1. Do not boil dried noodles. Soak them.
To make noodle soups or stir-fries, all dried noodles just need to be soaked until completely rehydrated.
We prefer to soak rice noodles instead of boiling them because they can easily become overcooked. After soaking, which enables the noodles to hydrate uniformly, the heat from the pan cooks the noodles by utilizing the water that the noodles already contain. This minimizes the possibility of overcooking and produces internal cooking that is uniform.
Using the following guidelines as a guide, soak them in room temperature water (note that times may differ between brands).
- Rice vermicelli: 5-15 minutes, depending on the brand. While Erawant takes up to 15 minutes, Wai Wai brand is smaller and only takes five.
- Small size: 20-30 minutes.
- Medium size: 50-60 minutes
- Large size: 90 minutes to 2 hours
- Since they are typically used to replace fresh rice noodles, the XL size is a bit of an exception. To soak them, use hot, just off the boil water, and then drain and rinse under cold water. By now, these should be partially cooked and prepared to be placed in the pan.
When you pick up the noodles, they should fall to the ground entirely and not defy gravity. They’re not ready if they’re still attempting to maintain their original shape.
5. Use a nonstick pan or a well-seasoned wok.
Because fresh rice noodles are notorious for sticking, make sure the pan you choose has a nonstick surface. Additionally, scraping them off is one surefire way to get broken noodles.
How Do You Cook Rice Noodles?
Home cooks can easily prepare rice noodles by soaking them in warm water (not hot or cold) for ten to fifteen minutes, or until they become tender. Rice noodles don’t need to be boiled, unlike wheat pasta; a little warm water will do the trick.
You can drain them after they’re soft and use them in a stir-fry, soup, or other dish. Before consuming, make sure they are cooked all the way through because raw rice noodles can be a little chewy.