Learn how to make starch grass noodles and rice noodles with the foundation of potato starch. Caution first: this can’t produce the same rice noodles from the stores but creates a healthier and easy to digest rice noodles at home.
My daughter is a rice noodle lover; she always requires to eat rice noodles every week. Sometimes I don’t have storage in my kitchen like the past two months. Lots of ingredients are hard to find. On the other side, store bought rice noodles are too strong to digest (not sure about the ingredients). So I devoted lots of time and testing to make an easy to digest starch noodle and rice noodle at home.
Rice noodles have lots of forms in China. The round thin thread rice noodle is called as “米线”meaning “rice thread”. While the flat rice noodle is called “米粉”. We make a homemade rice thread noodle in this recipe. The homemade rice noodle will not easily break as long as you follow the steps actually. There are mainly two types of rice stick noodles in China as “酸浆米线” （rice stick noodles made with fermented rice batter）and “干浆米线”. We are actually copying the later type.
Advantage of this recipe
1.You can make this whenever you want as long as the basic ingredients are available. The process is quite easy and fun.
2.It is easy to digest comparing with store bought rice noodles and also safer and healthier.
Disadvantage of the recipe
1.The rice noodle is not 100% made with rice. So the aroma of the rice is influenced.
2.It can’t be stored if you pursue a right texture. And it should be used right after finished.
Rules behind
Rice flour is not strong enough so the pure rice noodles are super easy to break. So we use potato starch (or sweet potato starch should work fine too ) to work as a strong adhesion. You can use pure potato starch to make potato starch noodles. I made a test to compare the two different types of noodles and find the potato starch noodle is transparent and more chewier. In the picture below, the right noodle is made with 50% starch and 50% rice flour. They get difference in appearance and texture.
Cook’s Note
1.The water should be hot boiling, otherwise the gelatinization can’t be finished.
2.The dough should be well kneaded for a smooth texture, no bump included.
3. Avoid stopping when pressing the noodles.
4. Don’t overcook the noodles. Transfer out as long as the water boils once again.
5.Soak the noodles in a large amount of cold water. Until cooled. And then use it right after that.
6. Re-heat the noodles very quickly.
Instructions
In a large bowl, place potato starch in center and then place rice flour in. Add vegetable cooking oil. Then pour the hot water in while stirring. Let the dough cool slightly. Then knead the dough for several minutes until smooth and there is no small bump. The dough will be quite stretchable. Highly recommend you kneading the folding the dough for at least 5-8 minutes. More kneading makes the dough better.
Assemble the dough into the noodle presser.Bring a large pot of hot water to a boiling and then prepare a cold water at side. Slow down the fire until the hot water boils. Push the noodles into the boiling water. During this process, try to finish this at one stretch and avoid stopping.
Transfer the noodle to the cold water as long as the water boils once again.
In a large pot, add tofu, scallion, mushrooms and then load with chicken stock. Add salt to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and then place the rice noodles in. Cook for a short time (never overcook) when the soup starts to boil. Turn off fire and top with coriander, chopped scallion and toasted peanuts.
Homemade starch noodle and rice noodles
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- 1/2 cup rice flour or potato starch
- 1/2 cup hot boiling water
- 1 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil , without particular flavor
- 1/2 whole chicken , cut into small pieces
- 50 g dried mushroom mix
- 1 thumb ginger , smashed
- 4-5 pieces of pan-fried tofu
- 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 small bunch oyster mushroom
- 2 scallion white
- chopped scallion and coriander
- toasted peanuts
- salt as needed
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Prepare the chicken stock ahead. Place blanched chicken chunks, and pre-soaked dried mushrooms or other ingredient you prefer in a large pot. Load with 4 to 5 liters of water. Use soup procedure.
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In a large bowl, place potato starch in center and then place rice flour in. Add vegetable cooking oil. Then pour the hot water in while stirring. Let the dough cool slightly.
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Then knead the dough for several minutes until smooth and there is no small bumps (highly recommend at least 8 minutes kneading). The dough will be quite stretchable.
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Assemble the dough into the presser.
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Bring a large pot of hot water to a boiling and then prepare a bowl of cold water at side.
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Slow down the fire until the hot water boils. Push the noodles into the boiling water. During this process, try to finish this at one stretch and avoid stopping. Transfer the noodle to the cold water as long as the water boils once again.
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In a large pot, add tofu, scallion, mushrooms and then load with chicken stock. Add salt to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes and then place the rice noodles in. Cook for a short time when the soup starts to boil. Turn off fire and top with coriander, chopped scallion and toasted peanuts.
Hi Elaine, do you use regular or sticky rice flour for this?
Btw. I really liked the video, too.
Andreas,
I use regular rice flour. In Chinese cuisine, rice flour = regular rice flour and we will point out if sticky rice flour is used specially.
Noodles came out great! I’m totally making my own noodles from now on since they were so easy. Kneading is key!
I did not have a noodle press, but a potato ricer works perfectly! I did translate the liquid measure to grams for a more accurate recipe. For example, a 1/2 cup of potato starch is 75 grams.
Thanks!
Yes, you get it! Kneading is the key. I love to play with this type of dough much better than regular wheat dough.
Do you have the measurements for the dough in grams? I find volume measurements to be very inaccurate for flour.
Should be around 130 grams.
Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes – I’m definitely going to make this one looks so satisfying to do … loved your gadget for making the noodles what is it called please …
I’v made quite a few of your recipes some I would never thought of making but all turned out well
Sandra
Greetings from San Diego, California, USA! Thank you so much for this wonderful site I appreciate all of your effort and enthusiasm. I will make many of your recipes! It is clear that everyone’s lives around the world have been similar, finding alternative ways to cook while we stay at home for months.
Would you please explain “Transfer the noodle to the cold water as long as the water boils once again”? Does that mean to first push the the noodles through the presser into the boiliing water, then next to wait until the water comes to a boil again (without changing the heat), and last transfer the noodles to the cold water? Thank you!
Thanks Janice.
For your question:I mean just boil the noodles until the water boils again. Avoid overcooking and transfer to cold water immediately.
Hi Elaine,
Can the uncool noodles freeze for later?
Is a great receipt, love it Nd will make it again instead buying it at the store.
Vong,
This version can’t be frozen.
What if i dont have rice flour available,only glutinous rice flour.can i use it instead?
No, rice stick noodle must be made from rice flour.
Can you use a noodle machine to cut the noodles, if you do not have one of the presser you use.
Can you use a noodle machine to cut the noodles if you do not have a noodle presser
Yes, this should work too.
If you don’t have a noodle presser can you use a noodle machine to cut the noodles?