to caramelize, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add half the sauce mixture. Add the vermicelli, then pour in the rest of the sauce. With tongs or a spatula, toss the noodles well until the vegetables and seasonings are mixed through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.
Hi,
Two years ago, my husband and I were in China (Beijing, Chongqing, and Guangzhou) for about two weeks. My husband loved the rice noodles on the breakfast buffet at every hotel we stayed in. These look very similar. I’ve been trying to find a recipe for them to surprise him.
Are you familiar with the item I’m talking about, and is this a similar recipe?
Thanks!
I didn’t know you can just do vermicelli in cold water (though I guess it makes sense). Does it come out any better like that, or is it just less hassle to prepare?
I love (and can relate to) the image of sitting down and trying to choose a favourite noodle :)
sMagi – It’s possible many types of rice noodle can appear on a buffet breakfast, so you would need to be more specific about what they look like. It’s possible you had cheung fun, which is wide rice noodle sheets wrapped around some filling, usually pork and shrimp, with soy-vinegar sauce poured on top. That’s a very typical breakfast/dim sum dish, especially in Guangzhou.
Seb – With cold water it’s just easier to not oversoak. With warm water the noodles can quickly go from just right to too mushy, so you would need to keep a closer eye on them. I do it both ways, depending on how much time I have and how observant I feel that day. :)
They were the thin noodles, just like in your picture. I do remember lots of scallions as well. Your picture reminded me so much of the dish. I’ll admit that I didn’t eat as much as my husband did. I enjoyed them, but he LOVED them. I’ll try your recipe and see if it’s what he remembers. Thanks!
Mi fen are very easy to cook and they soak up the flavors of what you put on it.I agree, they are great with congee! Your photo looks like your dish could be sold at a nice restaurant! It looks scrumptious :).
I love your recipes. Reminds me of the stuff I ate growing up. I’ve nominated you for the Lemonade award! Come by my blog to claim your award.
I think mifen and fensi are two different things.
I always thought that they are two different types of noodles. Meifen is made from rice while fensi is made from mung beans.
Ah! i read this recipe just too late. I always love vermicelli dishes but havent attempted making them at home until tonight. DISASTER! i threw them in boiling water and left them for toooo long. they were complete mush! ill know for next time that vermicelli is more finicky than that.. if my roommate ever lets me cook for her again haha.
as a chef i know that the best way to stir fry ANY rice noodles is to soak them in cold water. this can be done overnight in the fridge if need be. The heat is what gets the starches in the noodle reacting, not only that like all gluttonous products they need to be cooked at high temperatures! its even good to prepare the noodles this way if you are intending to make a soup with them as a little of the starch is released and doesn’t make the soup as gluggy!
Mmmm, good and yummy fried vermicelli….I like this dish!
Hi Diana, you have just shed light on what has long been a mystery to me: how the heck do you _cook_ rice vermicelli?!? I live in Italy and as you can imagine we only get very watered-down versions of any kind of eastern cooking, so being able to make stir-fried vermicelli that taste way better than an ordinary restaurant’s at home is very exciting. Being able to save your recipes in pdf is also a big bonus. Thank you so much for sharing!