Cellophane noodle? Glass noodles? Bean threads?

Cellophane noodle is a type of oriental "pasta" 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 粉丝 (fen si).

Bean threads should not be confused with rice vermicelli 米粉 (mi fen). Both have thin hairlike threads but rice vermicelli is made from rice flour and are whitish in color even after it has been cooked.

Glass noodles are commonly used in soups, mixed vegetables dishes and more recently, salads.

I grew up with 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 that have appeared in Singapore. These may not necessarily be made from mung bean. Some of them are made from potato and tapioca starch. They look similar and have similar texture and bounce.

The recipe below is a simple cellophane noodle soup with some ground pork and bok choy 小白菜.

The meat and vegetables can be substituted with other ingredients. Chicken or beef for pork and lettuce leaves for bok choy.

150g minced pork
100g pak choy小白菜 (xiao bai cai)
100g dried glass noodles 粉丝 (fen si)
500ml soup stock
A dash of sesame seed oil
Salt and pepper

Marinate

A pinch of minced ginger
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
A pinch of chopped spring onions

1. Add soy sauce, minced ginger and chopped spring onions to the minced pork. Mix well and leave to stand for a while
2. 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
3. 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
4. Strain the water used to cook the meat balls to get rid of any small bits of meat. Reheat to a boil
5. Add the bean threads, the vegetables, and lastly, the cooked meat balls
6. Add salt to taste
7. It is ready when it boils again
8. Add sesame seed oil and pepper just before serving

Recipe link: http://www.homemade-chinese-soups.com/cellophane-noodle-soup.html