Here are three of my favorite tips for cooking rice noodles and avoiding a mushy mess.
What are rice noodles?
Rice noodles can be dry or fresh.
Once dry, they have a translucent white appearance.
Dry rice noodles are commonly available in most grocery stores.
(Ive seen them everywhere from ShopRite, to Whole Foods, to Walmart.)
They come in three sizes, with the largest being the least common outside of Asian markets.
These are well-oiled so they dont stick, and bagged up in plastic.
Fresh rice noodles may include some cornstarch or tapioca starch, and theyre more opaque in color.
You dont need to boil them first.
This manifests as noodles clumping and clinging together.
It’s the simplest and the most important step to making the best rice noodles every time.
To do this,place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover them with room temperature water.
Forethought is required here.
Soaking usually takes 25 to 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the noodle.
To test, after 30 minutes just reach in and lift up a handful of noodles.
They should feel floppy but not squishy.
If theyre still sticking out straight, give them more time.
The brand or thickness of the noodles might require it.
Its unlikely that youll over-soak rice noodles.
If you go run an errand that takes 20 minutes longer than expected, your noodles will be fine.
Its okay to add oil as you go too.
It was only when my mom called me out on it that I realized what I was doing.
So when youre about to add the noodles, take a look at the pan.
There should be some visible oil in there, pooling around the ingredients.
If the pan is dry, thats your signal to add a splash more.
Note that if your veggies are puddling up, you might be crowding your pan.
Opt for a larger skillet or cook a smaller batch next go around.
