These noodles are made from mung bean starch and water.
Common names include bean threads or glass noodle. The most common name is cellophane noodle because they resemble cellophane after they are cooked. In mandarin, it is known as fen si.
I grew up with only one type of mung bean noodle, the thin hairlike threads that resemble vermicelli. In recent years, there are many more varieties from Thailand, Vietnam and Korea. Although some of them may not necessarily be made from mung bean. I have seen potato and tapioca starch vermicelli. They look similar to cellophane noodles and have similar texture and bounce.
These noodles should not be confused with rice vermicelli (mi fen). Both have thin hairlike threads but rice vermicelli is made from rice flour and are whitish in color.
It is commonly used in soups and mixed vegetable dishes.
Ingredients150g minced pork
100g pak choy (xiao bai cai)
100g dried glass noodles (fen si)
500ml soup stock
A dash of sesame seed oil
Salt and pepper
Marinate for minced pork
A pinch of minced ginger
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
A pinch of chopped spring onions
Directions
- Add soy sauce, minced ginger and chopped spring onions to the minced pork. Mix well and leave to stand for a while
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, use a spoon to scoop and shape the minced pork into a ball and place them into the boiling water. Repeat until all minced pork have been used up
- When cooked, the meat balls will float to the surface. Let the meat balls float for a minute or so before taking them out of the water
- Strain the water used to cook the meat balls to get rid of any small bits of meat. Reheat to a boil
- Add the bean threads, the vegetables, and lastly, the cooked meat balls
- Add salt to taste
- It is ready when it boils again
- Add sesame seed oil and pepper just before serving
Recipe Note
The meat and vegetables can be substituted with other ingredients. Chicken or beef for pork and lettuce leaves for bok choy.
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