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home / noodle soups/ cellophane noodle soup

Cellophane noodle soup

Cellophane noodle are made from mung bean starch and water, which is why they are also known as mung bean vermicelli. Other common names include bean threads or bean thread noodles.

They are commonly called cellophane noodle because they resemble cellophane after they are cooked.

I grew up with only 1 type of mung bean vermicelli: the thin hairlike threads.

In recent years, there are many more varieties coming in from Thailand, Vietnam and Korea.

However, 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.

Cellophane noodle should also not be confused with rice vermicelli (mi fen). Both have thin hairlike threads but rice vermicelli is made from rice and are whitish in color.

Ingredients

500g minced pork
100g pak choy (xiao bai cai)
100g cellophane 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

Substitute the minced pork with minced chicken or beef if you don't like pork.

Directions

Add soy sauce, minced ginger and chopped spring onions to the minced pork. Mix well
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 cellophane noodles, the vegetables, and lastly, the cooked meat balls
Add salt to taste
The cellophane noodle soup is ready when it boils again
Add sesame seed oil and pepper just before serving

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