Fresh rice noodles
Wide, soft, slippery noodles cut from steamed sheets of rice batter: the 河 in 乾炒牛河. Fresh, they come as folded sheets or pre-cut strips in 500g to 1kg bags kept at room temperature; every Australian Asian grocer has them, Vietnamese grocers (Cabramatta, Springvale, Inala) cheapest and freshest, as fresh rice noodles, ho fun, kway teow or bánh phở tươi, and Woolworths carries packed fresh rice noodles (Mr Chen's 550g, for example). Buy and use the same day and never refrigerate them, because cold makes them hard and brittle. Dried rice stick 5 mm wide is soaked, not boiled, and gives a different texture.
Cautions: read first
- Keep fresh rice noodles at room temperature and use them the same day; refrigerated they go hard and brittle and need steaming soft before use.
Preparation
Peel the strands apart by hand, without washing, and loosen them before they hit the wok.
Origin
Shahe, Guangzhou. Fresh sheets at every Asian and Vietnamese grocer; packed fresh rice noodles at Woolworths (Mr Chen's 550g, for example); dried rice stick in every supermarket Asian aisle.
Availability in Australia
Easy to find
Where · Every Asian grocer; cheapest and freshest at Vietnamese grocers (Cabramatta, Marrickville, Springvale, Footscray, Inala); Woolworths (Mr Chen's)
What to ask for · At a Vietnamese grocer say bánh phở tươi; buy the room-temperature bag, never refrigerate, use the same day
If it is not there · Dried rice stick 5 mm, soaked; a different texture
