{"id":173773,"title":"The Complete Guide to Asian Noodles","modified":"2026-09-19T03:07:12+02:00","plain":"Learn everything there is to know about the types of noodles most commonly found in Asian supermarkets\n\n\n\nIf you've ever browsed the noodle aisle in an Asian supermarket, you know that the huuuuge variety available can be overwhelming for beginners who aren't familiar with the different types of noodles. You can see where the diversity found in Italian cooking and its pasta recipes comes from.\n\n\n\nWell, following a recipe is one thing: you simply buy and use the noodles it calls for. But what if you're looking to experiment and broaden your culinary horizons a little? In that case, you'll want to know a bit more about each type of noodle.\n\n\n\nAsian noodles are generally divided into three types : wheat noodles, rice noodles, and glass or \"cellophane\" noodles. Below, I'll try to teach you a little more about each of them, with the most popular examples of each, practical cooking tips, and recipes.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn many cases, each type of noodle can be served in different ways, such as in broth, stir-fried, deep-fried, or served cold or hot. Buuut each has its own best uses, which we'll look at right now\n\n\n\nWheat noodles\n\n\n\nWheat is the most popular grain used to make noodles worldwide.\n\n\n\nAsian wheat noodles are generally made with wheat flour and eggs, just like Italian pasta. One key difference, however, is that while Italian pasta is made by rolling and then cutting the dough,  many types of Asian egg noodles are made by pulling and stretching the noodles.\n\n\n\nThis works the gluten in the dough, just like Italian rolling techniques, but the resulting noodles differ in texture and consistency. In general, Asian noodles are more elastic and springy than their Italian counterparts.\n\n\n\n\"Lo mein\" and \"chow mein\" noodles\n\n\n\nThe two most common types of Chinese wheat noodles are lo mein and chow mein noodles. Both are made from wheat flour and egg, and they are cylindrical, like spaghetti, but a little thicker, closer to 5mm\n\n\n\nI know what you're thinking: \"Marc, I've seen the chow mein recipe, but this is the first time I've heard of lo mein\". Well, lo mein is an umbrella term for \"soft\" noodles stir-fried with vegetables and\/or meat. That's all. \n\n\n\n\n    Chow mein (nouilles saut\u00e9es chinoises)\n    Une d\u00e9licieuse recette de chow mein, les traditionnelles nouilles saut\u00e9es chinoises\t\n4.98\/5 (537)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nChow mein, on the other hand, involves stir-frying over very, very high heat\n\n\n\nLo mein and chow mein noodles are available both fresh and dried, especially if you're lucky enough to live near a large Asian grocery store. Otherwise, you may be limited to the dried kind.\n\n\n\nBoth fresh and dried varieties need to be briefly parboiled (follow the instructions on the package ; dried noodles will take a little longer to cook, and the time also depends on their thickness), allowing them to swell slightly and develop the desired \"bite\" ( the equivalent of al dente in Italian cooking).\n\n\n\nAfter parboiling, the noodles are cooked with stir-fried meat and vegetables and a sauce, or alternatively, the noodles themselves can be stir-fried for extra flavor.\n\n\n\nChow mein noodles are generally crispier, with the heat turned all the way up, while lo mein noodles are softer. So, if you have a choice, fresh noodles work best for making lo mein. \n\n\n\n\n    Nouilles saut\u00e9es aux l\u00e9gumes comme au restaurant\n    Une d\u00e9licieuse recette de nouilles saut\u00e9es aux l\u00e9gumes comme au restaurant\t\n4.83\/5 (242)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nIn short, do you see thick, round noodles? Buy them to make delicious stir-fries\n\n\n\nRamen noodles\n\n\n\nAnother hugely popular variety of egg noodles comes from Japan in the form of ramen noodles.\n\n\n\nRamen noodles are treated with an alkaline ingredient called kansui, which gives them a curly shape. Thinner than chow mein or lo mein, ramen noodles are traditionally served in a broth flavored with salt, soy sauce, miso, or pork, along with various vegetables, meats, and other toppings.\n\n\n\nInstant ramen undeniably has its appeal, as shown by its presence on supermarket shelves around the world. Authentic ramen restaurants, however, serve a fresh variety, which is also available in large Asian grocery stores.\n\n\n\nBecause they are relatively thin, ramen noodles soften as they sit in the broth, so it's important not to overcook them to begin with.\n\n\n\nUdon noodles\n\n\n\nUdon noodles are another Japanese favorite, but unlike ramen, udon are thick and chewy, with a distinctive bounce as they dangle from your chopsticks and a delicious texture in your mouth. \n\n\n\n\n    Yaki udon au b\u0153uf\n    Une d\u00e9licieuse et authentique recette de yaki udon au b\u0153uf \t\n4.77\/5 (164)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nAlso usually paired with broth, udon noodles are most often sold fresh, but dried and even frozen noodles are available, although the fresh variety has a superior texture. Personally, I often use them precooked (they're sold in vacuum-sealed packets)\n\n\n\n\n    Udon saut\u00e9es au porc, ail et chou\n    Une recette simple et efficace de nouilles udon saut\u00e9es au porc, ail et chou\t\n5\/5 (17)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nSoba noodles\n\n\n\nSoba noodles are a unique product for several reasons. \n\n\n\nFirst, they are made with buckwheat flour as well as wheat flour, giving them a distinctive flavor, texture, and light to dark brown color. \n\n\n\nAnd second, rather than being served hot, soba noodles are generally served cold, accompanied by a flavorful sauce. Cold soba noodles, sometimes chilled with ice before serving, are a refreshing summer dish in Japan.\n\n\n\n\n    Sauce pour nouilles soba froides\n    \t\n4.80\/5 (10)\n\n\n10 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nNote: Somen noodles are similar to soba, except they are made entirely from wheat rather than buckwheat, so they are white instead of brown and have a smoother texture. They are also generally served cold.\n\n\n\nRice noodles\n\n\n\nRice noodles make up the second major category of Asian noodles. Made from rice starch, rice noodles come in all sorts of lengths and widths and can be found in the cuisines of almost every country in Asia and Southeast Asia.\n\n\n\nThey have a firm, elastic texture, particularly in the wider, thicker varieties, and they can absorb the flavors of the sauces or broths they are served with.\n\n\n\n\n    Nouilles de riz saut\u00e9es \u00e0 la tha\u00eflandaise\n    Une d\u00e9licieuse recette de nouilles de riz saut\u00e9es rapide et facile\t\n4.90\/5 (37)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nWhile fresh rice noodles are available in larger Asian grocery stores, the number of dried rice noodle varieties far exceeds the fresh kind. Rice noodles are used in soups and stir-fries, and dried rice noodles often need to be soaked or parboiled before cooking.\n\n\n\nMost rice noodles are flat, and although noodle widths vary greatly( with some of the widest measuring about a centimeter across), most are about 3 mm wide, roughly the same width as linguine.\n\n\n\nPad Thai, for example, is a classic Thai stir-fried noodle dish made with 3mm rice noodles\n\n\n\n\n    Authentique Pad Tha\u00ef\n    Une recette compl\u00e8te de pad tha\u00ef meilleure qu'au restaurant\t\n4.76\/5 (200)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nThinner varieties of rice noodles are sometimes called rice sticks or even rice vermicelli. Vietnamese pho is another popular noodle soup made with rice sticks or vermicelli.\n\n\n\n\n    Authentique Ph\u1edf Vietnamien\n    Le Ph\u1edf est un grand classique de la cuisine vietnamienne. Il s'agit d'un d\u00e9licieux bouillon de b\u0153uf garni de nouilles et de plein d'aromates en tout genre\t\n4.84\/5 (55)\n\n\n14 hours hours\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nNote that although it isn't technically a noodle, the same ingredient used to make rice noodles can also be formed into sheets called rice paper, which are used to wrap fresh spring rolls or Vietnamese fried spring rolls\n\n\n\n\n    Authentiques Nems Vietnamiens- \u70b8\u6625\u5377\n    Une recette simple et authentique de nems vietnamiens\t\n4.94\/5 (321)\n\n\n2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nGlass noodles\n\n\n\nFinally, glass noodles, sometimes also called cellophane noodles, are a broad category of noodles made from any type of starch other than wheat or rice. \n\n\n\nMung bean noodles are quite common, as are noodles made from tapioca starch and sweet potato starch.\n\n\n\n\n    Japchae au b\u0153uf\n    Un plat cor\u00e9en savoureux compos\u00e9 de nouilles de patate douce saut\u00e9es avec b\u0153uf, champignons, l\u00e9gumes vari\u00e9s et assaisonnements parfum\u00e9s. Id\u00e9al pour un repas complet, chaud ou froid.\t\n4.76\/5 (25)\n\n\n20 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nDespite their varied origins, making these noodles involves isolating the starches from these different sources, so the noodles themselves have no particular flavor. These noodles are generally much thinner, almost threadlike, and are called glass or cellophane noodles because, once boiled, they take on a glassy, almost transparent appearance.\n\n\n\nTheir texture is generally very elastic, and they are often served in stir-fries. Deep-frying these noodles makes them particularly crispy.\n\n\n\nLike rice noodles, glass noodles also need to be soaked before cooking, unless you're going to deep-fry them.\n\n\n\n\n    Glass noodles saut\u00e9es au soja\n    Une recette rapide et d\u00e9licieuse de glass noodles saut\u00e9es. Des nouilles saut\u00e9es avec de l\u2019ail, des carottes, des champignons et une sauce savoureuse \u00e0 base de sauce soja, sucre et vinaigre de riz. Parfait pour un repas express et gourmand.\t\n4.69\/5 (19)\n\n\n15 minutes minutes\n\n    \n\n\n    D\u00e9couvre vite la recette compl\u00e8te !\n\n\n\n\n\nOnce soaked, glass noodles require a relatively short cooking time, from 3 to 6 minutes depending on the quantity. After draining them and rinsing thoroughly with cold water, toss with oil to prevent them from sticking. \n\n\n\nAnd remember, glass noodles absorb the flavors of their cooking liquid, so if you're not cooking them in broth, make sure to at least salt the cooking water.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}