Glass noodles, or fensi (), sometimes called cellophane 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. They originated in China.
They are generally sold in dried form, soaked to reconstitute, then used in soups, stir-fried dishes, or . They are called "glass noodles" because of their glass-like transparency when cooked.
Glass noodles are not the same as rice vermicelli, which is made from rice and white in color rather than clear (after cooking in water).
Varieties
Glass noodles are made from a variety of
. In China, glass 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.
Glass noodles are available in various thicknesses. Wide, flat glass noodle sheets called mung bean sheets are also produced in China. In Korea, napjak-dangmyeon (literally "flat dangmyeon") refers to flat sweet potato noodles.
File:Dongfen.JPG|Dried Chinese vermicelli made with mung bean starch
File:Fentiao.jpg|Dried Chinese fentiao or hongshufen made with sweet potato starch
File:Suanlafen.jpg|Sì chuān suān là fěn (hot and sour noodles) made with fensi or hongshufen
File:Dong bei da la pi.jpg| Dōng běi dà lā pí made with Chinese mung bean sheets
File:Dangmyeon.jpg|Dried Korean dangmyeon made with sweet potato starch
File:Napjak-dangmyeon in jjimdak.jpg| Napjak-dangmyeon in jjimdak
Production
In China, the primary site of production of glass noodles is the town of Zhangxing, in Zhaoyuan,
Shandong province. Historically the noodles were shipped through the port of
Longkou, and thus the noodles are known and marketed as Longkou
fensi ().
Use
East Asia
China
In
Mandarin Chinese, the most commonly used names are
fěnsī () and
fěntiáo or
hóngshǔfěn ( or or 'sweet potato noodles'). They are also marketed under the name
saifun, the Cantonese pronunciation of the Mandarin
xìfěn (, though the name
fánsī (粉絲) is the term most often used in Cantonese.
In China, glass noodles are a popular ingredient used in stir frying, soups, and particularly . 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 glass 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 China, 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 (). A popular Szechuan cuisine dish called "ants climbing a tree" consists of stewed glass noodles with a spicy ground pork meat sauce.
In Tibetan cuisine, glass noodles are called phing or fing and are used in soup, in pork curry, or with mushrooms.
Japan
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
In
Korean cuisine, glass noodles are usually made from
sweet potato starch and are called
dangmyeon (; literally "
Tang dynasty 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 (). They are usually thick, and are a brownish-gray color when in their uncooked form.
Taiwan
In Taiwanese cuisine, they are called
dōngfěn (). They are a versatile ingredient used in soups, stir-fries, hot pots, and street food.
A popular Taiwanese dish featuring glass noodles is Bah-oân (肉圓), a translucent, doughy snack filled with meat and vegetables, often including glass noodles in the filling for added texture. Glass noodles are also a staple in Taiwanese-style Lou mei (滷味), a braised food stall dish where various ingredients, including glass noodles, are simmered in a spiced soy-based broth and served hot or cold.
In Hakka cuisine, a traditional preparation called kè jīa fěn sī (客家粉絲) involves stir-frying glass noodles with dried shrimp, mushrooms, pork, and preserved vegetables. Glass noodles are also often included in festive banquet dishes, such as steamed seafood casseroles and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (佛跳牆), where they absorb rich flavours from broths and other ingredients.
Taiwanese hot pots (火鍋) frequently include glass noodles as an essential add-in that soaks up the broth while maintaining a chewy texture, especially in spicy or medicinal broths popular in winter.
South Asia
India
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
Indonesia
In Indonesian cuisine, they are called soun, suun, or sohun, probably from . Its usually eaten with
bakso,
tekwan, and soto. In
Klaten, there are sohun made from Arenga pinnata]] starch.
Malaysia
In
Malaysia, they are known as
tanghoon (). They are sometimes confused with
bihun (), which are
rice vermicelli. They are sometimes also known as suhun or suhoon.
Myanmar (Burma)
In
Myanmar, glass noodles are called
kyazan (; ), more specifically
pe kyazan (ပဲကြာဆံ, ), which is typically made with mung bean flour. The other form of
kyazan, called
hsan kyazan (ဆန်ကြာဆံ), refers to
rice vermicelli.
Kyazan is the primary starch used in a Burmese consommé called kya zan hinga, and is also used in Burmese salads.
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
In
Thai cuisine, glass noodles are called
wun sen (). They are commonly mixed with pork and shrimp in a spicy salad called
yam wun sen (), or stir-fried as
phat wun sen () and sometimes used as the noodles for
pad thai.
Vietnam
In Vietnamese cuisine, there are two varieties of glass noodles. The first, called
bún tàu or
bún tào, are made from
mung bean starch, and were introduced by Chinese immigrants. The second, called
miến or
miến dong, are made from canna (), and were developed in Vietnam. These glass noodles are a main ingredient in the dishes:
miến gà (chicken),
miến lươn (eel),
miến ngan (muscovy duck), and
miến cua (crab). These glass noodles are sometimes confused with rice vermicelli () and
arrowroot starch noodles (Vietnamese: arrowroot:
củ dong, arrowroot starch:
bột dong/bột hoàng tinh/tinh bột khoai mì).
Polynesia
French Polynesia
In
French Polynesia, glass noodles are known as
vermicelle de soja and were introduced to the islands by
Hakka agricultural workers during the 19th century. They are most often used in
maa tinito, a dish made with glass noodles mixed together with pork, beans, and cooked vegetables.
Hawaii
In
Hawaii, where cuisine is heavily influenced by Asian cultures, glass noodles are known locally as
long rice, supposedly because the process of making the noodles involves extruding the starch through a
potato ricer.
They are used most often in
chicken long rice, a dish of glass noodles in chicken broth that is often served at
.
Samoa
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".
Food safety incidents
There were several food safety incidents originating in China. In 2004, a number of companies in
Yantai, China, were found to be producing
Longkou glass 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.
In December 2010, Czech food inspection authorities inspecting Chinese glass noodles determined that of aluminium had been added to them.
See also
External links
