Chinese Noodles

If you walk down the noodle aisle of an Asian supermarket, chances are you’ll come across many types of Chinese noodles. Some are made from wheat, while others are made from rice, mung beans, or potatoes. Chinese noodles come in a dizzying number of varieties, sizes, and shapes. Thin, thick, narrow, and wide — the options are endless.

Chinese noodles are primarily classified into Mein (wheat-based, often with egg) and Fen (rice or starch-based, usually gluten-free). Popular varieties include chewy Lo Mein (tossed), crispy Chow Mein (stir-fried), silky Mi Xian (rice noodles), and thin, delicate Mi Fen (vermicelli), typically distinguished by their cooking method, texture, and starch source.

Chow means stir-fried (often crispy), Lo means tossed (soft), and Tang refers to soup noodles.

Wheat noodles

The statistics show that China is the largest producer and consumer of wheat at present. As a significant staple food for the Chinese, wheat noodles are the most common food in the daily diet, especially in the northern part of China. The key ingredients of wheat noodles are wheat flour, water, and salt. Wheat noodles in most cases are sold as dried noodles.

Most dried wheat noodles are very similar. The differences mainly depend on the width and the way they are made. Some are pulled into fine strings, some are machine cut; some are deep-fried, and some are simply dried under the sun. Wheat noodles are usually lightly salted with a taste of wheat. These noodles are best for soaking up all the tasty soup, any sauce attaches to the noodles well. They are great for noodle soup, stir-frying and tossed with a simple dressing.

Gua Mian - Wheat noodles usually are hung and dried out either naturally or in the factory. So the Chinese name for all types of wheat noodles in Chinese is “挂面”, which means hanging noodles. The purpose of drying the noodle is a traditional method of preserving them for later use and for transportation.

YangChun”(陽春), means simple, basics or plain in Mandarin. In Taiwan, the “noodle system” is simple- using YangChun Noodles as a base, anything wider is considered as “Wide Noodles” (寬麵, Kuan1Mian4); anything skinnier is “Thin Noodles” (細麵, xi4mian4). YangChun noodles are about 0.5cm in width.

Chow Mein (炒面): Stir-fried wheat noodles, often featuring a crispier texture.

La Mian (拉面): Hand-pulled wheat noodles known for their chewy, elastic texture, commonly served in soup.

Dao Xiao Mian (刀削面): Knife-cut wheat noodles, thick in the middle and thin on the edges.

Lamian (拉面): Hand-stretched wheat noodles often used in soups.

Dao Xiao Mian (刀削面): Sliced from a block of dough directly into boiling water, known for a chewy texture. ]

Yi Mein (伊面): Fried, chewy egg noodles known as "longevity noodles".

Wonton Noodles: Thin, chewy, Cantonese-style egg noodles.

Lo Mein: Chewy, often boiled wheat noodles tossed with sauces.

Biang Biang Noodles: Thick, broad, hand-pulled noodles from Shaanxi.

Dragon Beard Noodles: Extremely thin, delicate noodles.

Egg noodles

Egg noodles are made of wheat flour, eggs, water, and salt. Egg noodles can be made fresh or dried for sale. They get their name from the addition of egg to the noodle dough, which gives them a yellowish color and a slightly richer flavor compared to regular wheat noodles. Chinese egg noodles can be found in a variety of shapes and sizes, including thin, vermicelli-like noodles, flat noodles, and thick, round noodles. Egg noodles are also much chewier than regular wheat noodles.

Egg noodles, most commonly associated with dishes including wonton soup or chow mein, are traditionally made with flour, water and of course, eggs. The addition of eggs gives the noodles a stronger yellow color and a slightly richer flavor than standard wheat noodles. When making these springy noodles, they can be cut into a variety of thicknesses and shapes before either air-drying or boiling the noodles.

Although alkaline water can be used, the egg itself gives enough chew to the noodle that it doesn’t require the same treatment as hand-pulled noodles. The egg also adds strength to the noodles, allowing them to hold up in heavier stir-fry dishes where other noodle types might fall apart.

Lo Mein (捞面): Soft, wheat-and-egg noodles tossed in sauce, typically used as a main dish.

Wonton Noodles (雲吞面): Thin, yellow egg noodles, usually served in broth with wontons.

Rice noodles

Rice noodles are much more popular in the southern area of China where rice is widely planted as the staple food. Rice noodles can be separated into rice vermicelli, rice sticks, and chow fun (hefen in Chinese).

Despite the broad term, there are technically different types of rice noodles found in Chinese cuisine. These can include ho fun, lai fun, mi xian, vermicelli and many more provincial specialties. Other than shape and thickness, the main difference is how the noodle is prepared for cooking. Wide, flat noodles like ho fun are actually made by steaming large sheets of the gelatinous batter before cutting them to the preferred size and length. This differs heavily from vermicelli, which utilizes a murukku maker (a cylindrical noodle press) to squeeze out the batter into extremely thin rice noodles directly into boiling water.

The easiest way to tell rice noodles and wheat noodles apart is the color- wheat noodle has a yellow tint and rice noodles are usually white and sometimes almost transparent.

Mi Fen / Mei Fun (米粉): Thin, bouncy rice vermicelli, commonly stir-fried.

He Fen / Ho Fun / /Shahe Fen (河粉): Wide, flat rice noodles known for being slippery and soft, often used in stir-fries, such as beef chow fun.

Mi Xian (米线): Thick, round, fermented rice noodles, famous in Yunnan province, often served in broth.

Yin Zhen Fen / Silver Needle Noodles (银针粉): Short, thick, tapered noodles made from rice flour.

Lai Fun (濑粉): Thick, rounded rice noodles with a chewy, bouncy texture. '

Rice vermicelli

Rice vermicelli, made of rice flour and water, appears to be as thin and white as silk. They are usually dried and sold in bunches. Before cooking, you’d better soak rice vermicelli in hot water for fifteen to twenty minutes because the dried rice vermicelli is in a quite hard texture. After the rice vermicelli is softened, you can cut it into short pieces, which will be convenient for you to eat. Rice vermicelli can be used to make dishes with minced meat or to boil with soup.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and mung bean are quite common ingredients to be applied for production. The famous brand Longkou vermicelli is a kind of mung bean vermicelli, which is chewy and tasty.

Rice sticks (Mi xian)

Rice sticks, called Mi Xian in Chinese, are a little thicker than rice vermicelli in appearance. Rice sticks are also made of rice flour and water. By integrating with different ingredients and seasonings, rice sticks have displayed unique flavors in different regions. In Yunnan province, Guo Qiao Mi Xian is deemed as a signature dish. The rice sticks are firstly cooked in boiling water and then taken out from the water and mix with the hot chicken soup and other vegetables.

Chow fun (Ho fun or He fen)

Chow fun is a kind of flat and wide rice noodle. The process of making chow fun is different from making rice vermicelli and rice sticks. Rice is firstly smashed into rice flour, which will mix with water to form rice milk. The rice milk will be steamed and then cut into wide noodles, thus, chow fun is made.

Glass & Startch Noodles (粉丝 Fěn Sī)

Glass noodles, also known as cellophane or bean thread noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from various starches, most commonly mung bean, cassava (tapioca) or sweet potato starch. The dried noodles are extremely brittle and hard, requiring a soak in hot water (not boiling water) before used in cooking. Once prepared, they become soft and slippery; with a translucent glass-like appearance. As a result, glass noodles are often used in dishes where appearance is just as important as flavor, allowing the paired ingredients to shine or creating an intricate visual presentation.

Fen Si / Glass Noodles (粉丝): Transparent, thin noodles made from mung bean starch, sweet potato, or tapioca starch.

Liangpi (凉皮): "Cold skin" noodles made from wheat or rice starch, common in summer.

Soba Noodles

Soba is noodles made of buckwheat. The appearance of soba is long, thin, and round with a beige or light brown color, quite similar to spaghetti. Soba is rich in proteins and plant fibers, which can help to prevent obesity. Therefore, soba is a good choice for people who intend to lose weight to take on their daily diet.